Working People

Latest Episodes:

Ric Ortiz Jun 03, 2021

Show notes

Max is traveling for The Real News Network, so Working People producer Jules Taylor hosts this episode as he interviews his stepfather about his career as a death investigator and paramedic. In a way, Ric feels like he was meant to work around death as he grew up across the street from a cemetery, and his first job was helping the grave digger before he was 10 years old. He would go on to work as the Chief Medical Investigator for Nueces County, Texas for 20 years. In this special episode, we speak with Ric Ortiz about the events in his life that lead to his career, and the way working around death influences the way one sees the world.

Additional links/info below...

Ric Ortiz on Twitter and Facebook
Fares Sabawi, Corpus Christi Caller Times, "Chief Forensic Investigator Retires After 20 Years"
National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident Final Report

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"
talons', "Toms"

From Colombia to Palestine, We Will Be Free (w/ Irene Vélez Torres & Toufic Haddad) May 21, 2021

Show notes

Right now, working people in other parts of the world are being crushed by a relentless onslaught of murderous violence and dispossession, economic degradation, and inhumane exploitation—they are fighting for their lives, and they are asking for our help. In Palestine, against the ceaseless violence of occupation, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing, Palestinians are rising up to resist their own erasure; in Colombia, millions have taken to the streets to fight against a corrupt system by which the government, the police, and the forces of international oligarchy have waged class war on working people. In this special episode of Working People, spanning three continents, we interview Irene Vélez Torres and Toufic Haddad, two people who are living through world-changing struggles in Colombia and Palestine that working people around the world need to know about, need to care about, and need to take up as our own.

Interview with Irene Vélez Torres begins at 20:25

Interview with Toufic Haddad begins at 46:51

Additional links/info below...

Rally/Livestream fundraiser for striking coal miners in Brookwood, AL
Irene's faculty page
Toufic's Al-Shabaka author page
Toufic Haddad, Bloomsbury, Palestine Ltd.: Neoliberalism and Nationalism in the Occupied Territory
Al-Shabaka website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
Alliance for Global Justice website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
Christina Noriega, NACLA, "Colombian Uprising Takes Aim at Inequality"
Estefanía Martinéz, Jacobin, "Colombians Are in the Streets Against a Violent Neoliberal Order"
Aaron Tauss, Jacobin, "Colombia Is in Revolt Against Neoliberalism"
Amanda Taub, The New York Times, "From Colombia to U.S., Police Violence Pushes Protests Into Mass Movements"
Seraj Assi, Jacobin & The Real News Network, "It's Apartheid. Naked, Unabashed Apartheid"
Abby Martin, Gaza Fights for Freedom
Abby Martin, The Empire Files, "How Palestine Became Colonized"
Mustafa Abu Sneineh, Middle East Eye, "Palestinian Citizens of Israel Fired for Participating in General Strike"
Lee Yaron, Haaretz, "General Strike Highlights Israel's Dependency on Palestinian Workers"
Citations Needed, "News Brief: Debunking the 5 Most Common Anti-Palestinian Talking Points"
Citations Needed, "News Brief: On Palestine, It's Time for Progressives to Stop Reading From the Same Outrage Script & Support BDS"
"Michael Brooks Takes a Question on Israel"
Yumna Patel's coverage from Palestine for Mondoweiss
Dominique Mosbergen, HuffPost, "Thousands Stand In Solidarity With Palestine In Rallies Held Across U.S., Cities Worldwide"
Adam Forrest, The Independent, "Italian Port Workers Refuse to Load Shipment of Arms Headed for Israel"

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)

Ending Satellites, "While You Are Here"
Jules Taylor, "Working People Interlude Music"

Why Is Trumka Going After Vermont AFL-CIO? (w/ David Van Deusen) May 20, 2021

Show notes

Over the past couple years, the Vermont State AFL-CIO and its membership have embraced a more democratic, rank-and-file strategy, building up bonds of solidarity with community organizations, and bringing much-needed energy into a labor council that was on the verge of dying. Instead of commending and encouraging these efforts, however, the AFL-CIO national and AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka are monitoring, investigating, and threatening "further action" against the Vermont labor council. Why? We talk with David Van Deusen, President of the Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO.

Additional links/info below...

Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
Vermont AFL-CIO Ten Point Program
"Historic Vermont General Strike Authorization Vote"
Steve Early, CounterPunch, "Why is AFL-CIO So Worried About Its Vermont Affiliate?"
Pacifica Radio, "MAY DAY 2021- A COVID, RACE, & DEMOCRACY SPECIAL"

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"

On War & the Battle to Belong (w/ Triste Ordex, Amber Mathwig, & Clarke) May 05, 2021

Show notes

In this special episode, we talk with three veterans about how the military and the class system (in the U.S. and around the world) go hand in hand. How does the military market itself to the poor and marginalized (and why is that marketing so effective)? How does our broken economy ensure a constant stream of recruits who will be sent to fight endless imperialist wars just so they can pay for college or finally be accepted as a worthy citizen? What happens to these recruits when they're serving and when they leave (if they leave)? Why is it that so many features of military life and America's self-perpetuating war machine translate to an accepted status quo in which women, LGBTQ folks, and non-white recruits are subjected to vicious harassment, violent assault, or worse? In this important conversation, we're joined by Triste Ordex, Marine Corps vet and national organizer for Vets for the People; Amber Mathwig, a former 10-year Navy Master-at-Arms and organizer with About Face: Veterans Against the War; and Clarke, a Navy veteran, organizer with the Democratic Socialists of America, and commercial diver.

Additional links/info below...

Triste's Twitter page, Instagram, and Linktree
Amber's Twitter page
Fundraiser: Amber's Legal Fund for Justice
Clarke's Twitter page and past Working People appearance
Vets for the People website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
Vets for the People: #ShutDownFortHood
Vets for the People: It's Our Time
About Face: Veterans Against the War website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
Gina Harkins, Military.com, "New Recruiting Ad Tells Gen Z to Ditch the Digital World and Join the Marines"
Brittany Ramos DeBarros website and Twitter page
Johnny Diaz, Maria Cramer, Christina Morales, The New York Times, "What to Know about the Death of Vanessa Guillen"
Rose L. Thayer, Stars & Stripes, "Why is Fort Hood the Army's Most Crime-Ridden Post?"
Subcommittee on Military Personnel Hearing: "Military Criminal Investigative Organization Reform Recommendations from the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee"
Thomas J. Brennan, The War Horse, "Senior Marine Corps Counsel Ridicules Sexual Assault Survivor at Court-Martial Hearing"
Carl Andrew Castro, Sara Kintzle, Ashley C. Schuyler, Carrie L. Lucas, & Christopher H. Warner, Current Psychiatry Reports, "Sexual Assault in the Military"
National Veterans Foundation, "The Ugly Face of Veteran Poverty in the United States"
Nick Martin, The New Republic, "The Military Views Poor Kids as Fodder for Its Forever Wars"

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"
Jules Taylor and Jon Light, "Halfway Home"

The Srsly Wrong MAY DAY Crossover Special (w/ Working People, Rebel Steps, & Doomer v. Bloomer) May 01, 2021

Show notes

Happy May Day, everyone! All power to the international working class! Celebrate this most glorious of holidays by refusing to work and listening to this special crossover episode on the history and spirit of May Day from our friends at the Srsly Wrong podcast, which our host Max participated in.

Spring is here – a time to feast, dance around the maypole, and organize the working class to achieve a more just society for everyone

This episode explores May Day, it's history, and meaning with a panel of guests made up of friends of the show Liz, Amy, Max, and Franz. It also marks our seven year anniversary of doing Srsly Wrong!

Check out the work of our guests! Amy/Liz – Rebel Steps Podcast Franz – Doomer v Bloomer Podcast Max – Working People Podcast

Further reading: The Incomplete, True, Authentic, and Wonderful History of May Day (pmpress.org) Death in the Haymarket by James Green (chron.com) Further listening: Working People – Mini-cast: May Day, Our Day (w/ Raechel Anne Jolie) (google.com) Eight Hour Day- Pete Seeger – YouTube

Donate to the show! https://www.patreon.com/srslywrong

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

Solidarity with the Working People of Myanmar Apr 28, 2021

Show notes

In this important episode, we interview worker-organizers with the Federation of General Workers Myanmar about the brutal military coup that has been unfolding in their country since February 1 of this year, and we talk about working people's brave and dangerous efforts to stand up and fight back. Please help us spread the word, and stand in solidarity with the working people of Myanmar.

Additional links/info below...

STRIKE FUND: Support Workers In Myanmar Under Attack
Vox Staff, Vox, "What is happening in Myanmar?"
AP News, "Myanmar Still Mired in Violence 2 Months after Military Coup"
The Socialist, "Myanmar coup - For a Workers-Led Struggle for Democracy and Socialism!"
Marlise Simons and Hannah Beech, New York Times, "Aung San Suu Kyi Defends Myanmar Against Rohingya Genocide Accusations"
Rachel Treisman, NPR, "Coup Caught On Camera: Myanmar Woman Goes Viral For Dance Video With Surreal Backdrop"

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"
Breath Before the Plunge, "End of All things"

Mother (w/ Dominique Rémy) Apr 22, 2021

Show notes

In this pre-pandemic Working People recording that we thought was lost to history, we talk to filmmaker Dominique Rémy about her important full-length documentary on maternal morbidity and mortality rates in Black and Indigenous communities in the U.S.

Additional links/info below...

Dominique's Twitter page
Maternal Mortality Documentary Film Fund (please donate!)
Linda Villarosa, New York Times, "Why America's Black Mothers and Babies Are in a Life-or-Death Crisis"
Amy Roeder, Harvard Public Health, "America Is Failing Its Black Mothers"
Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News, "The U.S. Finally Has Better Maternal Mortality Data. Black Mothers Still Fare the Worst"
Katy B. Kozhimannil, JAMA Health Forum, "Indigenous Maternal Health—A Crisis Demanding Attention"
Elizabeth Chuck & Haimy Assefa, NBC News, "She Hoped to Shine a Light on Maternal Mortality Among Native Americans. Instead, She Became a Statistic of It"

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"
Evie Sands, "Shine for Me"

Schuylkill Hospital Nurses United Apr 14, 2021

Show notes

On top of the typical stresses, intense work, and long hours common to the profession, nurses working at smaller hospitals in more remote parts of the country face many unique challenges. With fewer staff and 24-7 services, facilities like the two Lehigh Valley Health Network hospitals in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, rely on nurses, nursing assistants, and other staff to perform many jobs simultaneously with little rest. But when nurses begin to leave for better working conditions and the hospital does not replace them, those who remain are put under even more strain, which endangers them and their patients. For workers with Schuylkill Hospital Nurses United, that's just the tip of the iceberg. In this episode, we talk with two Schuylkill County nurses, Brandee Brown and Chrissy Newton, and Seth Goldstein from the Office and Professional Employees International Union, about the day-to-day grind of working at small-town hospitals while also combatting union-busting and bad-faith bargaining from management at Lehigh Valley Health Network.

Additional links/info below...

Schuylkill Hospital Nurses United Twitter page
Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
Seth Goldstein Twitter page
Lehigh Valley Health Network website and Twitter page
"Lehigh Valley Health Network violated federal labor law by directing Schuylkill nurses to remove safe staffing stickers"
Christine Lee, Yahoo! News, "Schuylkill County Nurses Criticize Health Network over Contract Negotiations"

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"

On Strike at Warrior Met Coal (w/ Jacob Morrison & Lee Bains III) Apr 07, 2021

Show notes

Last Thursday, around 1,100 coal miners at Warrior Met Coal in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, went on strike. According to the union, the United Mine Workers of America, a tentative bargaining agreement has now been reached with the company, but workers must still vote on whether or not to ratify it. In order to cover this important strike and spread these workers' stories, we've teamed up with our brothers-in-arms Jacob Morrison, a union organizer and cohost of the outstanding Valley Labor Report, Alabama's only weekly labor radio talk show, and the incredible musician Lee Bains III of The Glory Fires. Jacob and Lee went down to the Warrior Met Coal picket line this weekend to talk with striking miners, play some music, and show solidarity. In this special episode, we've compiled clips from Lee's live performance as well as Jacob's interviews on the picket line and at the local UMWA union hall.

Additional links/info below...

United Mine Workers of America website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
Jacob's Twitter page
The Valley Labor Report YouTube channel, Facebook page, Twitter page, and Patreon
Lee's Twitter page
The Glory Fires' website, Facebook page, Instagram, and Twitter page
William Thornton, com, "1,100 West Alabama Mine Workers Announce Plan to Go on Strike"
Jason Morton, The Tuscaloosa News, "Union Announces Strike for Brookwood Miners at Warrior Met Coal"
Jason Morton, The Tuscaloosa News, "Union Announces Tentative Deal to End Brookwood Coal Mine Strike"
UMWA Press Release: "Tentative Agreement Reached at Warrior Met"

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"
Lee Bains III, live performance at Warrior Met Coal strike (April 2021)
Jules Taylor, "Cradle to the Grave"

Aaron Major Mar 31, 2021

Show notes

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the world of higher education: forced campus re-openings have pushed many directly into harm's way; colleges and universities have suffered massive budget shortfalls; some institutions have closed permanently; the academic job market has been blown up; etc. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, "the U.S. Labor Department has estimated that American academic institutions have shed a net total of at least 650,000 workers." This week, we talk to Aaron Major, Associate Professor of Sociology at the State University of New York (SUNY), Albany, and president of the Albany chapter of United University Professions, the nation's largest higher education union. We talk about Aaron's path to higher ed and the academic labor movement, and we discuss how COVID-19 has revealed the brokenness of our higher education system, as well as the need to reinvest in higher ed as a public good and to raise the floor for all campus workers.

Additional links/info below...

Aaron's faculty page
United University Professions (national) website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
United University Professions - Albany Chapter website and Twitter page
Aaron Major, Times Union, "Commentary: State Must Restore Meaningful Funding to SUNY System"
Aaron Major, Stanford University Press, Architects of Austerity: International Finance and the Politics of Growth
Dan Bauman, The Chronicle of Higher Education, "A Brutal Tally: Higher Ed Lost 650,000 Jobs Last Year"
Ed Burmila, The Chronicle Review, "First They Came for Adjuncts, Now They'll Come for Tenure (And Who Will Be Left to Stop Them?)"
Rebecca Kolins Givan, The Chronicle Review, "Will the University That Survives Have Been Worth Saving?"
Maximillian Alvarez, The Chronicle Review, "On a Knife's Edge: Four Professors Debate the Erosion of Faculty Power and the Fight for the Future of Higher Education"

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"
Laurie Johnson - "Happy Go Lively " - Voicemail Song
Man Bites Dog, "College Rock"

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected