Work Stoppage

Ep 180 - Record Profits Mean Record Contracts

Support Starbucks Workers: https://starbucksworkersunited.controlshift.app/calendars/red-cup-rebellion

We're back with another week of labor struggle. We start with a brief discussion of the incredibly racist labor policies of the British Navy. Next we discuss the supposedly amazing work conditions at Nintendo of America which CEO Doug Bowser claims are so good employees don't want a union. Two more major healthcare walkouts were launched this week on the West Coast, in Washington and Oregon at PeaceHealth and California at Providence. Starbucks Workers United announced their biggest day of action yet, Red Cup Rebellion 2, on November 16. The NLRB announced a new rule defining joint employers, we break down the potential impacts. Two groups of undergrad workers won their unions this week at Harvard and the University of Oregon. Finally, we close with our discussion of the UAW's Stand Up strike, which saw major escalations at GM and Stellantis this week and a tentative agreement at Ford.
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Movie Time 8 PREVIEW - Joe Hill and The Molly Maguires

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

We're back to our regular bonus schedule this week with another episode on labor cinema. This week we have two historical dramas from the 1970s, Joe Hill and The Molly Maguires. First we discuss the 1971 Swedish biopic of the legendary IWW organizer and songwriter. Joe Hill follows the life of the young immigrant worker as he worked his way across the US, experiencing the full range of abuses workers faced in the early 20th century. Next we discuss The Molly Maguires, the 1970 drama starring Sean Connery. Based on the testimony of a Pinkerton spy, the film shows us the lengths workers were forced to go to even 150 years ago to fight for dignity in the hell of the coal pits.

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Ep 179 - US Supports Slavery and Genocide

This week we have to start with some difficult news. While we do talk about Starbucks Workers United's statement in support of Palestinian liberation it is in response to Starbucks' attack on the workers for their stance. We also talk about Israel revoking work permits to people who live in Gaza and the abuses that they perpetrate on the Palestinian people while they are made literally illegal while at work outside Gaza. We then talk about Amazon's use of a Kafala like system in Saudi Arabia to exploit Nepali, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and other workers with no intent on stopping. Back in the US, OSHA has once again failed to protect workers by giving a cheap fine to a PA chocolate factory responsible for 7 worker deaths. Prime Healthcare workers strike for all of the same reasons healthcare workers across the country have been striking for year, safe staffing levels. In Detroit, 3 Casinos covered by five unions go on strike after being forced to take a major cut at the beginning of the ongoing covid pandemic. In service work, Coffee by Design workers in Maine organize with LIUNA, and Waffle House workers demand $25/hr and better conditions while working with the USSW. We wrap up our reporting this week with an update on the UAW Stand Up Strike at the Big 3 Automakers, how Ford is crying poverty, where negotiations currently are, and Stellantis hiring strike breaking goons.

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Stand Up For Palestine

This week we felt it was important to discuss the ongoing attacks against Palestine and how the US labor movement can stand up against complicity with ethnic cleansing. We discuss unions who have already spoken out against the war crimes our government is supporting, and what workers in Palestine have asked workers around the world to do to support them.  We also discuss why it is important for people in the labor movement to fight back in the many ways possible and the ways we can do our part individually collectively.  John was under the weather and will be back in the next episode. 

We also encourage listeners to donate to groups providing humanitarian aid to Gaza.
support.anera.org/a/palestine-emergency
pcrf1.app.neoncrm.com/forms/gaza-relief
www.mecaforpeace.org/donate/
https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/where-we-work/palestine 

Find a protest https://www.answercoalition.org/join_a_protest_near_you_free_palestine

Intro clip credit - Liberation Media

Ep 178 - From The River To The Sea

We are forced by recent events to start this week's episode with a call for all the forces of labor to stand in solidarity with the oppressed people of Palestine. The fight against apartheid and colonialism is a crucial part of the class struggle and workers in the Imperial Core, especially the US, have a particular responsibility to resist the complicity of our government. Getting into the labor news, we discuss the tentative agreement reached at Kaiser Permanente after last week's strike of 75,000 healthcare workers. We also cover a recent strike by sanitation workers in Durham, NC which won big gains for all city employees. Recent weeks have seen walkouts by pharmacy workers at both CVS and Walgreens, we talk about why. We check in on the status of the SAG-AFTRA strike as the AMPTP walks away from the table. Finally we close discussing the UAW, both their strike at Mack Truck and the expansion of the Stand Up strike to the most profitable plant in the country.

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Overtime Episode 51 PREVIEW - The General Strike in US History 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.

We've talked about some of the more well known general strikes in US history: the interwar strikes in Seattle, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Toledo. But even before them, in the 19th century, there was one general strike that predated them all. In New Orleans in 1892, tens of thousands of workers, Black and white, stood as one against their exploiters. They fought not just for better wages and shorter hours, but for the bosses to recognize and negotiate not just unions of white workers, but Black workers too. The 1892 New Orleans general strike stands as a monument to the power of multiracial working class unity, and shows why bosses have fought so hard for so long to prevent workers from achieving it.

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Ep 177 - Healthcare Heroes Have Had Enough

We start this week's episode celebrating the power move by Drew Barrymore's writing staff turning down an offer to return after being stabbed in the back during the strike. Next we discuss VFX workers at Disney voting unanimous to join IATSE. One of our biggest stories this week is the largest healthcare strike in US history, as 75,000 workers at Kaiser Permanente struck for 3 days in 5 states. We also discuss major new contract wins by academic workers at Tufts and MIT, and a major contract victory by workers at Kumho Tires in Georgia. Finally, we discuss this week's developments in the UAW's Stand Up strike, including a monumental win that will shape the future of the entire industry.

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Ep 176 - A Perfectly Scripted Victory

Strike Support Toolkit: https://uaw.org/standwithus/dealershipcanvass/ 

Another huge week in labor as the militancy of workers has become contagious across the country. We start out discussing the move to shutter Moog Music in North Carolina following a union drive. Then, we cover the new anti-trust complaint filed against Amazon by the FTC. Also this week, Gavin Newsom vetoed a very popular bill to keep people safe from driverless trucks.  75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers may launch the largest healthcare workers strike in history this week after years of understaffing. Culinary Union workers in Las Vegas may join them as well, as they are also fighting for a new contract. Of course the biggest story this week was the stunning victory of the WGA over the Hollywood studios this week. We break down the tentative agreement reached this week and discuss the wins the studios said were impossible just a few weeks ago. Finally, we cover developments in the UAW Stand Up strike against the Big 3. We discuss new plants on strike, tactics in the plants still operating, and how the union is responding to violence against picketers.

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Movie Time 7 PREVIEW - On The Waterfront

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After wrapping up our series on the history of allegations of mafia involvement in the International Longshoremen's Association, we'd be remiss not to discuss likely the single biggest cultural touchstone related to the issue, the film On The Waterfront. Elia Kazan's 1954 crime drama is considered an all time classic film, buoyed by an iconic performance from Marlon Brando. But the film's attacks on unions as an institution, and its obsession with individual rather than collective solutions make it hard to really consider it part of the canon of "Labor Cinema." We discuss the film's merits, it's flaws, and how it fits into the history of the ILA .

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Ep 175 - No Pay? No Parts!

UAW Strike Support FAQ: https://labornotes.org/2023/09/when-auto-workers-stand-heres-how-stand-them

Lina is away this week, so we're joined by longtime friend of the show Ethan to help us discuss all the week's big labor news. The strike by UAW workers at the Big 3 has seized the public consciousness in its first week as workers around the country have been inspired by the thousands of auto workers standing up and fighting back against corporate greed. On Friday, with GM and Stellantis refusing to agree to better working conditions, the UAW expanded the strike to 38 parts centers across the country. We discuss the strike, the response from the press, how politicians have tried to co-opt it, and the very real solidarity coming in from workers around the world.  Also this week, we congratulate the grad student workers of Northeastern, winning their union after an 8 year battle. We also discuss the latest NYT expose on the explosion of illegal child labor in the US, as well as a new story on prison labor and clickwork in Finland. 

Intro clips credit: Status Coup News, UAW

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Overtime Episode 50 PREVIEW - Unions and The Mob: The ILA - Pt 7

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

Episode 7 - Where Do We Go From Here?

Wrapping up our series on the history of allegations of mafia involvement with the ILA, we reach the 21st century. Today, the workforce on the docks is a shadow of earlier years. Decimated by automation, the union continued to be hounded by federal prosecutors, but was never ordered to make itself more democratic. We discuss various corruption trials of the last 20 years, the end of the BiState Waterfront Commission, and sum up where the union stands today. Finally, we examine the entire history of allegations of corruption in the ILA, the impact on the workers, and the vital importance of rank and file democracy to any future attempts to put the membership in the driver's seat.

Main sources for this series include: Reds or Rackets by Howard Kimeldorf, Strife on the Waterfront by Vernon Jensen, New York Longshoremen: Class and Power on the Docks by William Mello, and Mobsters, Unions, and Feds by James Jacobs. Clips from YouTube.

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Ep 174 - The UAW Stands Up

UAW Strike Support FAQ: https://labornotes.org/2023/09/when-auto-workers-stand-heres-how-stand-them

It's a monumental week for labor, but before we can get to the strike everyone is excited about, we've got a ton of stories to cover. First we discuss Starbucks Workers United's latest day of action. Next we discuss the successful union elections by VFX workers at Marvel and writers at MTV's Ridiculousness. Unfortunately, we have some stories of high profile scabs this week as Drew Barrymore and Bill Maher announced their intention to cross the WGA picket line. We could see a huge shift in college athletics, as this week the Dartmouth Men's Basketball team filed for union representation with the SEIU. Rail companies in the US continue to defy safety regulations as warned by the workers for years. Meanwhile, Korean rail workers launch a 4 day nationwide strike against privatization. And in the UK, the union movement announced plans to defy the new Tory anti-strike law. In addition to the autoworkers, over 1000 UAW members at Blue Cross Blue Shield also went on strike in Michigan this week. Finally, we discuss the launch of the UAW's "Stand Up Strike" against all of the Big 3 automakers at once. We discuss how the strike began, what this somewhat unique strike strategy hopes to maintain, and how workers everywhere can support the UAW workers as they fight for our entire class.

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Overtime Episode 49 PREVIEW - Unions and The Mob: The ILA - Pt 6

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

Episode 6 - Things Fall Apart

Following the deal to allow unrestricted automation of longshore work in exchange for higher salaries and benefits, the ILA entered a period of a long decline. As containerization ate away at the number of jobs on the docks, the union was also encircled by another force, the FBI. The FBI's UNIRAC investigation into the ILA was its largest racketeering trial ever at the time. But by refusing to go after the core problem of a total lack of accountability of union leaders to membership, and instead going for a career-making trial of a few individuals, government prosecutors made little progress in their professed goal of "cleaning up the waterfront." 

Main sources for this series include: Reds or Rackets by Howard Kimeldorf, Strife on the Waterfront by Vernon Jensen, New York Longshoremen: Class and Power on the Docks by William Mello, and Mobsters, Unions, and Feds by James Jacobs. Clips from YouTube.

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Ep 173 - Big 3 Showdown

It's deadline time for the negotiations between the Big 3 automakers and the UAW this week, our main story breaks down where things stand, what the companies have offered, and debunks some of the common anti-worker arguments rolled out against the UAW's demands. But before all that, we follow up with Grindr, where half of the company's staff have been forced out in retaliation for organizing. At Rutgers, a strike by nurses for safe staffing continues after a month of abuse from bosses. Starbucks announced this week they're closing the city of Vancouver's only unionized store. Cornell grad student workers are building off forcing Starbucks off their campus and forming a union of their own. Cracks have appeared in the unity of the bosses in the Writers and Actors strike, potentially showing an endgame. We also discuss the Naujawan Support Network's fight against wage theft and abuse of migrant workers in Ontario. Finally, we prepare for the strike at the Big 3 with our UAW update.

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Overtime Episode 48 PREVIEW - Unions and The Mob: The ILA - Pt 5

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

Episode 5 - Automation and Attrition

Emerging from the 1950s having survived government crackdowns, receivership, and attempted raids by the AFL, the ILA was immediately confronted with a new existential threat: automation. The introduction of containerized cargo posed a greater threat to the profession of longshoring than any previously faced. Organizing on the Port of New York in the 1960s was dominated by the fight to keep the shipping companies from slashing the workforce to the bone. While the union still did not implement more democratic measures, the rank and file forced their voices to be heard loud and clear in some of the biggest strikes in the history of the US waterfront.

Main sources for this series include: Reds or Rackets by Howard Kimeldorf, Strife on the Waterfront by Vernon Jensen, New York Longshoremen: Class and Power on the Docks by William Mello, and Mobsters, Unions, and Feds by James Jacobs. Clips from YouTube.

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Ep 172 - Throwing Bosses In The Bin

Happy Labor Day to all our listeners! We kick off this week's show discussing the end of strikes at Wabtec and Leinenkugel, where workers have ratified new contracts after hard fought battles. We also have an update on the negotations between the UAW and the Big 3 automakers with less than 2 weeks until a potential strike. New Jersey Transit engineers voted unanimously to authorize a strike, but are shackled by the Railway Labor Act just like freight workers. Tragically this week yet another worker was killed by heat exhaustion because bosses, this time at Kroger, refuse to provide safe working conditions. VFX workers made another major step forward, as workers at Disney Studios filed this week to join IATSE. Finally, we discuss a recent Labor Notes piece about a creative contract campaign by Maine Ironworkers which won major gains for the workers.

 

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Overtime Episode 47 PREVIEW - Unions and The Mob: The ILA - 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.

Episode 4 - 1953

Following World War 2, longshoremen in the Port of New York refused to accept the traditional company friendly deals that ILA President Joe Ryan arranged during the war. A wildcat strike movement shook the ILA, and alongside an investigation into his corruption, Ryan finally lost his grip on the union.  1953, the same year "King" Joe Ryan stepped down as President of the ILA was a momentous year for the organization. In this episode we discuss Ryan's departure, the expulsion of the union from the AFL, the government stepping in to control hiring on the docks, and even a civil war in the house of labor. The end of Ryan's tenure and the massive changes put in place in 1953 would reshape the union for decades.

Main sources for this series include: Reds or Rackets by Howard Kimeldorf, Strife on the Waterfront by Vernon Jensen, New York Longshoremen: Class and Power on the Docks by William Mello, and Mobsters, Unions, and Feds by James Jacobs. Clips from YouTube.

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Ep 171 - Farm Workers Fight Back

We start this week following up on several major stories, first and foremost the ratification of the hard fought new contract at UPS. We also discuss the victory of grad student workers at the University of Michigan after a nearly five month struggle. There was major news out of the NLRB this week, we break down the Cemex decision and what the new restrictions on election union busting could mean for the labor movement. Also this week, farm workers in New York were attacked by farm owners who raided and broke up a UFW organizing meeting. The New School continues to hate its workers, trying this week to block student workers from organizing a wall to wall student union. Finally, the fight for a fair deal at the Big 3 automakers is heating up, as the UAW voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike.

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Overtime Episode 46 PREVIEW - Unions and The Mob: The ILA - Pt 3

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

Episode 3 - Operation Underworld

Joe Ryan's two and a half decades of leadership of the International Longshoremen's Association could be most charitably described as "stable." His focus on labor peace at nearly any cost and his cozy relationship with the shipping companies, gangsters, and the federal government created a series of strange relationships as the country entered World War 2. Finding mobsters useful in keeping radical organizers off the docks, the federal government struck a deal with the same criminal forces they would later condemn union officials for working with. However, even with strongarm goons and redbaiting as his go-to tactics, Ryan could not totally keep a lid on post-war discontent by workers returning to find low wages and inhuman treatment while shipping bosses made millions. The Rank and File made their voice heard, by whatever means they could find.

Main sources for this series include: Reds or Rackets by Howard Kimeldorf, Strife on the Waterfront by Vernon Jensen, New York Longshoremen: Class and Power on the Docks by William Mello, and Mobsters, Unions, and Feds by James Jacobs. Clips from YouTube.

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Ep 170 - Exploitation Should Be a Crime

REI Pledge: www.ourrei.com/pledge

As with any week in the labor movement, this week we've got a mixture of good news and less good news. We start on the happier end, with students at Cornell forcing Starbucks off campus after its retaliation against workers. The first massage studio in Florida has unionized, following success by the UFCW in Colorado. Workers at Jacksonville State University are forming a wall to wall union to fight for better than their current $8.25/hr. In less good news, we heard more this week from workers at Tesla and Amazon about the horrific working conditions at both and the way Amazon weaponizes their company "doctors" against workers. Wage theft remains rampant in the US, and a new report shows how much impunity bosses in Texas have. Finally, we discuss a recent LA Times report about the impacts of climate change on the workers who put food on our tables every day.

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