Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff From Strike to Worker Co-Op
Oct 12, 2026
Steve Mellon, a Pittsburgh photojournalist and co-founder of Pittsburgh Progress, discusses the three-year Post-Gazette strike and its aftermath. He explains how workers and community members are building a cooperative newspaper, sharing ownership and decision-making. The conversation explores sustainable local journalism, union organizing, and replacing wealthy owners’ control with democratic worker power.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Modern Wars As Colonialism’s Last Gasp
- Richard D. Wolff argues that current wars reflect attempts by former colonial powers to recreate unequal control over territory and resources.
- He connects European ambitions toward Russia and Israel’s expansionism to colonialism’s earlier wealth transfer from places like Congo to Belgium.
Higher Rates Deepen America’s Debt Crisis
- Rising interest rates intensify the working class’s housing, automobile, and debt burdens.
- Mortgage rates above 7% arrive as household, corporate, credit-card, and student debt already sit at historic highs.
Diesel Prices Reveal Who Controls Energy
- War-driven oil costs raise diesel, fertilizer, gasoline, and airline-fuel prices, worsening affordability for farmers and consumers.
- Refiners opposed export restrictions by warning they would reduce production, illustrating how private control can override public needs.
