El Cafecito del Día

In this episode we discuss the recent wave of book bannings that has taken root across the United States alongside Noel Candelaria, a special education teacher and National Education Association Secretary-Treasurer. In 2022 we saw a 250% increase in the number of proposed bills related to book banning. This episode unpacks the impact these bans are having on teachers, parents, and students across the country. Visit http://nea.org/takeaction to learn more about what you can do to support the families impacted.

February is Black History Month, a time to pay tribute to and honor the legacies of Black and Afro-latino/a leaders, both past and present. Hear from Janella T. Hinds, an outstanding labor leader, long-standing LCLAA member, and Vice President for Academic High Schools for the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) to learn about her experience in the labor movement. Listen to learn more about the importance of centering Afro-Latino/a voices and intersectionality in the labor movement

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is more than just an environmental law - it is a tool that helps advance civil rights. Hear from  Stephen Schima, the senior legislative council at EarthJustice to learn about how unions and community activists have utilized the law to create good paying union jobs and make environmental justice a reality.

Learn about the FABRIC Act - which stands for The Fashion Accountability and Building Real Institutional Change, and what it could mean for the Latino community. Hear from the executive director of the Garment Worker Center, and organization that supports Los Angeles garment workers as they transform the fashion industry to eliminate sweatshop labor.  

We share this Cafecito with Maggie Castro, Senior Audience Manager for Hispanic Latino Strategies of AARP. AARP is the nation's largest organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP is a non-profit and non-partisan organization that strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.   

Illinois ballots in the November election will include a vote on an amendment to the state's constitution known as the Workers' Rights Amendment, or Amendment 1, but what does it do and why does it matter? Listen to this bilingual episode to hear from Secretary-Treasurer of the Chicago Federation of Labor Don Vilar and Jose Alcala, President of Painter's Local 184 and LCLAA's Chicago Metro Chapter to learn more!

Did you know that undocumented folks can benefit from the higher wages, benefits and protections that come with a union contract? In this episode, we interview AFL-CIO Immigration and Labor specialist Stephanie Sepulveda to breakdown a recently released guidance by the Department of Labor for undocumented workers engaged in labor disputes. Listen in to learn more about deferred action and other legal protections granted to undocumented folks that speak out against unfair working conditions!

Hear from Sam Amato and Christian Miranda, two Starbucks union leaders, about their fight for better wages and living conditions. Sam worked at Starbucks for 13 years before he was fired in retaliation for his union leadership. After watching management fire him in the cafe, Sam's coworkers immediately walked out on strike. Christian's leadership led to the second Starbucks union win in Miami Springs, Florida.

In 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that Latinos made up 9% of all union members - and that there were roughly 1 million fewer women in the movement when compared to their male counterparts. It is clear that Latinas are under-represented in these spaces. Hear the stories of two Latina leaders in the trades, Liliana Calderon and Cristina Barillas-McEntee, as they share their stories of resilience, sisterhood and mentorship.

Housing costs have continued to rise across the United States. In this cafecito, we focus on Northern Virginia's housing issues with Evelin Urrutia, Executive Director of Tenants and Workers United. We discuss their work, the current local housing policies in place, and what housing justice would mean for our Latino working class communities.

In this cafecito, we discuss the historic independent union win that happened this past February in Silao Guanajuato, Mexico. 6400 workers at a General Motors plant voted to be represented by SINTTIA, an Independent Union of Auto Industry Workers. This episode includes an interview with the organizations' secretary general, Alejandra Morales Reynoso. Our conversation was conducted in her native language, Spanish – but at the end, I provide a summary of our conversation in English. The collective sheds light on previous leadership and how their failure led to the historic nomination of a new union representative, SINITTA.

Pursuing a higher education is often not attainable for everyone. Finances and documentation status often plays a large role, so we beg the question: what programs exist to help students aid their studies? This week we sat down with Nardi Velasquez and Ethan Mercado, the co-community outreach coordinators for UndocuMason. This student-led organization aims to create a more inclusive environment for undocumented immigrants through education and advocacy.

The episode includes an interview with Saul Gomez, member of the Mexico-City based collective for Rideshare Food Delivery Drivers, #NiUnReparditorMenos. Our conversation was conducted in his native language, Spanish -- but at the end, I provide a summary of our conversation in English. The collective was created after Jose Manuel Matias, a rideshare food delivery driver, was run over by a truck while on the job. The collective, created 4 years ago, has been working towards better working conditions and protections for rideshare workers. 

LGBTQ+ Rights seem to be taking a step backwards in recent years. What does Labor have to do to ensure that all LGBTQ+ people are supported? Our inaugural episode includes a conversation with Jerame Davis, Executive Director of Pride at Work and a discussion of what the labor movement can and should do to support LGBTQ+ people in the workforce - especially this pride month.