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AFL-CIO
Carmen Berkley is Director of Civil, Human & Women's Rights for the AFL-CIO in Washington, DC.
PROFILE
Carmen Berkley
Guest
FROM Carmen Berkley
To the Point
President Trump, organized labor and working Americans The President helped unveil Boeing's new Dreamliner today in South Carolina -- at a plant where workers just rejected unionization by a vote of three-to-one. In half of America's state capitals, Republicans are enacting so-called "right-to-work" laws crippling unions by allowing employees not to pay dues. Fifty years ago, organized labor was a powerful force in politics and the economy -- earning credit for creating the middle class. With the White House incumbent applauding efforts to reduce union clout, what about his promise to "make America great again" for millions of workers?
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The Mixer
Heading for the fire exit Thousands of Californians are spending the holidays deciding what to do next after devastating wildfires. The Camp Fire – in northern California – took out nearly an entire town, killing at least 86 people. And the Woolsey Fire, closer to home, left 3 people dead, chewing through nearly 100,000 acres in L.A. and Ventura Counties. Ken Pimlott knows those names all too well. He heads up the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and today is his last day on the job.
To the Point
California Gets Back into Presidential Politics In 1972, California clinched the presidential nomination for Democrat George McGovern. Since then, the biggest state has become an ATM for candidates of both parties. But starting in 2020 all eyes will be on California as it moves its primary up to a month after the Iowa caucuses.
KCRW Features
One Year Later: Rebuilding from the Thomas Fire This week marks one year since the Thomas Fire descended on the city of Ventura. It burned more than 500 homes within city limits. Since then, roughly half of those properties have received the green-light to start construction, but only a handful have actually broken ground. We visit one neighborhood where some of the first homes are getting rebuilt.