Working People

Latest Episodes:

When the Plant Closed (w/ Carla Shultz & Laura Flanders) Aug 08, 2021

Show notes

The Mylan pharmaceutical plant in Morgantown, West Virginia, has been in operation since 1965, producing low-cost generic drugs and providing good-paying jobs for generations of workers. On July 31, the plant (now owned by Viatris, Inc.) closed, upending the lives of over 1,400 workers, the economy of Morgantown, and the future of generic drug manufacturing in the U.S. In this mini-cast, we talk to Carla Shultz, who has worked at the plant for 13 years, and legendary journalist Laura Flanders, who recently reported on the plant closure on The Laura Flanders Show, about the last-ditch efforts to keep the plant open and what it will mean for working people in Morgantown and beyond if those efforts are unsuccessful.

Additional links/info below...

Join our Working People listener hang session on Monday, August 16, from 8-9:30pm ET. Here's the zoom link
Laura's Twitter

The Laura Flanders Show website, Twitter, YouTube channel, and Patreon

Laura Flanders, The Laura Flanders Show, "Big Pharma vs The People: The Fight To Save America's Largest Generic Drug Manufacturer"
Fraiser Kansteiner, Fierce Pharma, "Feds Throw Lifeline to Shuttered Viatris Plant in West Virginia, But Its Fate Remains Uncertain"
Democracy Now!, "Workers Beg Joe Manchin to Save West Virginia Pharma Plant as His Daughter Walks Away with $31M"

Permanent links below...

Working People Patreon page
Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show!
Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
In These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
The Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter page

Featured Music (all songs sourced from the Free Music Archive: freemusicarchive.org)

Jules Taylor, "Working People Theme Song"

Order-Takers No More (w/ Richard D. Wolff) Aug 05, 2021

Show notes

In this special episode of Working People, we chat with world-renowned economist Richard D. Wolff about how the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated changes to the terrain of work, how we define "working class," and what we need to do to build a broad, diverse, and strong working-class politics in the 21st century

Additional links/info below...

Join our Working People listener hang session on Monday, August 16, from 8-9:30pm ET! Here's the zoom link
Professor Wolff's website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
Democracy @ Work's website, YouTube channel, Facebook page, and Twitter page
Richard D. Wolff, Democracy at Work, The Sickness is the System: When Capitalism Fails to Save Us from Pandemics or Itself
Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, "Richard Wolff: Capitalism is holding 'all of us hostage'"

Permanent links below...

Working People Patreon page
Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show!
Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
In These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
The Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter page

Featured Music (all songs sourced from the Free Music Archive: freemusicarchive.org)

Jules Taylor, "Working People Theme Song"
Elder Flower, "Capital Letters"

Your Job Doesn't Have to Suck (w/ Jaisal Noor) Jul 28, 2021

Show notes

From workers dying from lack of adequate safety measures and PPE to states viciously cutting off extended unemployment benefits to force people back to unsafe, poverty-wage work, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it horrifyingly clear just how little value the lives and wellbeing of working people have in an economic system where all that matters is the bottom line. But it doesn't have to be this way. We can organize our economy and our workplaces in a more humane way—and we have proof that it works. In this extended mini-cast, we talk with senior reporter Jaisal Noor about his multi-part investigative documentary series for The Real News Network, which examines how 8 worker co-operatives across 4 states have been able to stay in business during the pandemic while prioritizing worker safety and democratic decision making.

Additional links/info below...

Jaisal's Twitter page and TRNN author page
Jaisal Noor, The Real News Network, "Worker Cooperatives Prove Your Job Doesn't Have to Be Hell" (Feature documentary in Jaisal's co-op series)
Jaisal Noor, The Real News Network, "Worker Co-ops vs. COVID" (Full series of Jaisal's co-op coverage)
The Hill's Rising, "Jaisal Noor: How Worker Co-ops Successfully Weathered The Pandemic"
CounterSpin, "Jaisal Noor on Worker Co-Ops, Duncan Meisel on Fossil Fuel Greenwashing"

Permanent links below...

Working People Patreon page
Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show!
Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
In These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
The Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter page

Featured Music (all songs sourced from the Free Music Archive: freemusicarchive.org)

Jules Taylor, "Working People Theme Song"

CA Rideshare Driver Strike (w/ Ahmad Moss) Jul 21, 2021

Show notes

On Wednesday, July 21, across California, rideshare drivers with Rideshare Drivers United are going on a one-day strike against the exploitative practices of tech giants Uber and Lyft (which have only gotten worse since the passage of Prop 22 in November), and to demand Congress pass the PRO Act. We talk with Ahmad Ibrahim Moss, a rideshare driver in San Francisco, about how drivers' pay, conditions, and work experience has changed since the passage of Prop 22 (and before), and we talk about the dark truth at the center of the "gig economy."

Additional links/info below...

Rideshare Drivers United website, Facebook, page, and Twitter, page
Working People, "This Could Change Everything (w/ Veena Dubal"
The Gravel Institute, "How Uber is Scamming You (w/ Edward Ongweso Jr.)"
Edward Ongweso Jr., Vice, "Uber, Lyft Give California GOP Millions While Fighting Driver Reclassification"
Veena Dubal, Dissent, "Digital Piecework"
Veena Dubal, Berkley Journal of Employment and Labor Law, "The Drive to Precarity: A Political History of Work, Regulation, & Labor Advocacy in San Francisco's Taxi & Uber Economies"

Permanent links below...

Working People Patreon page
Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show!
Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
In These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
The Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter page

Featured Music (all songs sourced from the Free Music Archive: freemusicarchive.org)

Jules Taylor, "Working People Theme Song"

Cheri Renfro Jul 15, 2021

Show notes

Hundreds of workers at the Frito Lay manufacturing and distribution plant in Topeka, Kansas, have been on strike since July 5th. Workers at Frito Lay have endured years of disrespect and many at the plant have seen their wages stagnate and fall behind other employers in the area. On top of that, workers have been caught in a horrible cycle that was greatly exacerbated by COVID 19: While more people were staying home during the pandemic and eating a lot more chips, the incredibly high turnover at Frito-Lay has meant that folks who have stayed on have been forced to work longer hours, with some pulling 12-hour shifts seven days a week for weeks on end. In this urgent episode, we talk with Cheri Renfro, who has worked at the Frito-Lay plant in Topeka for 9 years and is currently on strike.

Additional links/info below...

Permanent links below...

Working People Patreon page
Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show!
Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
In These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
The Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter page

Featured Music (all songs sourced from the Free Music Archive: freemusicarchive.org)

Jules Taylor, "Working People Theme Song"
Utah Phillips, "Solidarity Forever"

Kate Jul 08, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we sit down with Kate from New Jersey. At the moment, Kate is working primarily as a caretaker for her parents, and we talk a bit about that work and what it means to care for our elders. Up until the pandemic, though, Kate was a massage therapist who loved her job. We discuss how Kate got into working as a massage therapist, all that the job entails, and we talk about the gross and unfair treatment Kate and her coworkers had to deal with when their employer wanted to push folks back to work before they felt safe doing so.

Additional links/info below...

Allison Steinberg, Allure, "These Massage Therapists Worry About the Effects of COVID-19 on the Future of Their Industry"
Rachel Urbanski, WCHS ABC 8, "Refusing to Work Because of COVID-19 Concerns Can Risk Unemployment Benefits"

Permanent links below...

Working People Patreon page
Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show!
Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
In These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
The Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter page

Featured Music (all songs sourced from the Free Music Archive: freemusicarchive.org)

Jules Taylor, "Working People Theme Song"
Ketsa, "Alive"

Alex P. Jul 06, 2021

Show notes

When faced with unlawful intimidation and interrogation from management at Trader Joe's, Alex P and his coworkers stood together and stood up for their rights in the workplace, eventually securing a crucial victory with the National Labor Relations Board. In this deep and wide-ranging conversation, we talk with Alex about his life and work—and so much more. We talk about growing up with strict immigrant parents, graduating from college into a global recession, and the imprints our past jobs leave on us. We talk about the winding road that led Alex to his current job at Trader Joe's, and we discuss the events at Alex's store that pushed him to file a complaint with the NLRB and secure a settlement from the company.

Additional links/info below...

National Labor Relations Board, "Your Rights"
A message from Trader Joe's crew members: "Trader Joe's crew members are organizing to make changes to the way the company does things from the local to national level right now. If you want to connect with us reach out here and you'll be contacted by other workers fighting to make change and can get paired with experienced organizers to train and support you: Join other Trader Joe's Workers Taking Action!"
Alex Press, Jacobin, "Trader Joe's Is Once Again Accused of Violating Workers' Rights"
Brittany Shammas & Hannah Knowles, The Washington Post, "A Trader Joe's Employee Called for Stronger Coronavirus Measures. The Company Fired Him"
Mary Pilon, Bloomberg Law, "Trader Joe's Employees Say Virus Response Was Haphazard, Chaotic"
Michael Sainato, The Guardian, "Trader Joe's and Other US Firms Suppress Unionization Efforts During Pandemic"
Kim Kelly, The Baffler, "Food Fight"
Erica Mildner, Jacobin, "Trader Joe's Put Workers Like Me at Serious Risk During the Pandemic"

Permanent links below...

Working People Patreon page
Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show!
Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
In These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
The Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter page

Featured Music (all songs sourced from the Free Music Archive: freemusicarchive.org)

Jules Taylor, "Working People Theme Song"
Poly Action, "Black Smoke Cloud"

Smithfield Workers in Sioux Falls Stand Strong, Win Big (w/ Kooper Caraway) Jun 28, 2021

Show notes

We cover a lot of important worker struggles on this show, but it's important to cover worker victories as well—and workers in South Dakota just landed a huge victory! After suffering one of the worst COVID workplace outbreaks in the country last year, leading to four deaths and over 1,000 infections, workers at the Smithfield pork processing plant in Sioux Falls refused to back down on demands for better pay and for a 15-minute break during the second half of their shifts. When negotiations with Smithfield stalled, UFCW Local 304A members voted overwhelmingly (98%) to authorize a strike, and the company backed down. On this extended mini-cast, we welcome back beloved friend of the show and president of the South Dakota Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, Kooper Caraway, to discuss this important victory and what lessons the labor movement should take away from it.

Additional links/info below...

Kooper's Twitter page
UFCW Local 304A Facebook page
Sioux Falls AFL-CIO's website and Twitter page
Working People, "Labor is Antifascist (w/ Kooper Caraway)"
Kim Kelly, The New Republic, "The Future of Labor Is Growing in South Dakota"
Makenzie Huber, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, "How COVID-19 Tore Through Smithfield's Meatpacking Plant in 17 Days"
Chacour Koop, The Kansas City Star, "After COVID-19 Outbreak Kills 4, Smithfield Meat Plant in South Dakota Fined $13,494"
Stephen Groves, Associated Press, "Union Vote Authorizes Strike at South Dakota Pork Plant"
Associated Press, "South Dakota Pork Plant, Labor Union Reach 4-Year Agreement"

Permanent links below...

Working People Patreon page
Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show!
Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
In These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
The Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter page

Featured Music (all songs sourced from the Free Music Archive: freemusicarchive.org)

Jules Taylor, "Working People Theme Song"
Meydan, "Away"

Mo' Evil Foods, Part II Jun 23, 2021

Show notes

Earlier this month, No Evil Foods, a vegan meat company founded in North Carolina, notified its staff that they were closing their Asheville production plant and moving to a co-manufacturing facility in Illinois. After sticking it out and working through the COVID-19 pandemic, employees were suddenly notified that they would now be unemployed and would be receiving no severance. In this urgent episode, Jon Reynolds and Meagan Sullivan, two former NEF employees who shared their testimonies in our previous episode on NEF's union-busting campaign, join us again to discuss the plant closure and how listeners can support laid-off workers.

Additional links/info below...

FUNDRAISER: Help Laid-Off No Evil Workers
Working People, "Mo' Evil Foods (Part 1)"
Meagan's Twitter page
Mo Evil Foods website and Twitter page
Birdie Gregson Twitter page
No Evil Foods website, Facebook page, and Instagram
National Labor Relations Board: No Evil Foods, Inc.
PitchBook, No Evil Foods Overview
Kelsey Vlamis & Charles Davis, Business Insider, "No Evil Foods, a Vegan Food Company, Laid Off All Its Production Employees After Giving Them an Ultimatum Last Year About Working Through the Pandemic"
Paul Blest, Discourse Blog, "Leaked Memo Shows No Evil Foods Justifying Laying Off Workers With No Severance"
Jon Reynolds, Facing South, "VOICES: Lessons from the Union Busting at No Evil Foods"
Ben Burgis, Jacobin, "Not All Labor Actions Aid the Working Class"
Lauren Kaori Gurley, Vice Motherboard, "Vegan Meat Company's Anti-Union Speeches Are Being Scrubbed from the Internet"
Lauren Kaori Gurley, Vice Motherboard, "NLRB Files Complaint Against Socialist-Themed Vegan Meat Company That Fired Union Organizers"
Anna Starostinetskaya, VegNews, "VegNews Exclusive: The Story Behind No Evil Foods and Its Major Labor Controversy"
Alex Press, Jacobin, "Workers at No Evil Foods Say the Vegan, Progressive Company Busted Their Union Drive"
Andrew Miller, The Industrial Worker, "Mo' Evil Foods"

Permanent links below...

Working People Patreon page
Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show!
Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
In These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
The Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter page

(Unlocked) BONUS EPISODE - Nate Holdren Jun 16, 2021

Show notes

We will be back to our regular Working People schedule next week. Until then, to tide y'all over, and to celebrate his book recently receiving Honorable Mention for the Merle Curti Intellectual History Award, we're unlocking our bonus episode conversation with historian Nate Holdren. We talk with Nate about his latest book, Injury Impoverished: Workplace Accidents, Capitalism, and Law in the Progressive Era, and about what exactly people lose when they are injured at work. (C/W: some descriptions of workplace injuries.)

Don't forget: We have lots more great bonus episodes like this one over on our Patreon feed! Get instant access to all of them (and help keep the show going) by subscribing for just five bucks a month.

Additional links/info below...

Nate's faculty page and Twitter page
Nate Holdren, Cambridge University Press, Injury Impoverished: Workplace Accidents, Capitalism, and Law in the Progressive Era
Nate Holdren, LAWCHA, "Nate Holdren Responds: Roundtable on Injury Impoverished"
Nate Holdren, Legal History Blog, The process of writing Injury Impoverished

Permanent links below...

Working People Patreon page
Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show!
Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
In These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
The Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter page

Featured Music (all songs sourced from the Free Music Archive: freemusicarchive.org)

Jules Taylor, "Working People Theme Song"
Mr. & Mrs. Smith, "Dirty Laundry"

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