Work Stoppage

Overtime Episode 60 Preview: Women in the US Labor Movement - Pt 1

Episode 1 - Women Workers in the Industrial Revolution

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 covered a ton of different eras and stories of the US labor movement on our show, but unfortunately much of it has been heavily focused on solely male workers, leaving out the historic role women have played in shaping the trade union movement in this country. So in an attempt to help rectify that, we're embarking on the longest series we've ever done to discuss just a few of the incredible stories of struggle, solidarity, and success by women organizers through the 200 year history of the US labor movement. In the first episode, we start from the very beginning, the first ever factory strike in US history, led by the women of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and work our way up the Civil War. Few organizations formed in these first few decades lasted very long, but these early struggles still teach us a lot about the dual struggle waged by women workers against oppression not only by their bosses as workers, but by society as a whole through patriarchy. While victories were few in these early years, there are still a lot of parallels we can draw with our organizing fights today.

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EP 191 - Unity Gets The Goods

Adda Coffee Relief Fund: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/support-abruptly-fired-adda-workers-demand-for-severance-pay/

We start this week's episode checking in on some recent victories by the UAW. Next we discuss a judge smacking down Trader Joe's ridiculous copyright lawsuit against Trader Joe's United. Also this week, Adda Coffee in Pittsburgh shut its doors rather than allow a union, while the Supreme Court takes up a call by Starbucks to gut the NLRB. Once again we have another horrible story of child workers being killed, while a new report reveals the systemic nature of child labor violations in fast food. Macy's workers in Washington are on strike against bosses who seem to have decided to pretend like the union doesn't exist. Finally, Ben and Jerry's workers and student workers at Washington State University both won big new contracts.

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Preview: Confessions of a Union Buster Pt 2

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

On the second part of our discussion of Confessions of a Union Buster, we sit down once again with our friend Pat to talk about the incredible number of ways that union busting tactics have remained the same for nearly 50 years. Wild stunts, illegal surveillance, and above all a crushing climate of fear characterize the campaigns described in Marty Leavitt's memoir of his time destroying workers lives, much like the campaigns we see from modern union busters.  But by identifying the core features of these tactics, we can adapt our own to fight back against them.

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Ep 190 - AI: Artificial Intimidation

We start this week with a few quick congratulations to workers at Wells Fargo, DHL, and elsewhere before diving into a discussion of news this week that SAG-AFTRA has negotiated an agreement with an AI voice model company for video games. Then we discuss the ways AI is being used to surveil and even fire workers in many different industries. Next we have two stories on the horrific conditions of modern slavery face by agricultural workers supplying Starbucks and Kroger. Then we check in with the progress of the UAW's organizing drives at VW, Tesla, and Mercedes Benz. Finally, we shout out the workers at High Country News and the Guttmacher Institute for their recent wins. 

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Preview: Confessions of a Union Buster Pt 1

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

Friend of the show and head of our discord reading group Pat joins us this week to discuss one of their recent books, Confessions of a Union Buster by Martin J. Levitt and Terry Conrow. This book chronicles the life and tactics of one of the lowest, most disgraceful occupations out there, the union buster. Seeing the inner workings of those agents of the ruling class who make it their life's mission to hold down the working class gives us a window into how their campaigns operate today. Even though the campaigns described in the book are from decades ago, many of the same exact tactics are still in use at places like Starbucks and Amazon.

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Ep 189 - New Year, New Struggles

For our first episode of 2024, we've got tons new labor stories to cover. After some quick follow ups, we discuss a recent piece in Forbes about how our capitalist system is forcing elders to work longer and longer. Next we've got a bunch of UAW stories, starting with the fight for a fair contract by workers at Allison Transmission in Indianapolis. Also this week, UAW workers on Long Island fight back after solar company EmPower fired nearly half their staff in retaliation for unionizing. Then, we discuss last month's successful strike by 500 post docs at Mt Sinai Hospital in NYC. Also this week, 75,000 junior doctors strike in the UK, Elon declares war on the NLRB, and CostCo workers in Norfolk, VA score a critical organizing victory. 

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PREVIEW: 2023 Year In Review

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

2023 was a monumental year for US labor. From the Teamsters contract fight at UPS winning historic gains, to the UAW's Stand Up strike changing the game tactically, workers fought back in huge numbers. On this episode, we run down the biggest stories we covered in the labor movement in 2023, from massive strikes to the endless stream of new major grad student union victories. Finally, we close out with some predictions for what we might see in 2024.

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Ep 188 - 2024: The Struggle Continues

For our final episode of 2023, despite the holidays we have a lot to cover. The longest adjunct faculty strike in US history ended with a new contract. Wells Fargo workers in Albuquerque became the first unionized branch of a major bank. Thousands of workers in Argentina have taken to the streets to protest President Milei's attempt to sell off the state by decree and destroy workers rights. Teamsters at Anheuser-Busch have voted nearly unanimously to authorize a strike in February when their contract ends if the company continues to refuse to negotiate. Finally, Southwest Airlines pilots won new contracts this week, bringing all four major airline under contract.

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UNLOCKED - Unions and The Mob: The ILA - Pt 1

We're taking a break from new episode this week, but in the spirit of the season (such as it is this year), we're unlocking the first episode of one of our Patron series earlier this year, the history of the International Longshoremen's Association and the interference of the mafia and the federal government in worker organizing. Hope all our listeners are having a good holiday, and we'll see you with new episodes in 2024!

Original Description:

Episode 1 - Communism vs. Corruption

One of the peculiarities of the US labor movement is the existence of two different unions for longshore workers, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) on the West Coast, and the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) on the East Coast. Originally, the ILA represented members on both coasts, bringing all longshore workers in the country under one union. But after the refusal of the national leadership to support the 1934 San Francisco General Strike or to support the move to expand the union to warehouse workers, the West Coast workers seceded and formed their own union. 

In this series we will examine the history of the ILA and dig into why West Coast longshore workers felt they had no choice but to form their own union. We will examine the key factors that have prevented the rise of a democratic reform movement within the ILA, and how collusion between shipping companies, the federal government, and the mafia played a critical role in suppressing reform. We will discuss the long fight by the rank and file for reform, and how the federal government time and time again stepped in to squash it. 

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 found freely available on Youtube.

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Overtime Episode 57 PREVIEW - Military Unions 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.

For the finale of our series discussion various attempts at organizing soldiers during the 1970s, we arrive at one of the most dynamic of the era, Portugal. With the collapse of Portugal's fascist dictatorship in the wake of the Carnation Revolution, the organized military played a key, leading role in the social transformation of the country. We discuss how the political currents differed between the enlisted and officers, and the interactions between the rising political parties and the organized military movement. Finally, we sum up our thoughts on the question of unions in the military and their relation to socialist revolution.

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Ep 187 - America Runs on Slavery

After some quick follow ups on organizing at Ben & Jerry's and Grindr, we get into the big stories in labor as 2023 winds down. More and more unions are standing up against genocide, with 1199 and NNU joining the call for a ceasefire. The UAW filed ULPs against 3 automakers this week for interfering with organizing campaigns. The NLRB ordered Starbucks to reopen 23 stores it closed for unionizing, but results may be a long ways off. Incarcerated workers in Alabama filed a massive class action lawsuit against the state for its use of convict leasing to profit from slave conditions. Cargo handling workers at Denver International Airport strike this week for safe working conditions. Hundreds of nurses in Louisiana joined National Nurses United in a major victory, and Yale graduate student workers won a historic first contract.

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Overtime Episode 56 PREVIEW - Military Unions 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.

On this week's installment of our series examining attempts to organize unions of soldiers, we move to Western Europe. In a whirlwind tour we discuss Germany, Italy, France, and Spain's various forms of military labor organizations. The refusal of the US to de-Nazify West Germany played a major role in the rebuilt Bundeswehr's conservatism, including on the issue of soldier unions. In France, the history of repeated military coups made government leaders extremely wary of any sort of parallel power structures. In Spain, the attempts at organizing in the military came at the same time the country began the transition from Franco's fascism to liberal democracy. And in Italy, soldiers who supported the powerful communist party and other left groups confronted a state deeply enmeshed in Cold War power struggles.

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Ep 186 - Kentucky Wildcat

We've got a very Kentucky-centric episode this week, with two different labor disputes at the KCVG airport with union busting at Amazon and a strike by Teamsters at DHL. Also in Kentucky, Sunergos coffee workers in Louisville finally won a first contract after a weeklong strike. In academic organizing news, adjunct faculty at Columbia College in Chicago are on the longest adjunct strike in US history to fight back against attempts to slash courses and increase class sizes. Teachers have also launched strikes in the California State system demanding fair wages to deal with soaring cost of living. Fellows at the NIH won their union election in a landslide, forming the largest new union of federal workers in over a decade. Also updates on Tesla's war with Scandinavia, the UAW's massive organizing campaign, and more workers speaking out against genocide.

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Overtime Episode 55 PREVIEW - Military Unions 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.

On Part 4 of our series looking at attempts to organize soldiers, we discuss the Scandinavian countries. While none of the various soldier unions formed in these countries transformed their society, they showed a wide range of levels of effectiveness. From Norway's quasi-company union, to Sweden's VVDM-esque liberal militancy, to Finland's conscript mass organization which actually demanded peace, the Scandinavian militaries showed a broad range of organizing tactics. We discuss the results, comparison to the US, and whether conscription can ever be considered "progressive."

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Ep 185 - Life is More Than Work

Lina is away this week so it's just the boys on this episode of Work Stoppage. The UAW became the largest and most prominent union to join the calls for a ceasefire this week, the same week they launched the largest organizing drive the US has seen in years. Portland teachers ended their three week strike with a new contract with major wins. Sweden's labor movement continues to shut down Tesla as Elon tries to sue them for striking. The RMT agreed to a new contract this week, ending their epic 18 month industrial dispute with rail operators. Despite it's kid friendly branding, Lego is using all the same dirty tricks union busting at Legoland as the worst corporate offenders. We have a couple tragic stories this week: first the Indiana Department of Labor has placed the value of a workers life at just $7000. Second, a recent report from Brazil shows that Starbucks' supply chain there is riddled with worker abuse and even slavery like conditions. Wisconsin workers launched a push this week to overturn the state ban on public unions. Finally, grad student workers at USC reached an agreement for a first contract this week, securing many hard fought protections and increased benefits.

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

Overtime Episode 54 PREVIEW - Military Unions 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.

For the third installment of our series discussing the history of attempts to unionize members of the military, based largely on the book Left Face: Soldier Unions and Resistance Movements in Modern Armies by David Cortright and Max Watts, we discuss the Dutch. From the 1960s to the 80s, with the Dutch military squarely in the middle of NATO's confrontation with the USSR, multiple organizations were formed attempting to unionize soldiers. We discuss how the Dutch unions, especially the VVDM, seem to have had more success with straightforward union organizing issues than most, but that success came with strict limits.

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Ep 184 - Minimum Wage is Not Enough

Black Friday means we've got a retail and service work news packed episode this week. First we start on a sad note discussing the end of the Medieval Times strike in California. Next we discuss the McCarthyite retaliation being faced by unionized public defenders in New York City for taking a stand in favor of Palestinian human rights. A recent piece in The Guardian exposes the way service workers from other countries are exploited by the J-1 work visa program. 20,000 cleaning workers in NYC are gearing up for a major contract fight as bosses try and force concessions. Macy's workers in Washington State struck on Black Friday against incredibly low wages and constant understaffing. Wells Fargo workers in New Mexico and Alaska have filed to join the CWA, trying to break into the nearly entirely non union financial sector. Finally, we discuss the formation of a new democratic reform caucus in IATSE.

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Overtime Episode 53 PREVIEW - Military Unions - Pt 2

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 with the next installment of our discussion of attempts in (relatively) recent history to form unions within military organizations. In this episode we cover the brief period following the end of the Vietnam War when major public worker unions in the US began seriously considering organizing soldiers. We discuss a planned campaign by the AFGE to potentially add soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines to their membership, and the response from the state when they found out. We also discuss some of the internal organizing efforts like the Enlisted People's Organizing Committee.  Next week, we'll branch out into the rest of the world by discussing organizing efforts in the Dutch Armed Forces.

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Ep 183 - We Win Through Struggle

The whole crew is back together again for another big week of labor news. After our weekly roundup of how workers around the world are standing up for Palestine, we get into a slew of stories about major new contracts. Kaiser Permanente workers ratified their new contract nearly unanimously after their historic three day strike last month. UAW workers at the Big 3 also ratified their new agreements won during the Stand Up Strike, as did the UAW workers at Mack Trucks. We also break down the details on the SAG-AFTRA deal released since last week. Garment workers in Bangladesh have been rising up for weeks now to demand a minimum wage just high enough to actually be able to eat, but have faced severe repression. Starbucks workers launched their biggest strike yet this week, Red Cup Rebellion 2, featuring over 5000 workers nationwide. Finally, 4000 researchers at NYU filed this week to join the UAW.

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UNLOCKED - Movie Time 3 - The Organizer and Western Ghats

The whole crew is a bit overwhelmed this week, Dan is sick, John's class is in crunch mode, and Lina's putting the finishing touches on the rest of the Military Unions series. So this week we're unlocking one of our favorite Movie Time episodes for everyone. Both these labor movies are likely less well known by most of our audience, but they're some of the best we've discussed. Part 2 of our series on attempts to organize in the military will arrive next week.

Original Description:
First we discuss 1963's The Organizer, a working class drama about the early days of labor organizing in northern Italy in the late 1800s. The film covers the extreme exploitation of 19th century textile workers and their earliest attempts at organizing, even before major national unions existed. For our second film this week we watched Western Ghats (Merku Thodarchi Malai), from India's southern state of Tamil Nadu. Western Ghats follows the struggle of landless workers forced to labor for the big landowners as they strive to become independent peasant farmers themselves. The film portrays the difficulties of peasants, the way debt is used to dispossess them, and the semi feudal conditions they face in many parts of the Global South in ways western cinema rarely covers.