--- title: Following election results, labor looks to regroup and unify members description: The America’s Work Force Union Podcast is the nation’s premier daily labor program. Lane Windham from the Kalmanovitz Initiative joined us on today’s show. image: https://awf.labortools.com/hubfs/georgetown%20university.jpg --- 1 min read Season 5, Episode 249 # Following election results, labor looks to regroup and unify members [ awfblog ](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/author/awfblog) December 16, 2024 [America's Work Force Union Podcast](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/americas-work-force-union-podcast) [AWF](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/awf) [Kalmanovitz Initiative](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/tag/kalmanovitz-initiative) ![georgetown university gray](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/georgetown%20university%20gray.jpg?width=400&height=400&name=georgetown%20university%20gray.jpg)   Guest Name: --- Lane Windham Guest Website: --- [Kalmanovitz Initiative](https://lwp.georgetown.edu/)  Guest Social Media: --- [ Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/kilwp/) [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/georgetownkilwp) Supportive Documents: --- Lane Windham, Associate Director of the [Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor](https://lwp.georgetown.edu/) at Georgetown University, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the changing landscape of labor leadership and the importance of empowering women in the movement. Windham, a seasoned labor activist, historian and author, highlighted the significant shift in labor leadership demographics, noting that women now hold top positions in major unions. This change reflects the growing representation of women in union membership. Windham said leaders like Liz Schuler at the [AFL-CIO](https://aflcio.org/) and Randi Weingarten at the [American Federation of Teachers](https://www.aft.org/) are breaking barriers and reshaping the face of the labor movement. However, Windham emphasized that leadership extends beyond top positions and labor should encourage individuals to lead through vision and impact, regardless of their position within an organization. The 2024 election results revealed deep-seated economic anger among working-class voters. Windham pointed out that this anger stems from decades of economic struggle. She said this is highlighted by men who hold only a high school degree earning 22 percent less than they did 45 years ago. Windham argued that the decline in union membership has left workers vulnerable to unchecked corporate power, fueling insecurity and discontent. She stressed the need for labor to advocate for transformative policies that bring tangible improvements to workers' daily lives.  While Windham points out that public opinion on unions is at its highest in 40 years, young workers are not provided with sufficient entry points to the labor movement. To address this, Windham co-directs [Will Empower](http://willempower.org/), a joint project between Georgetown and Rutgers University’s labor centers. The program offers apprenticeships that provide paid, entry-level positions in unions and worker justice organizations, complete with mentorship and cohort experiences. This initiative aims to create more doorways for young people to enter the labor movement and harness their energy and enthusiasm. Listen to the show above to learn more about Lane Windham's work and the Will Empower program. --- America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues. America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers. - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ##### SUBSCRIBE ON: --- [![Group 342](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AmericasWorkForce/podcast%20logos/Apple%20Podcasts%20Button-Dark.png?width=171&name=Apple%20Podcasts%20Button-Dark.png)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast/id1511224946) [![Group 341](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AmericasWorkForce/podcast%20logos/Spotify%20Button-Dark.png?width=100&name=Spotify%20Button-Dark.png)](https://open.spotify.com/show/0GzkHxFSBxiXvuX0lZpQBn) [![Group 343](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20343.png?width=135&name=Group%20343.png)](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast-62567752/) [![Group 339](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20339.png?width=110&name=Group%20339.png)](https://www.pandora.com/podcast/americas-work-force-union-podcast/PC:47979) [![Group 397](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Group%20397.png?width=125&name=Group%20397.png)](https://americasworkforceradiopodcast.podbean.com/) [![Group 397](https://awf.labortools.com/hs-fs/hubfs/YouTube_button.png?width=125&name=YouTube_button.png)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuQo1PAtRAel1_tS7-PQOkA)   #### [Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen on the Union Pacific Merger Threat](https://awf.labortools.com/listen/brotherhood-of-railroad-signalmen-on-the-union-pacific-merger-threat) : July 6, 2026 # Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen on the Union Pacific Merger Threat Brandon Elvey, Secretary-Treasurer of the [Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen](https://www.brs.org/),... 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