n Sunday, April 16th, supporters gathered at CWA 3902’s hall in Birmingham for a special live presentation of The Valley Labor Report. The fundraiser was hosted by the Youth Caucus of the Alabama Democratic Party State Executive Committee. It was a fun afternoon and we truly appreciate Haley and Josh from the Youth Caucus for organizing it as well as Claude Perry and CWA 3902’s hospitality!
Union members and Democratic activists assembled to support media by and for working people in the South. After some mixing and mingling, guests heard a presentation from The Valley Labor Report co-hosts Jacob Morrison and Adam Keller. Jacob and Adam discussed their union stories, the great team behind TVLR’s media collective, the mission and operations of the project, and some of our accomplishments so far. This was followed by a discussion of the importance of labor in general and to Alabama Democrats in particular alongside a look at the state of organized labor in Alabama today.
Special guest Haeden Wright, president of a UMWA auxiliary in Brookwood, gave a brief update on the strike at Warrior Met in Brookwood. Wright, and her husband, UMWA member Braxton Wright, have been vocal leaders throughout the UMWA strike against Warrior Met. Haeden and Braxton have been frequent guests and longtime supporters of The Valley Labor Report.
Claude Perry, spoke on behalf of the hosting local CWA 3902, which provided their lovely union hall for the event. Claude urged folks to support The Valley Labor Report as we seek to uplift the labor movement in Alabama and across the South.
The Valley Labor Report is a media collective dedicated to amplifying the voices of Southern workers. We seek to spread the word about the power of collective organization and solidarity. We produce Alabama’s only union talk radio show, which airs every Saturday morning. The first half, 9:30-11:00 a.m. CST, is broadcast live on FM via WVNN 92.5 in the Athens/Huntsville area, while also live-streamed on our YouTube channel and Facebook page. The second half of the show, OverTime, is online only. The entire episode then releases as a podcast on your favorite podcasting platforms while segments and interviews are clipped and released throughout the week on our YouTube channel. Portions of the program are replayed on WZZA in the Shoals and WHIV in New Orleans.
This spring, we have expanded our content! We now have a Thursday morning episode called ShopTalk, which airs via YouTube, Facebook, and podcast. ShopTalk is dedicated to labor education, history, and training. We’ve also expanded our website here on TVLR.FM, with clip write-ups and original news and commentary. That includes guest writing by organizers, activists, and journalists such as the fantastic labor reporter Kim Kelly. Be sure to sign up for our email list to receive a daily or weekly update on all of our new, free content!
On behalf of The Valley Labor Report’s entire team, thank you to everyone who purchased tickets, showed up, spread the word, and helped make this event successful!
If you or your organization is interested in collaborating on a live event with The Valley Labor Report, please email or DM us and let’s chat! We are always looking for sponsors so if your union, club, media outlet, business, or organization is interested in advertising to an audience of union activists and allies, please reach out!
If you missed the fundraiser but would still like to contribute, you can make a one-time donation or sign up to be a recurring donor at TVLR.FM/DONATE. We provide all of this content for free because we believe in the mission. We couldn’t do it without our sponsors and the generous support of readers and listeners like you!