WIN folds; The Union Edge welcomes producer pair

By BERRY CRAIG

AFT Local 1360

Solidarity, that old union byword, is getting a big boost on the radio.

Veteran labor radio journalists Doug Cunningham and JoAnne Powers are joining The Union Edge: Labor’s Talk Radio. Both were producers at Workers Independent News.

"Unfortunately, Workers Independent News has gone dark and is off the air and will no longer provide news to radio stations," said Charles Showalter, host of The Union Edge, a nationally-syndicated, Pittsburgh-based program.

Cunningham and Powers were laid off when WIN, headquartered in Madison, Wis., ceased operations, he said. Nonetheless, Showalter is proud they are joining The Union Edge team.

“We are stronger together,” he said, adding that the Union Edge staff is covered by the Pittsburgh SAG-AFTRA local union contract.

Showalter said with the addition of Cunningham’s and Powers, “we will be able to reach more communities across the United States, union and not-yet-union. We will be able to more effectively reach out to the public, educate them on our joint issues, and engage them in the process of fighting for all workers’ rights. 

"Talk radio convinces the public to call Congress, to register to vote, to apply for naturalization and to join a union.  Labor talk radio and labor news educates the public on what issues like 'right to work for less,' Janus Vs AFSCME and prevailing wage are really all about."  

Explained Showalter: “We will be doing long-format talk radio and short-format news on a daily basis.  We expect to be on close to 300 radio stations within the year.”

Showalter also said Union Edge listeners can expect new news products and an expanded outreach into communities that have not been getting the labor news that they need.

Showalter is encouraging international unions, state federations, central labor councils and union locals "to reach out and let us know what your issues are.  If you let us know what is going on, we will cover it and help you engage the public and win their support."

Regular guests on The Union Edge include Bill Londrigan, president of the Kentucky State AFL-CIO, and Berry Craig, state AFL-CIO webmaster-editor. 

More information is available from Showalter at 412 370-9141. "Your support is vital, please go to www.Patreon.com/TheUnionEdge and help sustain us today," he said.