This week on the Labor Force Podcast:Starbucks baristas escalate what may become the largest strike in the company’s history, demanding real movement at the bargaining table after years of delay tactics and retaliation. We break down the $35 million New York City settlement, the nationwide picket lines, and why workers say this moment is bigger than coffee. Then we head to Iowa, where 2,000 UnityPoint nurses are preparing for a union vote with Teamsters Local 90 after years of unsafe staffing, burnout, and violence on the job. In New York, over 350 nurses at Cayuga Medical Center form Cayuga United–CWA, citing deteriorating conditions and the need for a stronger voice in patient care. And in Florida, city workers in Titusville rebuild their union from scratch under the state’s brutal new anti-union law, SB256. After the labor headlines, we take on a deeper question:How did China eliminate extreme poverty while the richest country on Earth let millions fall through the cracks?We dive into inequality, policy choices, and the uncomfortable truth that America’s economic outcomes aren’t accidental—they’re engineered. Finally, we explore the growing argument for building a real Labor Party in the United States. From Mamdani’s people-powered organizing in Queens to Dan Osborn’s near victory in Nebraska, we look at what a working-class political movement could accomplish in deep red states where Democrats barely register. This episode connects the dots: workplace power, policy choices, and the political future of America’s multiracial working class.