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Dept of Labor Betrays Its History Thru Anti-Immigration / Kim Kelly

Feb 10
Episode 1884: Dept of Labor Betrays Its History Thru Anti-Immigration / Kim Kelly
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So the mission of the department is… and I quote, ‘to foster, promote and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States’. They're supposed to enforce labor laws, they're supposed to enforce workplace safety standards. They're supposed to be an advocate and protector for working people and poor people in this country. And they have done under the leadership of Lori Chavez Deamer the exact opposite. It's so unfortunate because every federal agency is going through this, right? But the Department of Labor. That touches more people than the the nerdy labor reporters that pay attention, that touches everyone 'cause work touches everyone. Your workplace safety and the labor laws that are supposed to protect you. That is an issue for every person here. And seeing this agency just completely abandon most of us… Everyone who wouldn't fit in on a German propaganda poster from the 1930s. It's really frightening.

Kim Kelly, author of, "Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor", (Atria Books) host of "Unite and Win: A Guide to Workplace Organizing" podcast at workerorganizing.org, speaks with This Is Hell! to discuss her writing at The Baffler, "A Piece of Work: The Department of Labor’s anti-immigrant turn betrays its history."

We will have new installments of Rotten History and Hangover Cure. We will also be sharing your answers to this week's Question from Hell! from Patreon.Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon.

Kim Kelly

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Kim Kelly

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Kim Kelly is a labor reporter for In These Times magazine and has been a regular labor columnist for Teen Vogue since 2018. Her writing on labor, class, politics, disability, and culture has appeared in The Nation, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Baffler, The New Republic, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and many others. Kelly has also worked as a video correspondent for More Perfect Union, The Real News Network, and Means TV. Previously, she was the heavy metal editor at Noisey, Vice’s music vertical, and helped organize the Vice union. A third-generation union member, she served three terms as an elected councilperson for the Writers Guild of America, East Council. Her first book, Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor, was published in 2022, and the young readers edition, Fight to Win! Heroes of American Labor, was published by Simon & Schuster Kids in 2025.