Work Stoppage

Ep 196 - Certified Mold Podcast

A lawsuit filed in Colorado this week to block the Kroger-Albertson's merger reveals anti-union collusion. Starbucks Workers United filed for union elections at 21 stores in one day. The UAW continued making major moves, doubling their organizing budget and launching an international support effort with Mexican autoworkers. IBEW faced mold so toxic whole building a new Ford battery plant they were hospitalized. One of the biggest new union wins we've seen in a long time came at Cal State this week, with 20,000 student assistants voting to join the SEIU.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

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

Interview Preview: The Modern IWW

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 talk about a lot of labor history on our show, and one of the organizations we've come back to again and again is the Industrial Workers of the World. We've talked about the epic struggles in the early 20th century, but where is the IWW today, a century after its peak? We're joined by IWW Organizer and Trainer Maria Cunningham for a discussion of the modern IWW. We talk recent history, some prominent campaigns the IWW has led over the last few decades, and how the organization works in the 21st century.

To check out the IWW, go to iww.org or redcard.iww.org

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

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

Ep 195 - Employee Owned Should Mean Employee Controlled

After a quick discussion of Amazon joining the corporate lawsuit aimed at destroying the NLRB, we turn to the continuing efforts by workers around the world to fight to end the genocide in Palestine. Next we discuss the latest round of protests by thousands of farmers in India fighting for their livelihoods. Farm owners in this country in NY have sued to stop a law granting labor rights to farm workers. 100,000 flight attendants picketed airports around the country to demand a fair contract. Teamsters in Texas shut down Molson Coors for the western half of the US after the company offered raises of just $1 an hour after record profits. Workers at "Employee Owned" WinCo Foods in Utah organized with the Teamsters this past week to make that label a reality, not just a slogan.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

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

Overtime Episode 63 Preview: Women in the US Labor Movement - Pt 4

Episode 4 - Revolutionaries Press The Issue

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 eve of WW1, a radical new force shook the US labor movement with its vision of all the workers under one big union, running society instead of the exploiters. The IWW also had a much more advanced vision of women's equality than prior national labor associations. Women workers in the IWW made major gains and reached heights heretofore unheard of in a nationwide labor federation. But World War 1 would shake up both the industrial workforce, with millions of women changing jobs, but also the political scenery, with the first Red Scare cracking down on any organization deemed radical, even for just promoting women's equality. Through this period, women workers entered occupations and organizations previously barred from them, but as we've seen on prior episodes, they would at times face opposition from the very people who stood the most to gain from their solidarity.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

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

Ep 194 - Booming in Chattanooga

We start this week's episode with a quick rundown of new anti union repression at Starbucks and Amazon. This week workers calling for a ceasefire have reached the top of the US labor movement, with the AFL-CIO itself finally getting on board. The UAW continues its massive and ambitious nationwide union drive, hitting a critical milestone at VW in Chattanooga of a majority of workers signed up. Legal assaults on the labor rights of public workers in Florida are having major effects, with dozens of unions decertified in just the first few weeks of the year. Teachers in Chicago struck two charters schools this week fighting against mismanagement and refusal to provide special education resources. Finally, we got closer this week to seeing the first unionized team in the NCAA.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

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

Overtime Episode 62 Preview: Women in the US Labor Movement - Pt 3

Episode 3 - Garment Worker Rebellion

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 third episode of our series, we zoom in to a few years at the beginning of the 20th century. From 1909-1913, tens of thousands of women workers in the garment industry in the industrial cities of the northern US organized and went on strike in record numbers. The conditions these workers labored in were truly shocking, and quite literally deadly. These were life and death struggles in an industry where factory owners locked the doors to keep women from leaving and charged them for the use of a stool. The titanic struggles waged by these women workers would grow women's participation in the labor movement to record highs, even without the help of the top leaders of the AFL.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

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

Ep 193 - Illegal Strikes are Good

We're back to our original schedule and have a packed episode. First we follow up with the struggle against libertarian fascism in Argentina and an update on how Return to the Office policies are bullshit.  We also discuss the recent revelation of a major wage theft ring in the pacific northwest and the refusal of the government to do anything to stop the criminals. Our now weekly UAW update discusses recent organizing victories in Michigan and Alabama, and a new drive at Hyundai in Montgomery. Workers in Finland have launched a mass movement to stop attacks on workers rights, striking in the hundreds of thousands. Finally, we close with the victory of the Newton teachers, who won a great contract after a two week struggle against not just their bosses, but the press.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

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

Overtime Episode 61 Preview: Women in the US Labor Movement - Pt 2

Episode 2 - National Labor Organizations, But For Who?

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 second part of our series on the history of women workers in the US labor movement, we discuss the earliest attempts to form national labor organizations. Coming out of the Civil War, women were fighting against exploitation in the workplace, but were excluded from most of the trade union movement which focused exclusively on men. But with the formation of national organizations like the National Labor Union, the Knights of Labor, and finally the American Federation of Labor, these broad based organizations were forced to put forward some semblance of a united working class political platform. In each case, the leadership expressed support for equal pay for equal work, and in each case prior to the 20th century, the commitment to that claim would come up short. But in spite of the chauvinist opposition from the top, women workers organized in greater numbers than ever before.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

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

Ep 192 - Educators for Palestine

Workers in academia have wasted no time so far this year in launching ever larger struggles, including this week when 30,000 faculty at the California State system went on strike this week for fair pay. Contingent faculty at NYU have also been organizing to fight low wages, recently securing an election neutrality agreement. The largest union yet to call for a ceasefire joined the chorus this week, with the SEIU signing its 2 million members on the call for peace. The UAW's organizing drive at Mercedes Benz in Alabama continues to grow, we discuss some of the tactics workers have used. Unfortunately also this week, the UAW officially endorsed Joe Biden. Massive crowds rocked Buenos Aires this week as workers staged a one day general strike to protest the new government's attacks on labor rights. Finally, we discuss the release of the annual BLS report which gives a snapshot into how the labor movement is doing, and discuss what it means for tactics and strategy going forward.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

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

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.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

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

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.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

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

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.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

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

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. 

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX  

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

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.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX

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

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. 

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX  

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

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.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX

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

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.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

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

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.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

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

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.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX

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

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.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

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