Podcasts by Working Class Heroes Radio
Working Class Heroes is a narrative investigative journalism podcast exploring the lives, history, politics and culture of working class “New YorQuinos.” We will showcase their struggles and stories by highlighting their identities, experiences, interests, and working conditions.
Working Class Heroes is produced by The Muckrakers' Union Local 718. Episodes will be crafted through interviews, historical research and presented in a bilingual format.
Your co-hosts are Julian Guerrero, Brianda Guzman, Carlos Perez, Lupita Romero and Lea Ramirez.
Why the working class?
We believe that in this political moment, what we need more than ever is to relate the experience of the most resilient communities in New York City.
Amidst a housing crisis, record mass incarceration, militarized policing, raids and deportations, high prices and lowering wages and longer hours, regular working people are the ones fighting for more, standing against politicians and corporations' efforts to exploit more of workers for less.
The Muckrakers' Union (Local 718) is a dues paying collective for creatives in New York City who are interested in using their talent and skills to highlight working class issues, culture, art and protest.
We are made up of journalists, writers, photographers, graphic designers, researchers, artists, activists, etc.
If you are interested in joining or collaborating, please contact us at workingclassheroespodcast@gmail.com
Further podcasts by Most Heroes Don't Wear Capes
Podcast on the topic Gesellschaft und Kultur
All episodes
Taxi Drivers Deserve Dignity - Seydou's Story from 2021-05-23T12:43:23
Another mini-episode focused on the struggles of New York Taxi Drivers. Julian Guerrero speaks with Seydou Ouattara, an Uber driver since 2016 who moved to New York from the Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivo...
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UPS And The Laurelton 10 from 2021-05-08T23:43:15
When UPS fired 10 part-time workers at a warehouse in Laurelton, Queens, it sparked a wave of protests from Teamsters Local 804 and union activists across New York City.
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Deliveristas of the World Unite! May Day Special from 2021-05-01T20:36:36
We're back for a May 1st Special episode to commemorate International Worker's Day! Happy May Day!
For our May Day special, we're looking at the struggles of Delivery Workers in New York C...
A Year of Working Class Heroes: Reflections on Building Independent Media from 2021-04-23T20:15:53
April 23rd 2021 marks one year of our series, Coronavirus and Class Struggle, on famed Lefty community radio station, NYC's WBAI 99.5 FM.
A few members of the Working Class Heroes Collect...
Guantanamo: Don't Forget Us Here from 2021-03-29T13:38:57
On this week's show, we speak with two people dedicated to shutting down Guantanamo Bay Detention Center and all detention centers that hold prisoners of the US empire.
Khadija Mehter spea...
Building Solidarity with Our Unhoused Neighbors from 2021-03-01T16:11:41
On this week's episode of Working Class Heroes Radio, we speak with Jasmine and Kali of Southern Solidarity, an organization dedicated to liberation, mutual aid, and the cause of unhoused people, m...
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Restaurant Workers Organize for Dignity from 2021-02-22T00:17:38
On this week's show of Working Class Heroes Radio, Julian Guerrero speaks with restaurant workers, Natalia Tylim and Gary Inman, both members of the Democratic Socialists of America and organizers ...
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Prakash's Homecoming: The Fight Continues from 2021-02-07T08:34:54
On this week's show of Working Class Heroes radio, we speak with Prakash Churaman, the young Guyanese immigrant from Queens who spent 6 years incarcerated without a fair trial.
Now that P...
The Rise of the Tech Labor Movement from 2021-01-31T21:26:40
On this week's show of Working Class Heroes Radio, we speak with Aaron Petcoff, a software engineer, member of the Democratic Socialists of America, and a volunteer with the Tech Workers Coalition....
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U.S. Postal Service Not For Sale from 2021-01-24T01:41:17
From budget cuts to Trump's attempts to the sabotage mail-in voting system, Postal workers are fighting to save the US Postal Service.
On this week's show of Working Class Heroes Radio, J...
Fired By Amazon & Fighting Back from 2021-01-18T16:29:31
On this week’s show of Working Class Heroes Radio, we speak with Chris Smalls, a former Amazon worker who was fired after organizing a walkout to protest the violation of COVID-19 safety standards ...
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Starving For Freedom: Life Inside NJ Detention Centers from 2021-01-11T06:00:54
On this week's episode of Working Class Heroes Radio, we discussed the ongoing hunger strike of over 140 people across immigrant detention centers in New Jersey, who are fighting for their lives, d...
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No Pipeline Through North Brooklyn from 2020-12-14T04:20:04
On this week's episode of Working Class Heroes Radio, we speak with organizers from the Frack Outta Brooklyn Coalition and the No North Brooklyn Pipeline campaign about their efforts to stop the co...
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Reclaiming Stolen Land in New York from 2020-12-07T15:39:39
On this week's show, we speak with members of the revolutionary indigenous organization, The Red Nation as well as a member of the Shinnecock Nation about the struggles of indigenous people in New ...
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Essential But Ignored: NYC Delivery Workers from 2020-11-16T14:24:01
On this week's show, Mel Gonzalez speaks with NYC delivery worker, Miguel, about their job conditions, treatment from the employer and the recent hit and run deaths of delivery workers.
L...
Stopping Solitary from 2020-11-09T15:41:11
In this week's episode, Danny Katch speaks with Victor Pate, a formally incarcerated organizer with the campaign for alternatives to isolated confinement about the fight to end the horrific practic...
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"Can't Be A Victim to the System" - The Prakash Churaman Story Part 2 from 2020-11-02T13:53:20
On this week’s show of Working Class Heroes Radio, we continue our story of Prakash Churaman, a young man locked up for six years without a fair trial or a guilty verdict, who’s fighting to prove h...
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"Can't Be A Victim to the System" - The Prakash Churaman Story Part 1 from 2020-10-19T14:51:56
On this week’s show of Working Class Heroes Radio, we report on the story of Prakash Churaman, a young man locked up for six years without a fair trial or a guilty verdict, who’s fighting to prove ...
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Deciding Puerto Rico's Future from 2020-10-05T16:48:17
On this week's show, Lupita and Mel host, Khadija and Danny bring us a special edition of our weekly headlines, given Trump's diagnosis of Covid19, Lupita and Mel break down some of Puerto Rico's m...
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We Won't Die for the D.O.E. from 2020-09-28T15:29:30
On this week's show - school is back in session and the city’s failure to address health and safety concerns has already propelled the spread of Covid infections in school buildings. Bill de Blasio...
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Rezoning Battles in NYC from 2020-09-21T13:02:12
On this week's show, we focus on the anti-displacement work against the large scale developments of Industry City in Sunset Park and the waterfront in Flushing. Khadija and Lupita host and address...
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Confronting The Slumlord from 2020-09-07T15:26:27
On this week's show, Lupita and Mel report on struggles tenants are waging against abusive landlords and courts trying to restart the eviction mill in New York City. Julian speaks with tenant and a...
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Legal Workers Unite Against Office Reopenings from 2020-08-31T15:47:15
After a short break, we're back with a new show and few lined up for the next couple of weeks.
On this week's show, Khadija and Danny give us a summary of recent headlines, Lupita and Mel ...
Resisting the Reopening of Court from 2020-08-10T16:00:22
For this week's episode, we're changing things up a bit.
Lupita and Mel host our regular radio show while Julian introduces an ongoing investigation on the reopening of New York City Cour...
Confronting Racism in Inwood from 2020-08-03T16:00:36
We're back after a two-week break. We've been working on a few stories for a while and are happy to have it ready for everyone now.
Lea and Carlos take up the incident on Dyckman Street in...
Inside the Occupation at City Hall Park from 2020-07-13T17:29:50
Occupy City Hall encampment has brought hundreds of people demanding to defund and abolish the NYPD to take over a plaza next to city hall. The encampment began on June 23rd, growing to its peak on...
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Fighting for Public Education Not Cops from 2020-07-06T17:11:57
Protests against police violence have coalesced in recent weeks into a movement to defund the NYPD and transfer needed resources to education and other vital services. While activists are disappoin...
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Do Black Lives Matter in the Labor Movement? from 2020-06-29T21:00:12
Working Class Heroes Radio is back after a week off! Well, it's more like we moved from a half-hour show on Thursdays to a full hour radio program live on WBAI 99.5fm on Saturday nights at 6 pm.
Who is Looting in the Bronx? from 2020-06-14T21:31:35
Last week's show is a little late due to technical issues on the live show. The remote work set up is taking us a bit longer to adjust to but we're going to keep working at it until we get it right...
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We Can't Breathe from 2020-06-05T02:10:41
America is burning and it smells like justice.
In the short time since we aired our last episode, protests in Minneapolis over the police murder of George Floyd have spread across the coun...
Legal Workers and Rent Strikes from 2020-05-29T01:37:12
Forgive the hiccups! This is our first remote show live on the WBAI 99.5 fm's community radio station - we promise to get better as we get more comfortable with the technicalities of remote streami...
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Surviving NYCHA During a Pandemic from 2020-05-22T00:00:13
Tonight's show continues our month long series on the way the Coronavirus pandemic is affecting New York City tenants.
On this week's show, Lea Ramirez speaks with the Jasmin Sanchez, long...
Tenant Solidarity and Imagination in the North Bronx from 2020-05-15T00:00:03
This show continues our month long series on the way the Coronavirus pandemic is affecting New York City tenants.
On this week's show, Brenda Leon speaks with the Alvaro Franco, tenant org...
Rent Striking to Save the South Bronx from 2020-05-08T00:00:04
This show kicks off a month long series on the way the Coronavirus pandemic is affecting New York City tenants.
On this week's show, Julian Guerrero speaks with the South Bronx Tenants Mov...
Medics, Makers and Mutual Aid from 2020-04-30T23:56:52
This week's episode of Coronavirus and Class War focuses on the efforts of everyday people in making Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)for front line workers. PPE is running dangerously low in hos...
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Labor Woes at Trader Joe's from 2020-04-23T23:59:09
Tune in to hear what working at Trader Joe's in a pandemic has been like for essential workers. Between struggles with management for protective equipment and tensions with customers, these superma...
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A Taxi Ride Refusal Story from 2020-03-09T06:01:11
This is a bonus story about an issue that plagues the New York City Taxi Industry: Taxi Ride Service Refusals.
Every year hundreds of passengers are refused service across the city. Servi...
Episode Two: When Immigrants Drive The City from 2019-06-14T10:08:11
In episode one, Carlos and Julian reported on the crisis in the New York City Taxi Industry. They told us about what taxi drivers consider a war over the future of the industry. This is a war betwe...
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Episode One: Taxi Wars - Part One from 2018-09-01T20:54:26
Welcome, everyone, to the Working Class Heroes Podcast. I’m your host Lupita Romero and this is Episode One.
“In 1984 I joined the Air-force and went through basic training. My basic train...
Episode Zero from 2018-07-04T15:53:42
Welcome to Episode Zero of the new, narrative-investigative podcast series - Working Class Heroes.
Lupita Romero and Julian Guerrero, of the Muckrakers Union, speak about the upcoming Wor...