It was a bad week last week. 

I received word that Workers Independent News (The WIN Radio Network) was forced to close after 13 years of providing Organized Labor a voice in what had grown to become a major Labor News Media Outlet in more than 200 markets across the United States.

And I felt even worse after speaking with Frank Emspak, a Labor Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who originally founded the program as a project of the University’s School of Workers.  Frank had served as the CEO of the company until his retirement earlier this year.

I had always admired the WIN Network and was impressed by what Emspak and his people – including on-air talent Doug Cunningham, who was the News Director and a Member of SAG-AFTRA in Chicago, had accomplished over the years. 

In fact, a couple of years ago, I’d put together a proposal that I shared with him in regards to starting a Nationwide Labor News Media Outlet, which he was very interested in.

As we talked, Emspak revealed the reason for the death of WIN: the Radio Network was unable to secure continued funding from the Labor Movement to continue operating.

So, just like that, there is one less voice out there for Labor Unions and their Members.

Another – the Labor Lines Labor Radio Program (http://www.fbrlaw.com/labor-lines-2/) in New York City, which had been run by Labor Attorney Victor Fusco, shut down after 16 years and 10 months in operation on various New York City stations.  Fusco, whom I had gotten to know over the course of time and was a guest on his program, told me he had grown tired of continually chasing support and guests from Organized Labor to appear on his program.

However, the fallout from WIN ending has been severe and the silence has been deafening, wrote UCOMM Blog’s Kris LaGrange in a column he authored on its untimely demise.

With an important voice for Workers being eliminated, the responsibility of fair and balanced reporting of Collective Bargaining Fights will now be left in the hands of for-profit producers who are beholden to the greedy intent of the bottom line, LaGrange said.  Only time will tell if the current status quo leadership that Labor Leaders re-elected at the AFL-CIO will just again take their chances and beg that they get positive news coverage elsewhere, he added.

Right now, and to the best of my knowledge, there are only a handful of legitimate Labor Media Outlets across the country, including: WNYLaborToday.com – which publishes more than 100 new Labor News Stories a month and is heading into its 11th year in 2018; The St. Louis Labor Tribune, which has been published weekly since 1937 (www.labortribune.com); Workday Minnesota (www.workdayminnesota.org) – overseen by former Western New Yorker Howard Kling; New York City’s LaborPress.org, whom Your On-Line Labor Newspaper has a reciprocal Labor News-sharing agreement and its weekly Labor Radio offering – Blue Collar Buzz; The Chief (http://thechiefleader.com/) – which also reports on Labor Issues in New York City; Labor’s Talk Radio, The Union Edge (https://theunionedge.com/) – which can be heard in 28 cities across the U.S., and the UCOMM Blog (www.ucommblog.com) – which initially reported on the death of WIN.

In addition, WNYLaborToday.com receives a great number of tremendous Labor News Reports out of Washington, D.C. from Press Associates Union News Service, which we formally contract.  Editor Mark Gruenberg does a great job providing Labor News out of our Nation’s Capital that you just won’t get anywhere else – and WNYLaborToday.com is thankful for the job he does.

These are some of the few that now remain.

But all who do have a common problem, including WNYLaborToday.com - successfully securing monetary support from Labor Unions and advertisers to not only pay the bills, but to expand and grow an important communications component that Organized Labor needs now more than ever.

Log on to the Union Edge and the first thing that pops up is a request for support. 

In New York, LaborPress Publisher Neal Tepel tells WNYLaborToday.com that he is “more focused” these days in courting new advertisers, rather than knocking on the doors for Unions for their support.

WNYLaborToday.com, unfortunately, is no different.

Your On-Line Labor Newspaper has had a less than stellar past 16 months, with revenue dropping as a result of some advertisers failing to renew their yearly contracts (for a variety of reasons, but most notably complaining that Labor Leaders fail to engage them in conversation or look to enlist their advertised services) and with Labor Unions themselves, some who have cut back in anticipation of the upcoming and negative Janus Supreme Court decision, while others have decided for whatever reason not to support a Labor News Media Outlet – even though a 12-month, unlimited WNYLaborToday.com Subscription can be had for as little as $1.

While 2017 has been a disappointing year for WNYLaborToday.com, there was one incident that not only was extremely disappointing, but extremely discerning.

A Public Employees Union that I wish not to name had turned down our request for support by underwriting their Members at just $1 each – and that was okay, because WNYLaborToday.com believed it was a business decision.  Later, WNYLaborToday.com was told the final decision was rooted in the fact that their Union “already received such information.”

However, what we subsequently uncovered was an Executive Board Member of this Public Employees Union had been taking – without our knowledge – a number of the Labor News Stories that WNYLaborToday.com published on a weekly basis and was sending them out to those in his Union under the generic guise of Union News Clips. 

WNYLaborToday.com made that Union’s Leadership aware of what transpired by a certified mailing that was signed for on August 4th and now, months later, we received their response, saying they appreciated WNYLaborToday.com making the Union aware of the situation and adding their Executive Board Members “does not visit WNYLaborToday.com anymore and will not be sending out any further information.”

That was it – nothing more, nothing less and no formal apology.

But what angers me most is that - I believe - WNYLaborToday.com was the victim of a Free Rider incident with a high-ranking representative of Public Employees Union – who happens to be an attorney - that is fighting the same thing.

Undeterred, WNYLaborToday.com has continued to reach out to a number of Unions with the same proposal – but for whatever reason, some Union Leadership isn’t even bothering to return our e-mails or phone messages these days.

Should WNYLaborToday.com continue to garner the same responses, I am fearful that year 11 might indeed be the last of our tremendous run and that Your On-Line Labor Newspaper might just join the WIN Radio Network in the graveyard of Labor News Media Outlets.

As UCOMM Blog’s LaGrange opined in his story on the death of WIN, I think those in the Labor Movement can agree that in many instances Organized Labor does not receive the kind of news coverage afforded by these Labor News Media Outlets – including WNYLaborToday.com, as compared to what it receives from the Mainstream Media, most notably daily newspapers and radio and TV stations.

With the election of Donald Trump and the Republican Party’s control of both houses of Congress, combined with the Middle Class’s disappointing penchant for getting their news and information from the likes of Rush Limbaugh, FOX News and Alex Jones – it is imperative that Working People, Union and Non-Union alike, are provided with the opportunity to tap into a Labor-focused News Media Outlet where they can become informed on a number of stories and topics not covered by the Mainstream Media.

And in this time of major attacks on Working People across the country in terms of Fair Share Dues, Prevailing Wages, Workplace Conditions and Right-To-Work (for less) – to name but a few, it is imperative Organized Labor reach out to its Membership in an attempt to continue to educate them so they can make better decisions for themselves and Working People when they head into the voting booth in November (2018).

And that’s where WNYLaborToday.com and the others who offer such fine Labor Journalism to the Labor Movement come in.

Without them the percentages go way down for Labor Unions to get their message out – unimpeded, and to spread the news of the good things that are happening within Organized Labor across our country.

But with the funeral of the WIN Radio Network now over, and the future uncertainty that these remaining Labor News Outlets face concerning needed support and funding from the Labor Movement, who really knows not only what will happen?

And how will Organized Labor reach its Membership with the information they need now and in the months to come before they head back into the voting booth during the Mid-Term Elections?

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: To Access UCOMM Blog’s Labor News Report, Headlined: Workers Independent News: Off The Air - Sad News, Heard Across The Country For Past 13 Years, WIN Signs Off For The Final Time, Dealing Another Significant Blow To The Voice Of Organized Labor, Go To: https://ucommblog.com/section/media/workers-independent-news-air