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here is an article in the washington post and the headline says nation faces hot labor summer. i will scroll down and read a little bit from this article. first it was nurses and then graduate students, then elementary school workers. now it is hotel employees and tv and movie writers, and hollywood actors who walked off the job on friday. they are feeling emboldened, as they look at post-pandemic corporate profits. after a cascade of successful walkouts in southern california and beyond. let's pull up to another portion of this same article. it says, it is not just los angeles.

what social media has labeled a high labor summer is all over the country. it could be adding up to a cr moment for the labor movement, which has been losing strength in the u.s. for decades. that is from an article on friday in the washington post. i want to bring up another article. this one is cnn, talking about the potential ups strike. a 10 day ups strike could be the costliest in the u.s. history. a 10 day ups strike could cost the economy $7.1 billion. that could make it the costliest work stoppage in u.s. history.

the estimate from anderson economic groups as a hit to businesses and consumers would be 4.6 billion dollars by itself, causing significant and lasting harm for small businesses, household workers, practitioners and online retailers across the country. other costs include losses at ups, as well as $1.1 billion in lost wages by 300 40,000 members of the teamster's union at the company. the remaining cost would be borne by ups suppliers and for lost tax revenue. the ups is not on strike yet, but the teamsters union says contract negotiations are not going well. i will do a couple more headlines. this plan is in the hill.

united auto workers head saying union prepared to strike against big three automakers. the head of the united auto workers raised the prospect of strikes ahead of talks with the three biggest automakers in detroit, later this month. industry faces major changes amid the shift to electric vehicles. one last article. this one is today's front page of the new york times. this is just today in the new york times. they care a little bit more about the striking actors, the headlines. it says, and may, when 11,500 movie and television writers went on strike, companies like netflix and disney reacted with what amounted to a shrug.

the walkout was not great, but they expected it for months. the angry response from the corporate ranks was dramatically different. what began as an inconvenience has become a crisis. a membership of about 160,000 people, including world-famous celebrities who captivate audiences. the film and tv script in case of a writer strike have been suddenly rendered inert. they are deprived of actors to bring them to life. venom three had to shut down, deadpool three and gladiator two. there is a lot of labor disputes and we want to hear from you

this morning, your view of labor unions in general, what you think about these recent strikes . if you support the striking workers, the number is (202) 748-8000. if you oppose the strikes, call us at (202) 748-8001. if you are a union member, current or previous, the number we want you to call is (202) 748-8002. you can also send us a message, a text message at (202) 748-8003 . let's start with ricky. ricky is in philadelphia. you support labor strikes. tell us why. caller: yes. i support labor strikes for one reason. most of these big corporations are thinking about profit.

they have families and all that. especially with medical, medicare -- the medical cost is going up. i know they want better medical care for their families. i definitely want to support their cause. host: we appreciate your call this morning. acting labor secretary seth carries was on cnbc last friday. he had this to say about the labor movement now. >> give me the activism.

hit it yet teamsters threatening to strike against ups, you have the beginning of union negotiations with victory automakers. what is fueling the discontent among employees? >> in a word, it is angry. workers are angry about how they were treated during the pandemic , that they put themselves at risk," -- in order to maintain profits for their employers, and their employers did not look out for them. they are angry about profits. these companies made obscenely huge profits during the pandemic and continue to make massive profits. they have not shared those profits with their workers. and they are very enthusiastic about the labor movement. it has never been more popular in the u.s., particularly among young workers. there are tight labor markets

and workers have a great deal of plaque -- of power. workers now are ready to get theirs. that speech that you heard, you could have heard that speech at any teamsters union hall. they are all singing from the same hymnal. they want to be parried -- they want to be paid fairly. host: that was harris. he was secretary during the obama administration. let's get to some more of your calls. daja -- tell us why you support the union. caller: good morning. this is the perfect topic. i feel like we are in a society where there are the have and have-nots.

therefore, i do support the union. i believe that our workers, employees should share in the profits. we had the ceos of major corporations who are making millions and cruising. thank you for listening. host: let's go to oregon now. ted, you are a retired union plumber. give us your perspective. caller: well, my father was a member of the international brotherhood of electrical workers. when i was a kid, i lived in three brand-new houses because of what my father was able to provide. when i was in school, i asked dad one time, i said, i think i

want to follow your footsteps and become an electrician. he said, son, i love you, but you are too much of a brawler to be an electrician. you should be a plumber. i investigated how to get into that five-year school and i found out that they were taking 25 students every year, maybe every other year. that had a tighter enrollment than the harvard law school, for crying out. i figured out how to do it. i joined the air force as a guaranteed plumber and i was active duty. finally, i got into that five-year school, and i enjoyed it. i enjoyed every minute of it. i made all kinds of money. and with that said, anybody that does not enjoy a union is

leaving a lot of money on the table. i want to say thank you very much and have a great day. host: we appreciate your perspective this morning. we are going to go to some of the responses we are receiving on social media about this question, this morning. joseph is on facebook and wrote, laboring and are a thing of the past. what is on the books is what should be used. labor unions are a form of communism. let's go to new jersey. labor unions have pros and cons like anything else. yes, they protect the rights of the working class, but as is the case of tenured teachers, they protect the not so great members as well. union members of any particular union should have an obligation to adhere to certain criteria

and meet standards. diane writes, while i understand the writer concern, they appear to be entitle people in a field with so much income inequality that i have little sympathy. another writing, so full for existing labor unions. we have gotten too far away from making sure that the working class is compensated well and protected. i hope we have more unions start up across the country. we want to hear more from you. there are a lot of labor unions either currently on the recently coming off. there was some picketing from airline pilots recently. there have been teacher strikes over the years, hotel worker strikes over the years, and

again right now, the ups driver is could go on strike. of course, the hollywood writers are also understrength. what are your views on these labor union disputes. call us if you support them at (202) 748-8000. if you are in opposition to the strength -- the strikes, call us at (202) 748-8001. if you are a former member, call us at (202) 748-8002. let's talk to john from chantilly, virginia. tell us why you support the strikes. caller: good morning and thank you for taking my call. we need to educate young people what the purpose is of the union. it is not something where they

are taking their money and doing nothing. the reality is this. i travel every summer from pennsylvania, all the way to indiana, and i see people who are -- they really need jobs. you have to understand one thing. 33 years old, a 40-year-old man has aliens of dollars. i am not against anybody, but the reason this union -- life is changing. the people do not get it. our young people graduate college. they cannot get a job. what is happening? i live in virginia. we have all the good jobs, all the nice places leave.

our young people, we do not give them the opportunity to do better in this country. the reality is, unions, we must educate young people and let them know that we have to share the wealth. when i have money, i can travel, i can buy a house and i can do something that my family once, but if i cannot afford anything, how am i going to support my family? $60 our work 20 hours a day. it cannot afford to buy a bottle of water. is that the life that it is supposed to be? host: let's go to benny now in allegheny, pennsylvania. you support the union strikes. caller: yes, ma'am.

i support the union strike because it has become important to receive -- importance of the american dream host: next step is amy in potomac, maryland. caller: i support the strike 100. i come from a union family and support of the general principles. as we lose the ability to influence the collectivization, is a de facto collectivization of corporate influence in the lobbying and the regulatory capture that we see. the only resistance that we have is to collectivized as workers. i also think it is a human right to be able to get together with

your brothers and sisters and demand better conditions from the people who you are effectively working for. host: let's go to sacramento, california now. troy, you are a union member. to tell us about your experience. caller: i just retired last year after 50 years. i support it because if i was not a union member, right now, i would not be in the situation i am in now, where i can retire and live a good, comfortable life. host: you said 50 50 -- caller: 55 years. host: you tell us you are a

teamster. tell us about your line of work. why was being in a union helpful in your career? caller: for one thing, it was good wages and i had protection, especially the time i got in. it was pretty hard because any other organization -- we did not have a lot of people to represent us. if you are a union member, you have rights, and they would definitely fight for you. host: all right, troy. go ahead. you are going to say something else? caller: i am 77 years old. everybody should have a comfortable life with their kids. i was blessed enough. i do not care how bad the issues are, but without unions, this country would not be anywhere. all the big corporations are making money.

the poor people -- it is so expensive to live here. if i were working anywhere else, in the south or anyway, i would not be able to live because they are still paying those people $15 an hour. who can live off of $15 an hour? host: we appreciate you sharing your experiences. i want to go to texas because earl is on the line and you say you oppose the striking workers. tell us why you feel that way. earl? caller: well, there was a mistake. i do not oppose it. i hit the wrong number. host: that is ok. tell us how you feel about these labor strikes.

caller: well, i do not oppose it. i had the wrong number on my phone. host: tell us why he support it. -- you support it. turn down your tv until tell us why you support it. caller: i support the strike because the indians, as a worker at the foundry here in texas, i have had a dispute with a supervisor that didn't like me, and he fired me, so i went to my union supervisor and his name was fox.

i told him, and he told me to come on back to work the next morning, just like i always did. so i came back and they had to pay me for the time that i was off that day. he came over there and fired me. i worked there until i found another, better job. so unions are good. they are a good thing to have. host: we appreciate your call. next up from port st. lucie, florida. it says you are a member -- union member. caller: good morning. yes, i was a union chair member for the navy district in washington. i was a chairman for seven years and i loved the police officers

and i love going to work as a chairman. i had the right to defend the officers, whether it be for better working conditions or anyone that was receiving discipline. for seven years, we were undefeated. i support the strike right now because any opportunity you have to to fight for fair wages or a better working condition, you should do so. anyone with the opportunity to be in a union, please support your union. they are your representative. can use your union to fight the good fight for you. i have a great relationship with the people who fought for things like that. keep up the good fight. host: next caller is dennis, and

pennsylvania. you oppose the strikes? caller: people can do whatever they want to do. it can vote how they would like, but one of my experiences has been, i was a union rep. our hospital was deciding -- we were wondering if we were going to strike or not because of a new contract coming up. our union rep came in and the guy was worthless. we were trying to negotiate, and he kept giving everything away. i finally had to stop him and fight with my union, as much as i had to fight with the administration, and i asked him, why are you giving everything up? we are negotiating. we have things we will give up,

but we are not just going to spill our guts, and he said, because we are going on strike. he said they were striking their own union reps were striking against their administration. i had never heard of such a thing, but they were willing to sell our people outcome even though we had been paying dues. they were willing to sell us out because they were mad. i said that is not right. we did have having to have a federal mediator coming in, and things got done through him, a whole lot better than it did the union. ever since then, i have been sour on unions. host: thank you for your perspective. let's go to eli, calling from georgia. caller: i retired from a union and i support the union 100%. i got into the union when at the

time -- if you are going to drive a truck, you are in a union. three years in a union. i left and went to work for a teamster. i put in 22 years with three different companies. the point i'm trying to make is you work for one company for 10 years -- i get credit for 35 years. i retired from the union and my wife retired from the union. 19. host: -- thank you. host: let's go to florida.

it says you are a member of the teachers union. caller: thank you for taking my phone call. yes. i was a former union story. host: did you ever, or did you come close? caller: we have to have presentation by using our unions. they will go ahead and stand up, and they will represent us. any kind of union member -- i participated to go to tallahassee, and we went over there and we fought for our rights. might now, in order for you to be a member and stay as a union, you have to have a monthly payment of 61% of their union members. if one person falls behind, that

is the end of us. tammy, that is a violation of your rights to be able to speak up and say come these are my right and i have the right to be paid fairly and treated equally. i do have the right to representation at the time something is alleged. i come as a teacher cannot say with details, especially with that, of things that happened, but i have had to put my phone down and make a call. i had to say, i need union representation right now. he would have a lawyer coming to represent that teacher. thank goodness for that. i would serve the people that happen to have a different union

and this is because of the state allowing this to take place. many times this duty and being asked to work a lot of hours and do a lot more things than they were supposed to, for the minimum wage they were getting paid, and it was really bad. and if it had not been for the union, if it had not been for representation, standing up and saying, this is not right, that would have continued. one lady had asthma. they were still asking her to clean rooms that the teacher would have -- a created a problem for her come healthwise. she was very delicate. that is something we can say when it comes to specifics, but being in union should not have anything related to a policy or politics. there is no reason why anyone

should be playing with someone's bread and butter. that should be solely between the union and the employer. this is how we are going to get paid. host: we appreciate your call. we are going to move to west virginia now. jess is on the line. what are your thoughts? caller: i am a supporter of the union. if i can get one minute, i used to work at the hospital in pennsylvania. it had good benefits and everything. my wife wanted to come back down to west virginia. i picked up a second job at a company. they were not a union. they had a guy worked there for 15 years. he started to make some decent money and they fired him so they could hire to people at his salary. i said, what did he do wrong?

they said, he did not do anything wrong. we are in at will employee. we can terminate at any time we want to, with no reason. that is the first time i heard of an at will employee. some be working for 15 years and a dedicated employee, and he fire him because he is starting to make a decent salary? that is why it is important, the union. thank you and have a nice day. host: before we get to a few more calls, i wanted to show another video. this is liz schuller. she talked about the looming ups strike and others that might be on the horizon. >> i see it as a bellwether for all other strikes that could be on the horizon.

they are strikingly similar. it is about workers being taken for granted, being sacrificed through a pandemic. workers feeling disrespected, knowing that they have sacrificed for these companies. ups is a great example. also, the issues around part-time workers have become front and center. the company is are looking to decrease wages and cut corners. they are looking to cut people's hours, and that is not acceptable in a time where workers are doing more with >> we are leaving this here to hear from -- >> amazon is certainly out there and you mentioned the u.a.w. there are meetings going on this

week, actually, for negotiations on that. if you prevail or don't prevail, what are the ramifications for the other negotiations? >> well, certainly it will be a ripple effect across the country and people are watching this carefully because this will have a huge impact on the economy. if you think about big contracts all coming up at the same time. u.p.s., the auto workers. of course, right now, we're talking about the actors, screen actors guild and, you know, television and radio artists are at the table with hollywood right now. and then you have the writers guild already on strike. so all of that combined not to mention all the other contracts that are ongoing in health care and grocery and all the essential pieces of our economy. it could have a huge impact. and one negotiation sets the tone. like, u.p.s., we were talking about. for the rest of the economy. so i think this is a signal to

employers that treat your workers as the asset that they are. you know, when you have workers who feel like they're respected, who are compensated fairly, they're more productive. and it makes your business more successful. so that's what i think people are saying at the table is just, you know, we've made the sacrifices. we've made your company record profits. now is the time to balance the scales and treat your workers fairly. host: again, that was afl-cio president liz shuler. and here's the latest on the potential u.p.s. worker strike. here's an article yesterday by the associated press. teamsters president says he's asked the white house not to intervene if u.p.s. workers go on strike. i'll read a little bit from the article. it says the head of the teamsters said sunday that he has asked the white house not to intervene if -- >> gar