Work Stoppage

Ep 234 - Northern Exposure

After updates on striking hotel workers, new UAW academic organizing, city workers in Philly and avian flu in dairy workers, we dive into our main stories. Michigan nurses won a massive union election this week as nearly 10,000 voted to join the Teamsters. The Canadian government stepped in on the side of the shipping companies this week and forced workers on both coasts into binding arbitration. Meanwhile, 55,000 striking Canada Post workers are challenging Prime Minister Trudeau to try it with them. We also check in on the strikes by teachers in Massachusetts and the repression they are facing from the state government. Zenimax workers held a one day strike this week to protest their employers' continued intransigence. Finally, delivery workers at Bimbo Bakeries in Washington State recently voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike after over a decade since their last cost of living raise.

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Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

More info on the show at http://workstoppagepod.com/

Ep 233 - Same Threats as Yesterday

It's impossible to start this week without discussing the fallout from the big election, so we start our main stories with a roundup of statements from union leaders in response to the new era of organizing. Next, we hear from dining workers at Clarkson University on their recent victory in securing a strong contract. Teachers in three towns in Massachusetts walked out on strike this week, defying state threats in their pursuit of fair working conditions for the lowest paid paraprofessionals. After last months strike by the ILA, this week lockouts began at Canadian ports on both sides of the country as the shipping monopolies attempt to force through more automation. Boeing machinists voted this week to accept the latest contract offer and return to work, winning historic wage increases. Finally, we discuss the heroic efforts by Cuban electrical workers to restore power to the country as it faces the inhumane effects of the US blockade.

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Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

More info on the show at http://workstoppagepod.com/

Ep 232 - Lockout Lessons

We've got headlines this week from NYC, Boston, Minneapolis, the island of Guadeloupe, and also PBS. Pepsi recently shocked workers in Chicago when they abruptly closed the region's only bottling plant with no notice. A new report shows the shocking worker death toll of US-ally Saudi Arabia's quixotic NEOM project.  Philadelphia transit workers voted unanimously to authorize a potential strike. Workers at Boeing have once again forced the company to increase their "Best and Final Offer." Finally, we discuss a recent Labor Notes report on how nurses in Hawaii beat a lockout.

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Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

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Unlocked Interview: Blue-Collar Empire by Jeff Schuhrke

We are joined by Jeff Schuhrke, Assistant Professor of Labor Studies at Empire State University to discuss his new book Blue-Collar Empire: The Untold Story of US Labor's Global Anticommunist Crusade. This incredible book documents the sordid collaboration between the highest levels of the AFL and the CIA, how to understand this history of labor officials collaborating with imperialism, and how we can point to examples of US workers fighting back against this collaboration to change our unions into truly internationalist organizations standing with our fellow workers all around the world. As workers mobilize in the millions to oppose the US-backed genocide in Palestine, this history is more relevant today than ever before.

Buy the book at: https://www.versobooks.com/products/2979-blue-collar-empire

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Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter, John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

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Ep 231 - No Diet COLA!

We start this week with a quick check-in on rideshare drivers in NYC, hotel workers in Boston, and nurses in North Carolina and Michigan. For our first major story, letter carriers across the country in the NALC are organizing a national vote no campaign in response to a concessionary contract. We continue coverage of workers under attack for speaking out against the genocide in Palestine, from universities across the country, to the ACLU, to Microsoft. A recent report from Bloomberg described shocking working conditions at EV-maker Rivian's Illinois factory. Finally, Boeing workers rejected the company's latest offer and continue their fight for fair wages and a just retirement.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

More info on the show at http://workstoppagepod.com/

Interview: Blue-Collar Empire by Jeff Schuhrke PREVIEW

We are joined by Jeff Schuhrke, Assistant Professor of Labor Studies at Empire State University to discuss his new book Blue-Collar Empire: The Untold Story of US Labor's Global Anticommunist Crusade. This incredible book documents the sordid collaboration between the highest levels of the AFL and the CIA, how to understand this history of labor officials collaborating with imperialism, and how we can point to examples of US workers fighting back against this collaboration to change our unions into truly internationalist organizations standing with our fellow workers all around the world. As workers mobilize in the millions to oppose the US-backed genocide in Palestine, this history is more relevant today than ever before.

Buy the book at: https://www.versobooks.com/products/2979-blue-collar-empire

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

More info on the show at http://workstoppagepod.com/

Ep 230 - Winning at Walmart

After our headlines we discuss a new piece from Workday Magazine this week covering the progress in growing the coalition for a May Day 2028 general strike. Workers at GE Appliances are gearing up for a strike after years of lost benefits and stagnant wages since new owners Haier bought the company. More companies are making use of AI, effective or not, to justify cutting jobs, we discuss how some unions are fighting back. A story in The Guardian this week documents a shocking case of racist abuse at USPS and the fight for accountability. Finally, we celebrate the historic union victory of 800 workers at a Walmart distribution center outside Toronto, as workers once again take on the legendarily anti-union behemoth.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

More info on the show at http://workstoppagepod.com/

Ep 229 - Goodwill Union Hunting

Tell Goodwill to Stop Union Busting: https://goodwillcolorado.org/about-us/contact-us/

We start this week with updates from academic workers, retail workers, nonprofit workers, and several organizing drives by the Teamsters.  Workers in Florida faced nightmare conditions this week after a second hurricane slammed into the already reeling region. Samsung workers in India continued their fight for union recognition despite continued state repression. The strike by Boeing Machinists hit the month mark this week as the company refuses to negotiate. Goodwill made headlines recently when it was revealed that they hired union busters to crush an effort to organize a store in Colorado. Finally, we check in on some of the ways workers are under fire for their opposition to genocide and how some are fighting back.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

More info on the show at http://workstoppagepod.com/

OT Ep 77: Anti-Union Talking Points Pt1 PREVIEW

If you're not a patron you can get the full episode by visiting patreon.com/workstoppage and support us with $5 a month.

In this episode we go over a ton of classic anti-union talking points and tear them apart. From tired points like "unions are a business" to unions "protecting  lazy workers", in this first episode in the series we focus on the more reactionary arguments against unions. In future episode we will dig down on other misconceptions surrounding unions.

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Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

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Ep 228 - One Year of Resistance

After commemorating one year of the US-Israeli genocide in Palestine, we discuss the response from workers in Spain, who launched a one day nationwide strike demanding an end to all relations with Israel. After following up on several UAW stories,  the Teamsters at Amazon, and striking hotel workers, we have an update on the Boeing strike as it moves into the long haul. Of course the big story this week was the first strike by the East Coast dockworkers in the ILA in nearly 50 years. We've also got another in our recent discussions on the horrific conditions faced by migrant workers in the US. This week saw tragic loss of hundreds of lives in Hurricane Helene, including several workers at Impact Plastics in Erwin, Tennessee. Finally, we discuss an ongoing strike by 1000 workers at Samsung in India who have faced massive state repression.

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Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

More info on the show at http://workstoppagepod.com/

Ep 227 - "We'll Cripple You"

This week we start with messages of solidarity to workers across the South affected by Hurricane Helene, and workers across Lebanon affected by the horrific expansion of US-Israeli attacks. We also follow up with Unite Here hotel workers, The Bird Union's new contract, and the unsafe tobacco factories of NYC. Our first story this week examines the long struggle by Filipino healthcare workers for a living wage.  Migrant workers are fighting against wage theft here in the US, as we discuss the scale of exploitation enabled by this country's guest worker system.  The massive strike at Boeing continued into its third week, with the company's desperate tactics only backfiring in its face. Rideshare drivers in Massachusetts have the chance to vote for a ballot measure that would provide them a union...but without the right to strike. Finally, we discuss the LOOMING strike about to hit the East Coast ports as the major shippers continue to refuse to meet the demands of the ILA.

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Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

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Ep 226 - World Class Workers

Support Striking ILWU Local 6 Workers: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-local-6-workers-in-their-fight-for-fair-wages

We start this week's episode with follow-ups at the University of Maine, Boston hotels, Trader Joe's in Manhattan, Starbucks in Ithaca, and Wonderful Nurseries in California. We follow up on the second week of the strike by over 30,000 Machinists at Boeing as the company digs in for a long strike. The UAW announced a strike vote this week to hold Stellantis accountable for its many broken contract provisions. The Teamsters have rapidly expanded their organizing of Teamster drivers. A new report quantifies the massive amount of wage theft taking place at Waffle House. Finally, 800 Teamsters strike at a Borgwarner auto parts plant in New York.

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Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

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Interview: Judy Gearhart of Labor Link

We are joined by Judy Gearhart to talk about her podcast Labor Link. On her show she interviews workers and worker advocates in many highly exploited industries in Southeast and Southern Asia. From garment workers in Bangladesh to migrant fishers in Thailand appalling working conditions and forms of modern slavery are highly present, and she talks to people trying to make a difference.

Find her show at: http://www.laborlinkpodcast.org

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Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

More info on the show at http://workstoppagepod.com/

Ep 225 - Nationalize Boeing!

Legal Fund of Michigan Students for Palestine: https://chuffed.org/project/um-palestine-legalfund

Lina's back and there's so much news! We discuss repression of worker organizing at the SPLC, the Noguchi Museum, and Air Canada in our headlines segment, as well as following up on the strike by 17,000 CWA workers at AT&T. As the school year begins, we discuss a roundup of stories covering the crackdown on free speech on college campuses in an attempt to silence the anti-genocide movement. Also this week, In These Times spoke with UAW workers and residents of Belvidere, IL about the impact of Stellantis dragging its feet on its contract promises. A clash has developed between the UAW and the New Jersey AFL-CIO after the state labor federation backed a legal ruling allowing casinos to continue poisoning their workers with cigarette smoke. In another tale of disgusting union busting, Stone Brewing, following its acquisition by Sapporo, has been trying to stamp out an organizing drive by workers in Richmond. Finally, we discuss the massive strike by Boeing workers across Washington State, with 32,000 hitting the picket lines this week.

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Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

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Ep 224 - The Wage Theft Industry

We start with updates on The Bird Union, Unite Here hotel workers, the UAW, and AT&T workers on strike across the South. Following our headlines, we discuss the recent firing of rail engineer, and popular commentator, Gareth Dennis, in response to (true) statements he made about safety concerns. Thousands of rideshare drivers and supporters rallied in NYC this week to demand the city stop Uber and Lyft from locking them out of the app to evade fair wage laws. Protests erupted across Australia in response to the government's recent takeover of one of the country's more militant unions on accusation of collusion with organized crime. 32,000 Boeing Machinists have won a tentative deal with the company after a credible strike threat. Finally, we discussion the longhaul strike by Boston University grad student workers.

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Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

More info on the show at http://workstoppagepod.com/

Ep 223 - Labor Day Means Strike!

It's Labor Day, and that can only mean workers standing up for our rights on the job. We begin this week with the launch of this weekend's national hotel strike by workers in Unite Here. After some quick stories on workers fighting for Palestine, the massive surge in unionization in academia, and more warehouse organizing by the Teamsters, we get into our main stories. We follow up with the UAW strike at Cornell, as workers have won a historic new contract. Workers at the Audubon Society have announced they will strike next week as their highly paid CEO continues a petty, illegal union busting campaign. Fred Meyer workers also struck this weekend, simultaneously showing how important stopping the Kroger-Albertsons merger is. Negotiations for a new contract for the East Coast dockworkers in the ILA have ground to a halt, potentially portending the first east coast port shutdown in nearly 50 years. We also discuss this week's 99.99% strike authorization vote by flight attendants at United and a new report showing just how deep the exploitation in the industry is. Finally, we celebrate the union election win of 4000 "temporary" workers at Firestone's massive rubber plantation in Liberia.

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Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

More info on the show at http://workstoppagepod.com/

Ep 222 - North of the Border

UAW GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-uaw-brother-antonio-gastons-family-after-tragedy

AT&T Petition: https://www.cwa.org/attse-support

Another news packed week starts with some follow up on the Teamsters negotiations with Costco, the UAW's fight to hold Stellantis to the contract, and more workers fighting for heat protections. Our first major story is last week's one day rail lockout in Canada, and we discuss the decision by the state to intervene and abandon workers' rights. Next we dig into several stories of teachers at campuses across the US fighting back against draconian policies restricting political speech by students protesting against genocide. California's state government this week made a sweetheart deal with Google, letting them off the hook for destroying innumerable small newsrooms in its quest to monopolize the web. Finally, over 17,000 workers at AT&T across the Southeast have been on strike for two weeks after the company wouldn't even send anyone empowered to negotiate to that table.

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Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

More info on the show at http://workstoppagepod.com/

Ep 221 - Cornell Stands Up!

We start this week's episode with some quick check ins on: recent organizing wins by the Teamsters, a new strike at Samsung, ULPs filed against Donald Trump by the UAW, a new CEO at Starbucks, and flight attendants at Alaska Airlines fighting for a record contract. We also follow up on the long haul strike by workers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, as the NLRB has finally intervened. Workers stood up in cities across the country for Heat Week, demanding basic heat protections from their employers. A wild story from The Guardian this week as SkyWest airlines faces a lawsuit for running an old school company union. Residents of East Palestine are crying foul as new reports emerged that the CDC covered up workers getting sick during the cleanup of the disastrous derailment, attempting to minimize the scandal around the crash. Finally, we discuss the strike by workers at Cornell after months of refusal by administrators to bargain in good faith.

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Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

More info on the show at http://workstoppagepod.com/

OT Ep 76 Preview: Cannabis and Labor Pt 4

If you're not a patron you can get the full episode by visiting patreon.com/workstoppage and support us with $5 a month.

In this installment of “The Weed Series,” the gang discusses the conditions of the cannabis industry in New Mexico and Arizona. We cover workers who organized the first agricultural cannabis union in New Mexico, and Arizona workers who unionized with UFCW Local 99, including one group that now has a contract. We ask why New Mexico has so many dispensaries, and investigate the takeover of social justice initiatives in Arizona by gigantic multi-state operators. We round out with a discussion of two wage theft cases in New Mexico and Colorado that contain hallmark “small business tyrant behavior” and John refuses to pronounce last names correctly unless they belong to workers

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Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

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Ep 220 - Beat the Heat: Organize!

Another jam packed week of labor news! We start this week with follow-ups on workers at Samsung, REI, and Apple. We also follow up on the impact of Florida politicians' attempts to destroy the state's public unions, and how that has been devastating for academic workers. Reporters from the LA Times have documented how public pensions won through union struggle are now being used to fuel the crisis of gentrification and soaring rents across the country. In our main story, we cover a series of stories relating workers' struggles to win protections against deadly heat, exacerbated by worsening climate change. We discuss the effects on farmworkers, incarcerated workers, and the lengths workers in the hottest countries have to go through just to survive the soaring temps.  Finally, we discuss the recent vote by thousands of hotel workers coast to coast to overwhelmingly authorize a strike.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

More info on the show at http://workstoppagepod.com/