Every job’s got a quitting time. But some endings ain't just about punchin’ the clock — they’re about what we carry home. In this season finale, we look back at the stories we’ve told and the voices we’ve lifted. We trace the arc from picket lines to pulpits, from broken pens to busted backs, and ask what it means to remember — and what it costs to forget. Because history doesn’t retire. It just waits for the next shift to begin.Further Reading:

• Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States
  A sweeping account of American history told from the perspective of those at the margins — workers, organizers, and the ones whose names didn’t make the monuments.

• David Roediger, The Wages of Whiteness
  An essential work examining how race and class have been used to divide the American labor force — and who benefits from that divide.

• Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark
  A meditation on why remembering past struggles — even the unfinished ones — is an act of resistance, and how small acts ripple outward.

• AFL-CIO, State of the Unions Report
  A detailed look at where organized labor stands today — gains, setbacks, and the path forward.

• The Century Foundation, “Rebuilding Worker Power” Series
  Data-driven research and policy recommendations for strengthening the rights of workers in the 21st century.

You can knock the dust off an old slogan, print it on a fresh sign, and still mean every word. In this episode, we follow the echoes — from Birmingham to Bessemer, from factory gates to warehouse docks — where a new generation of workers is relearning the language of resistance. Some folks say unions are a thing of the past. But if you listen close, you’ll hear the people remember.Further Reading :

• Kim Kelly, Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor
  A vivid look at the forgotten fighters of the labor movement — and the ones picking up their torches now.

• More Perfect Union (YouTube / Substack)
  Up-to-date coverage on union drives, strikes, and solidarity efforts shaping the modern labor landscape.

• Labor Notes, “Secrets of a Successful Organizer”
  Step-by-step lessons from the front lines of today’s labor fights — used by workers winning real power.

• Economic Policy Institute, “Unions Are on the Rise. So Are Employer Tactics to Stop Them.”
  A report connecting the dots between the uptick in organizing and the backlash that follows.

• NLRB Cases & Decisions Database
  Track the rules being tested — and rewritten — in real time.

It’s easy to forget just how bad things used to be — and how quickly they can return. In this episode, we take a closer look at what labor protections were built to prevent: the heat, the blades, the blood. From children on kill floors to men collapsing in the sun, this isn’t distant history — it’s a warning. Because while the language has changed, the rollback is already underway. And when memory is lost, so is leverage.

Further Reading :

• National Employment Law Project, Tracking Deregulation in the Trump and Post-Trump Era
  A detailed record of federal rollbacks to worker protections, including OSHA enforcement, wage theft accountability, and classification laws.

• Economic Policy Institute, The erosion of worker power
  Explores long-term trends behind declining union density, stagnant wages, and weakened safety standards.

• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Data and Statistics Page
  Useful for tracking inspection rates, citations, and enforcement trends by year and sector.

• ProPublica, “They Know the Heat Is Killing Workers. If Only the Government Would Listen.”
  Investigative reporting on how heat-related workplace deaths are rising — and how policy has failed to keep up.

• American Journal of Public Health, “Child Labor in the United States: Hidden in Plain Sight”
  A look at how minors are still legally employed in dangerous sectors like agriculture and meat processing.