By working people. For working people. Welcome to The Rick Smith Show. Working Americans are tired of listening to think tank approved corporate news and commentary. They want a direct, honest approach to the issues that matter, so this is what The Rick Smith Show provides. No puppets. No focus groups. No talking points.
Episodes
Wednesday May 25, 2016
Wednesday May 25, 2016
Irwin Aronson, labor attorney and Rick Smith Show contributor joins Rick to talk about recent anti-worker,anti-union legislation making its way through the Pennsylvania General Assembly and why workers should be concerned.
Rich Dezzi, CWA Local 13000 Eastern Region VP joins Rick to talk about the latest news on the CWA strike against Verizon and to discuss Verizon’s major losses and the massive backlog customers are experiencing as the 6-week long strike continues.
Rebecca Vallas, Managing Director of the Poverty to Prosperity Program at the Center for American Progress joins Rick to discuss repeated calls by Republicans, and some Democrats to raise the Social Security age even higher and why it would be disastrous for working people.
Marc Stier, Director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center joins Rick to talk about yesterday’s press conference held by PA State Senator Scott Wagner to roll out the good senator’s tax cut plan and to discuss what drugs or planet the senator currently resides.
Wednesday May 25, 2016
Wednesday May 25, 2016
Irwin Aronson, labor attorney and Rick Smith Show contributor joins Rick to talk about recent anti-worker,anti-union legislation making its way through the Pennsylvania General Assembly and why workers should be concerned.
Wednesday May 25, 2016
Wednesday May 25, 2016
Rebecca Vallas, Managing Director of the Poverty to Prosperity Program at the Center for American Progress joins Rick to discuss repeated calls by Republicans, and some Democrats to raise the Social Security age even higher and why it would be disastrous for working people.
Wednesday May 25, 2016
Wednesday May 25, 2016
Rich Dezzi, CWA Local 13000 Eastern Region VP joins Rick to talk about the latest news on the CWA strike against Verizon and to discuss Verizon’s major losses and the massive backlog customers are experiencing as the 6-week long strike continues.
Wednesday May 25, 2016
Wednesday May 25, 2016
Marc Stier, Director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center joins Rick to talk about yesterday’s press conference held by PA State Senator Scott Wagner to roll out the good senator’s tax cut plan and to discuss what drugs or planet the senator currently resides.
Monday May 23, 2016
Monday May 23, 2016
Jeff Reamer, Executive Vice President of CWA Local 13000 joins Rick to report on the latest bargaining news with Verizon and the talk about this past weekend’s nationwide events and “Scab Camp.”
Dean Baker, macroeconomist and co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research joins Rick to talk about recent news of another interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve and what it means for workers.
Kevin Mahoney, Editor Zero at the Raging Chicken Press joins Rick to share the story of the Erie School District in Erie, Pennsylvania possibly being forced to close all of its high schools due to past budget cuts and a failure by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to remedy the huge hole in funding.
Anna Fusco, president of the Broward Teachers Union in Florida joins Rick to talk education in the Sunshine state and what activist teachers and her union are doing to save public education from FL Governor Rick Scott and privatization crowd.
Cindy Hamilton, parent activist and co-founder of the Opt Out Florida Network joins Rick to talk about how parents can fight for their children and save public education from being destroyed by the corporate testing regime.
Monday May 23, 2016
Monday May 23, 2016
Jeff Reamer, Executive Vice President of CWA Local 13000 joins Rick to report on the latest bargaining news with Verizon and the talk about this past weekend’s nationwide events and “Scab Camp.”
Monday May 23, 2016
Monday May 23, 2016
Dean Baker, macroeconomist and co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research joins Rick to talk about recent news of another interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve and what it means for workers.
Monday May 23, 2016
Monday May 23, 2016
Kevin Mahoney, Editor Zero at the Raging Chicken Press joins Rick to share the story of the Erie School District in Erie, Pennsylvania possibly being forced to close all of its high schools due to past budget cuts and a failure by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to remedy the huge hole in funding.
Monday May 23, 2016
Monday May 23, 2016
Anna Fusco, president of the Broward Teachers Union in Florida joins Rick to talk education in the Sunshine state and what activist teachers and her union are doing to save public education from FL Governor Rick Scott and privatization crowd.
Monday May 23, 2016
Monday May 23, 2016
Cindy Hamilton, parent activist and co-founder of the Opt Out Florida Network joins Rick to talk about how parents can fight for their children and save public education from being destroyed by the corporate testing regime.
Thursday May 19, 2016
Thursday May 19, 2016
Mike Davis, International Staff Representative with the Communications Workers of America joins Rick to bring everyone up to speed on the latest talks with Verizon as members have been on strike for more than a month and to talk about the upcoming weekend of planned kid’s activities to help members families get through this courageous fight.
Mark Price, Labor Economist with the Keystone Research Center joins Rick to discuss their findings on what benefits Pennsylvania’s workers will see under the Obama administration’s latest overtime regulatory changes and to dispel the attacks.
Jerry Oleksiak, President of the Pennsylvania State Education Association joins Rick to talk about Governor Wolf’s veto of another Republican anti-teacher bill and where or not this legislation is another in a long line of ALEC-esque bills flooding the general assembly.
Katie McGinty, Democratic Senatorial candidate joins Rick to talk about her campaign and highlight the state of infrastructure in the nation given recent news on what caused the Amtrak #188 train derailment.
Dan Barry, New York Times Columnist and author joins Rick to discuss his latest book, “The Boys in the Bunkhouse: Servitude and Salvation in the Heartland.” A real life story of human exploitation and blind-eyed labor and human rights abuses right in the American Heartland.
Thursday May 19, 2016
Thursday May 19, 2016
Mike Davis, International Staff Representative with the Communications Workers of America joins Rick to bring everyone up to speed on the latest talks with Verizon as members have been on strike for more than a month and to talk about the upcoming weekend of planned kid’s activities to help members families get through this courageous fight.
Thursday May 19, 2016
Thursday May 19, 2016
Mark Price, Labor Economist with the Keystone Research Center joins Rick to discuss their findings on what benefits Pennsylvania’s workers will see under the Obama administration’s latest overtime regulatory changes and to dispel the attacks.
Thursday May 19, 2016
Thursday May 19, 2016
Jerry Oleksiak, President of the Pennsylvania State Education Association joins Rick to talk about Governor Wolf’s veto of another Republican anti-teacher bill and where or not this legislation is another in a long line of ALEC-esque bills flooding the general assembly.
Thursday May 19, 2016
Thursday May 19, 2016
Katie McGinty, Democratic Senatorial candidate joins Rick to talk about her campaign and highlight the state of infrastructure in the nation given recent news on what caused the Amtrak #188 train derailment.
Thursday May 19, 2016
Thursday May 19, 2016
Dan Barry, New York Times Columnist and author joins Rick to discuss his latest book, “The Boys in the Bunkhouse: Servitude and Salvation in the Heartland.” A real life story of human exploitation and blind-eyed labor and human rights abuses right in the American Heartland.
Wednesday May 18, 2016
Wednesday May 18, 2016
Abe Amoros, Pennsylvania Legislative Director for LIUNA joins Rick to talk about Tuesday nights election results in Kentucky and Oregon and ponder the question, “Does Pennsylvania have enough angry old white people for The Donald to win?
Frank Clemente, Executive Director of Americans for Tax Fairness joins Rick to discuss the buzz around the Panama Papers and what this latest revelation means for cracking down on the tax dodger and cheats who use these loopholes to avoid paying taxes.
Marc Stier, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center joins Rick to discuss today’s rally and the new report PBPC is putting out on the effects of painful GOP austerity cuts to the state’s public universities and colleges. What have these cuts meant to working families and what are they doing to the competitiveness of the commonwealth?
Doug Cunningham, Reporter for Workers Independent News joins Rick to talk about the big labor stories of the day from around the nation. From the Obama Administration movement on Overtime regulation to a potential split in Labor over environmental policy, and much more.
Wednesday May 18, 2016
Wednesday May 18, 2016
Abe Amoros, Pennsylvania Legislative Director for LIUNA joins Rick to talk about Tuesday nights election results in Kentucky and Oregon and ponder the question, “Does Pennsylvania have enough angry old white people for The Donald to win?
Wednesday May 18, 2016
Wednesday May 18, 2016
Frank Clemente, Executive Director of Americans for Tax Fairness joins Rick to discuss the buzz around the Panama Papers and what this latest revelation means for cracking down on the tax dodger and cheats who use these loopholes to avoid paying taxes.