Boiling Point Cincinnati
A labor-friendly radio show & podcast hosted by Mark Niehaus, Michelle Dunn and Clayton Adams. The trio look into political events and labor union topics happening in the past, present and future. The podcast is based out of Cincinnati, Ohio and originally airs on WAIF 88.3 FM. Music removed from podcast episodes.
Episodes
90 episodes
Episode 91: From Sewer Systems to the County Commission
In hour one, Michelle sits down with Alison Kromer and Andrea Baker from Communities United for Action (CUFA) to discuss the organization’s role in the Greater Cincinnati community. They break down how CUFA is advocating for residents and influ...
Episode 90: Community Voices and the Cost of War
In hour one, Michelle sits down with Sue Bilz, a retired Cincinnati Public Schools math teacher and board member of the West Price Hill Community Council. Sue reflects on her career in education and discusses how she’s stayed actively engaged i...
Episode 89: Green Living and Culture Wars in the Classroom
In hour one, Michelle sits down with Chuck Lohre of the Greater Cincinnati Earth Coalition for a thoughtful conversation on sustainability in today’s world. They explore green energy, sustainable construction and architecture, and the importanc...
Episode 88: Top-Down Reform vs. Bottom-Up Organizing
In hour one, Michelle takes a closer look at the billionaire influence shaping education reform across the country. She unpacks who is funding these initiatives, how their policies are making their way into public schools, and what the real imp...
Episode 87: Dave Baker on Union Power + Karen Brownlee on Ohio’s Future
In hour one, Michelle sits down with Dave Baker, Business Manager for Ironworkers Local 44, to reflect on his journey in the labor movement and the real value of union membership. From wages to benefits, job security to training opportunities, ...
Episode 86: Bryan Hambley Talks Voting Access and CPS Confronts Financial Reality
In hour one, Michelle sits down with Bryan Hambley, Democratic candidate for Ohio Secretary of State, for a wide-ranging conversation on the power and responsibility of the office. They break down what the Secretary of State actually does and h...
Episode 85: Dismantling Diplomacy & Debating the SAVE Act
In hour one, Michelle sits down with Alex Gainer, a former U.S. diplomat and employee of United States Agency for International Development. The two walk through the timeline surrounding the dismantling of the agency and ex...
Episode 84: Investigating School Board Partners + Jonathan Bradner for State House
In hour one, Michelle takes a closer look at a growing local effort to reshape Cincinnati Public Schools through the group School Board Partners. She examines the group’s goals and political strategy, and discusses why many...
Episode 83 - Ballots and Brotherhood: Labor’s Political Moment
In hour one, Michelle sits down with Jim Cole, Political Director for the Northern Kentucky AFL-CIO, for a candid conversation about how politics and government decisions shape the labor movement—for better and for worse. T...
Episode 82: The Fight for Mail and the Fight for Votes
In hour one, Michelle sits down with Don Hoffragge, President of APWU Local 164, as well as Marquita "Ms. Nickie" Wilson, APWU Local 164's legislative representative. The trio discuss the challenges currently ...
Episode 81: Organizing Voters, Testing Students
In hour one, Michelle sits down with Cyan Perez, volunteer with the Working Families Party, for a conversation about the organization’s history, mission, and political strategy. They explore how the party operates, what it ...
Episode 80: Economic Democracy Meets the Ballot Box
In hour one, Michelle sits down with Ellen Vera, co-director of Co-op Cincy, a nonprofit that supports a growing network of worker-owned cooperatives across Greater Cincinnati. They break down how co-ops actually function, ...
Episode 79: The Great Society Then and Now + Seth Walsh for Treasurer
In hour one, Michelle takes a deep dive into President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Great Society” agenda—examining the origins of landmark programs like Medicare, Medicaid, federal education funding, and anti-poverty initiatives. She exp...
Episode 78: Nonviolence in Action & Trump's Greenland Obsession
In hour one, Michelle sits down with Samantha Searls, Program Director at Ignite Peace, to explore the organization’s history and mission. They discuss the long tradition of nonviolent action in the face of injustice and wh...
Episode 77 - At a Crossroads: Democrats, Grassroots Power, and Ohio 2026
In hour one, Michelle takes a hard look at the current struggles facing the Democratic Party and the choices it must make as the midterms approach. She discusses the direction the party needs to move to reconnect with voters and highligh...
Episode 76: Labor Legends & New Battles - Jimmy Hayden, Starbucks and Amazon
In hour one, Mark sits down with Jimmy Hayden, former Executive Secretary of the Greater Cincinnati Building Trades. Jimmy reflects on a lifetime in the labor movement as a union ironworker, sharing stories from the job sit...
Episode 75: The Work of Resistance and the Harm of Somali Day Care Conspiracies
In hour one, Michelle sits down with Christy Pember, a founding member of the Indivisible group Coffee, Compassion, Action. The two discuss what it means to organize as part of the political resistance during the Trump ad...
Episode 74: The Worst Grinches of the Year & Evan Nolan on Housing and Labor
In hour one, Michelle unveils the annual Worst Grinches of the Year list—calling out the politicians, power players, and institutions across our city, state, and nation who have been especially harmful to working-class peop...
Episode 73: Building Ohio & Watching Ohio - Ironworkers, HB 56, and Police Surveillance
In hour one, Michelle sits down with Dave Baker, Business Manager for Ironworkers Local 44. Dave shares stories from his years in the labor movement, offering an inside look at the skilled, demanding, and often dangerous wo...
Episode 72: Weingarten’s Warnings & Ramaswamy’s Proposal
In hour one, Michelle reflects on key insights from AFT President Randi Weingarten’s new book, Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education & the Future of Democracy. She unpacks Weingarten’s arguments about the centr...
Episode 71: Thankful for Progress & Organizing in Appalachian Ohio
In hour one, Michelle highlights the progressive victories she’s thankful for in an increasingly chaotic political climate. She spotlights recent wins for working-class people happening in states across the country—proof that me...
Episode 70: Union Battles in NKY & School Board Leadership in Finneytown
In hour one, Michelle sits down with Tim Donoghue, president of the Northern Kentucky Labor Council. Tim reflects on his decades of organizing, his path into labor leadership, and the evolving challenges facing unions acros...
Episode 69: Labor Power & Dr. Amy Acton’s Vision
In hour one, Michelle sits down with Will Minehart, Southwest Representative for the Ohio AFL-CIO, for a deep dive into life inside the labor movement. They discuss how unions shape economic stability, protect workers’ righ...
Episode 68: Mamdani’s Win and Hamilton County’s Blue Wave
In hour one, Michelle sits down with Olivia Merrill, secretary of the Democratic Socialists of America–Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky chapter. They break down Zohran Mamdani’s historic victory, exploring why this race m...
Episode 67: Labor Nightmares, Election Dreams
In hour one, Michelle shines a spooky spotlight on the “ghouls and monsters” haunting today’s labor movement—from corporate greed to political attacks on workers’ rights. She explores the biggest threats unions and working people are up ...