Podcast appearances and mentions of alex press

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Best podcasts about alex press

Latest podcast episodes about alex press

Ralph Nader Radio Hour
SLAPPing Down Protest

Ralph Nader Radio Hour

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2025 93:44


Ralph welcomes Deepa Padmanabha, senior legal advisor to Greenpeace USA, to discuss that organization's looming trial against Energy Transfer Partners (builder of the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock) that threatens the constitutionally protected First Amendment right of citizens and citizen groups to protest. Plus, Josh Paul, former State Department employee, who resigned in protest over the Biden Administration's policy of sending weapons to support Israel's genocide in Gaza, returns to tell us about an organization he co-founded called “A New Policy,” which as the name suggests envisions an American policy toward the Middle East more in line with the “foundational principles of liberty, equality, democracy, and human rights; advancing American interests abroad; and protecting American freedoms at home.”Deepa Padmanabha is Senior Legal Advisor at Greenpeace USA, where she works closely with environmental activists seeking to exercise their First Amendment rights to promote systemic change. In September 2022, she testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Greenpeace USA's experience with legal attacks from extractive industries and the importance of federal anti-SLAPP legislation. And her work has focused on defending Greenpeace entities in the US against two SLAPP lawsuits attempting to silence the organization's advocacy work.This was not a Greenpeace campaign—and that was very intentional. And so our very limited involvement was solidarity with the Indigenous tribes, the Indigenous water protectors that were carrying this fight…Personally, I don't think that Energy Transfer likes the optics of going after Indigenous people. I think that it's much easier to go after the “Big Greens”, the “agitators”, things like that—and they probably would be dealing with a much more difficult PR campaign if they went after members of tribes.Deepa PadmanabhaBack in 2016 and 2017, when the original civil RICO cases were filed against the Greenpeace entities (all of these fights started out as RICO), many groups across issue areas were deeply concerned that this would be the new tactic used to go to attack labor, to attack human rights, to attack every kind of organization imaginable. And so what we did at that time (Greenpeace USA was a part of it as well as other groups) is we've created a coalition called Protect the Protest. Protect the Protest is a coalition of organizations to provide support for individuals who are threatened with SLAPPs, who receive cease-and-desist letters, who might want help either finding a lawyer or communication support. Because we know that the individuals bringing these lawsuits want the fights to happen in silence. So a big part of the work that needs to be done—and that we do—is to bring attention to them.Deepa PadmanabhaPast SLAPP lawsuits by corporations intended to wear down the citizen groups, cost them all kinds of legal fees. There have been SLAPP lawsuits for citizen groups just having a news conference or citizen groups being part of a town meeting. Or in the case of Oprah Winfrey, who was sued by at Texas meat company because she had a critic of the meat industry on her show that reached millions of people. That case was settled. So, this is the furthest extension of suppression of free speech by these artificial entities called corporations.Ralph NaderJosh Paul is co-founder (with Tariq Habash) of A New Policy, which seeks to transform U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. He resigned from the State Department in October 2023 due to his disagreement with the Biden Administration's decision to rush lethal military assistance to Israel in the context of its war on Gaza. He had previously spent over 11 years working as a Director in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, which is responsible for U.S. defense diplomacy, security assistance, and arms transfers. He previously worked on security sector reform in both Iraq and the West Bank, with additional roles in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, U.S. Army Staff, and as a Military Legislative Assistant for a Member of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee.I think that the time for quitting in protest over Gaza, unfortunately, in many ways, is greatly behind us. I think there will be a significant number of State Department officials who will be leaving in the coming days, weeks, and months. And this is a result of a push from the Trump administration to gut America's diplomatic corps, much as they did at the start of the previous Trump administration, but even more so this time around. What I'm hearing from former colleagues in the State Department is a sense of immense despair as they see freezes being placed on U.S. foreign assistance programs—including programs that do an immense amount of good around the world—and just a concern about the overall and impending collapse of American diplomacy.Josh PaulWe have to acknowledge the precedent set by President Biden. Not only in his unconditional support for Israel and its attacks on Gaza, its violations of international humanitarian law, but also in President Biden and Secretary Blinken's willingness to set aside U.S. laws when it came to, in particular, security assistance and arms transfers in order to continue that support. That is a precedent that I think all Americans should be concerned about regardless of their thoughts on the conflict itself.Josh PaulI would say that what we face in America is a problem set that runs much deeper than any change in administration, than any political party. There is an entrenched dynamic within American politics—an entrenched set of both political and economic incentives across our electoral system—that are maintaining U.S. unconditional support for Israel, regardless of what the American people might want.Josh PaulNews 1/31/251. Our top stories this week have to do with the betrayal of the so-called “Make America Healthy Again” or “MAHA” movement. First up, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – President Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Health of Human Services – found himself in the hot seat Wednesday as his confirmation hearings began. Kennedy, who is facing opposition both from Democrats who regard his anti-vaccine rhetoric as dangerous and Republicans who view him as too liberal, struggled to answer basic questions during these hearings. Perhaps most distressingly, he shilled for the disastrous Medicare privatization scheme known as “Medicare Advantage,” at one point saying that he himself is on a Medicare Advantage plan and that “more people would rather be on Medicare Advantage.” Kennedy went on to say most Americans would prefer to be on private insurance. As Matt Stoller of the American Economic Liberties Project writes, this is “basically Cato [Institute] style libertarianism.”2. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration is signaling they intend to scrap a proposed EPA rule to ban “forever chemicals” from Americans' drinking water, per the Spokesman-Review out of Spokane, Washington. Per this piece, “perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, abbreviated PFAS, are a set of man-made chemicals used in thousands of products over the decades. High levels of them have…been linked to cancers, heart disease, high cholesterol, thyroid disease, low birth weight and other diseases.” Shelving PFAS regulation was high on the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 wish list, though the Trump team had previously sent mixed messages on the topic. Trump's pick to oversee regulation of dangerous chemicals is Nancy Beck, a longtime executive at the American Chemistry Council.3. As if those betrayals weren't enough, Trump has also selected Ms. Kailee Buller as the Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For the past year, Buller has served as president & CEO of the National Oilseed Processors Association. More simply put, she is the top seed oil lobbyist in the nation. This is perhaps the most illustrative example of the MAHA bait and switch. Not only is the Trump administration spitting in the face of their own supporters and doing the opposite of what they promised in terms of cracking down on ultra-processed, unhealthy food – they are doing so in an openly and brazenly corrupt manner. Under Trump, regulatory agencies are on the auction block and will be sold to the highest bidder.4. In more health news, legendary investigative journalist Seymour Hersh has come out with a new story – and it's a doozy. According to Hersh's sources, the Trump administration mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic long before the public knew anything about the virus. He writes “I learned this week that a US intelligence asset at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China, where the Covid virus was first observed…provided early warning of a laboratory accident at Wuhan that led to a series of infections that was quickly spreading and initially seemed immune to treatment.” Hersh continues “early studies dealing with how to mitigate the oncoming plague, based on information from the Chinese health ministry about the lethal new virus, were completed late in 2019 by experts from America's National Institutes of Health and other research agencies.” Yet, “Despite their warnings, a series of preventative actions were not taken until the United States was flooded with cases of the virus.” Most damningly, Hersh's sources claim that “All of these studies…have been expunged from the official internal records in Washington, including any mention of the CIA's source inside the Chinese laboratory.” If true, this would be among the most catastrophic cases of indecision – and most sweeping coverup – in modern American history. Watch this space.5. Meanwhile, in more foreign affairs news, Progressive International reports that “For the first time in history,” Members of the United States Congress have joined with Members of Mexico's Cámara de Diputados to “oppose the escalating threats of U.S. military action against Mexico” and call to “strengthen the bonds of solidarity between our peoples.” This move of course comes amid ever-rising tensions between the United States and our southern neighbor, particularly as the GOP has in recent years taken up the idea of a full-blown invasion of Mexico. This letter was signed by many prominent U.S. progressives, including Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Summer Lee, AOC, Greg Casar and Raul Grijalva, as well as 23 Mexican deputies. One can only hope that this show of internationalism helps forestall further escalation with Mexico.6. Turning to the issue of corruption, former New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez was sentenced to 11 years in prison for his role in a bribery scheme that included him acting as an unregistered agent of the Egyptian government, per the DOJ. Until 2024, Menendez had served as the Chairman or Ranking Member of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee – an ideal perch for a crooked politician. During sentencing, Menendez broke down and weepily begged the judge for leniency. Yet, almost immediately after the sentence was handed down, Menendez changed his tune and started sucking up to Trump in a transparent attempt to secure a pardon. Axios reports Menendez said “President Trump was right…This process is political, and it's corrupted to the core. I hope President Trump cleans up the cesspool and restores the integrity to the system.” Unfortunately, Trump's fragile ego makes him particularly susceptible to just this sort of appeal, so it would be no surprise if he does grant some form of clemency to the disgraced Senator.7. Likewise, New York City Mayor Eric Adams appears to feel the walls closing in with regard to his corrupt dealings with his Turkish benefactors. And just like Menendez, Adams' strategy appears to be to ingratiate himself with Trump world. On January 23rd, the New York Daily News reported that Adams had pledged to avoid publicly criticizing Trump. Adams has previously called Trump a “white supremacist.” Adams' simpering seems to having the intended effect. On January 29th, the New York Times reported “Senior Justice Department officials under President Trump have held discussions with federal prosecutors in Manhattan about the possibility of dropping their corruption case,” against Adams. This story notes that “The defense team is led by Alex Spiro, who is also the personal lawyer for Elon Musk.”8. Our final three stories this week have to do with organized labor. First, Bloomberg labor reporter Josh Eidelson reports Trump has ousted National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo. This alone is a tragedy; Abruzzo has been nothing short of a crusader on behalf of organized labor during her tenure. Yet, more troubling news quickly followed: Trump has unlawfully sacked Gwynne Wilcox a Democratic member of the labor board with no just cause. As Eidelson notes, the law forbids “firing board members absent neglect or malfeasance.” Wilcox was the first ever Black member of the NLRB and her unlawful removal gives Trump a working majority at the board. Expect to see a rapid slew of anti-worker decisions in the coming days.9. In some good news, independent journalist Ken Klippenstein reports that union collective bargaining agreements have successfully “thwart[ed]…Trump's return to work order.” Instead, the administration has been forced to issue a new order, stating “Supervisors should not begin discussions around the return to in-person work with bargaining unit employees until HHS fulfills its collective bargaining obligations.” In other words, even while every supposed legal guardrail, institutional norm, and political force of gravity wilts before Trump's onslaught, what is the one bulwark that still stands strong, protecting everyday working people? Their union.10. Our final story is a simple one. Jacobin labor journalist Alex Press reports that in Philadelphia, the first Whole Foods grocery store has voted to unionize. The nearly-300 workers at the store voted to affiliate with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1176. Whole Foods was sold to Amazon in 2017 and since then the e-tail giant has vigorously staved off unionization. Could this be the first crack in the dam? Only time will tell.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

The Valley Labor Report
OVERTIME: Last Year in Labor w/ Alex Press - TVLR 1/4/25

The Valley Labor Report

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2025 69:22


We have an interview with award winning labor journalist Alex Press about the year that was 2024, along with some speculation about what's to come in 2025. After that, we've got a KNEE SLAPPER of a conversation with Alex Edward from Minion Death Cult, reviewing some of our best youtube comments. ✦ ABOUT ✦The Valley Labor Report is the only union talk radio show in Alabama, elevating struggles for justice and fairness on the job, educating folks about how they can do the same, and bringing relevant news to workers in Alabama and beyond.Our single largest source of revenue *is our listeners* so your support really matters and helps us stay on the air!Make a one time donation or become a monthly donor on our website or patreon:TVLR.FMPatreon.com/thevalleylaborreportVisit our official website for more info on the show, membership, our sponsors, merch, and more: https://www.tvlr.fmFollow TVLR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheValleyLab...Follow TVLR on Twitter: @LaborReportersFollow Jacob on Twitter: @JacobM_ALFollow TVLR Co-Creator David Story on Twitter: @RadiclUnionist✦ CONTACT US ✦Our phone number is 844-899-TVLR (8857), call or text us live on air, or leave us a voicemail and we might play it during the show!✦ OUR ADVERTISERS KEEP US ON THE AIR! ✦Support them if you can.The attorneys at MAPLES, TUCKER, AND JACOB fight for working people. Let them represent you in your workplace injury claim. Mtandj.com; (855) 617-9333The MACHINISTS UNION represents workers in several industries including healthcare, the defense industry, woodworking, and more. iamaw44.org (256) 286-3704 / organize@iamaw44.orgDo you need good union laborers on your construction site, or do you want a union construction job? Reach out to the IRONWORKERS LOCAL 477. Ironworkers477.org  256-383-3334 (Jeb Miles) / local477@bellsouth.netThe NORTH ALABAMA DSA is looking for folks to work for a better North Alabama, fighting for liberty and justice for all. Contact / Join: DSANorthAlabama@gmail.comIBEW LOCAL 136 is a group of over 900 electricians and electrical workers providing our area with the finest workforce in the construction industry. You belong here. ibew136.org Contact: (205) 833-0909IFPTE - We are engineers, scientists, nonprofit employees, technicians, lawyers, and many other professions who have joined together to have a greater voice in our careers. With over 80,000 members spread across the U.S. and Canada, we invite you and your colleagues to consider the benefits of engaging in collective bargaining. IFPTE.org Contact: (202) 239-4880THE HUNTSVILLE INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD is a union open to any and all working people. Call or email them today to begin organizing your workplace - wherever it is. On the Web: https://hsviww.org/ Contact: (256) 651-6707 / organize@hsviww.orgENERGY ALABAMA is accelerating Alabama's transition to sustainable energy. We are a nonprofit membership-based organization that has advocated for clean energy in Alabama since 2014. Our work is based on three pillars: education, advocacy, and technical assistance. Energy Alabama on the Web: https://alcse.org/ Contact: (256) 812-1431 / dtait@energyalabama.orgThe Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union represents in a wide range of industries, including but not limited to retail, grocery stores, poultry processing, dairy processing, cereal processing, soda bottlers, bakeries, health care, hotels, manufacturing, public sector workers like crossing guards, sanitation, and highway workers, warehouses, building services,  and distribution. Learn more at RWDSU.infoThe American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union proudly representing 700,000 federal and D.C. government workers nationwide and overseas. Learn more at AFGE.orgAre you looking for a better future, a career that can have you set for life, and to be a part of something that's bigger than yourself?   Consider a skilled trades apprenticeship with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. Learn more at IUPAT.orgUnionly is a union-focused company created specifically to support organized labor. We believe that providing online payments should be simple, safe, and secure.  Visit https://unionly.io/ to learn more.Hometown Action envisions inclusive, revitalized, and sustainable communities built through multiracial working class organizing and leadership development at the local and state level to create opportunities for all people to thrive. Learn more at hometownaction.orgMembers of IBEW have some of the best wages and benefits in North Alabama. Find out more and join their team at ibew558.org ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The Valley Labor Report
DOUBLE OT: Alex Press on Amazon strike AND MORE - TVLR 12/21/24

The Valley Labor Report

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 27, 2024 78:47


Teamsters are striking at Amazon - we talk to Alex Press about it. ✦ ABOUT ✦The Valley Labor Report is the only union talk radio show in Alabama, elevating struggles for justice and fairness on the job, educating folks about how they can do the same, and bringing relevant news to workers in Alabama and beyond.Our single largest source of revenue *is our listeners* so your support really matters and helps us stay on the air!Make a one time donation or become a monthly donor on our website or patreon:TVLR.FMPatreon.com/thevalleylaborreportVisit our official website for more info on the show, membership, our sponsors, merch, and more: https://www.tvlr.fmFollow TVLR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheValleyLab...Follow TVLR on Twitter: @LaborReportersFollow Jacob on Twitter: @JacobM_ALFollow TVLR Co-Creator David Story on Twitter: @RadiclUnionist✦ CONTACT US ✦Our phone number is 844-899-TVLR (8857), call or text us live on air, or leave us a voicemail and we might play it during the show!✦ OUR ADVERTISERS KEEP US ON THE AIR! ✦Support them if you can.The attorneys at MAPLES, TUCKER, AND JACOB fight for working people. Let them represent you in your workplace injury claim. Mtandj.com; (855) 617-9333The MACHINISTS UNION represents workers in several industries including healthcare, the defense industry, woodworking, and more. iamaw44.org (256) 286-3704 / organize@iamaw44.orgDo you need good union laborers on your construction site, or do you want a union construction job? Reach out to the IRONWORKERS LOCAL 477. Ironworkers477.org  256-383-3334 (Jeb Miles) / local477@bellsouth.netThe NORTH ALABAMA DSA is looking for folks to work for a better North Alabama, fighting for liberty and justice for all. Contact / Join: DSANorthAlabama@gmail.comIBEW LOCAL 136 is a group of over 900 electricians and electrical workers providing our area with the finest workforce in the construction industry. You belong here. ibew136.org Contact: (205) 833-0909IFPTE - We are engineers, scientists, nonprofit employees, technicians, lawyers, and many other professions who have joined together to have a greater voice in our careers. With over 80,000 members spread across the U.S. and Canada, we invite you and your colleagues to consider the benefits of engaging in collective bargaining. IFPTE.org Contact: (202) 239-4880THE HUNTSVILLE INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD is a union open to any and all working people. Call or email them today to begin organizing your workplace - wherever it is. On the Web: https://hsviww.org/ Contact: (256) 651-6707 / organize@hsviww.orgENERGY ALABAMA is accelerating Alabama's transition to sustainable energy. We are a nonprofit membership-based organization that has advocated for clean energy in Alabama since 2014. Our work is based on three pillars: education, advocacy, and technical assistance. Energy Alabama on the Web: https://alcse.org/ Contact: (256) 812-1431 / dtait@energyalabama.orgThe Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union represents in a wide range of industries, including but not limited to retail, grocery stores, poultry processing, dairy processing, cereal processing, soda bottlers, bakeries, health care, hotels, manufacturing, public sector workers like crossing guards, sanitation, and highway workers, warehouses, building services,  and distribution. Learn more at RWDSU.infoThe American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union proudly representing 700,000 federal and D.C. government workers nationwide and overseas. Learn more at AFGE.orgAre you looking for a better future, a career that can have you set for life, and to be a part of something that's bigger than yourself?   Consider a skilled trades apprenticeship with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. Learn more at IUPAT.orgUnionly is a union-focused company created specifically to support organized labor. We believe that providing online payments should be simple, safe, and secure.  Visit https://unionly.io/ to learn more.Hometown Action envisions inclusive, revitalized, and sustainable communities built through multiracial working class organizing and leadership development at the local and state level to create opportunities for all people to thrive. Learn more at hometownaction.orgMembers of IBEW have some of the best wages and benefits in North Alabama. Find out more and join their team at ibew558.org ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Reinventing Solidarity
Episode 53 - Labor, Big Tech, and A.I.: The Big Picture

Reinventing Solidarity

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2024 74:32


What does the rise of artificial intelligence mean for workers and organized labor? And just what is AI, anyway? New Labor Forum editor-at-large discusses these questions and more with labor reporter Alex Press and technology reporter and editor Ed Ongweso, Jr.

Wisdom of Crowds
The Passion of the Elites

Wisdom of Crowds

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2024 61:38


This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveMusa al-Gharbi is a sociologist and assistant professor in the School of Communication and Journalism at Stony Brook University. He joins Christine Emba and Damir Marusic to discuss his new book, We Have Never Been Woke: Social Justice Discourse, Inequality, and the Rise of a New Elite. Don't worry: the book is not another culture war polemic. Instead, it's something much more useful: a work of social science that explains what “woke” means in terms of class and culture in the United States.In our conversation Musa describes the inner workings of a group that has gone by many different names: the PMC (Professional-Managerial Class), the New Class, the cognitive elite or the symbolic capitalists. This group enjoys higher wages and more autonomy than most workers, and its power is derived from knowledge-based work, which requires (at the very least) a college degree. Damir thinks that the PMC is merely hypocritical and self-interested, while Musa sees things differently. He argues that while this group has sincere interests in advancing social justice, they also have an interest in maintaining their own elite status. This contradiction is the source of so much of the insanity we see in American society today. Christine presses Musa for details about this insanity: to what extent is the symbolic capitalist class actually sabotaging positive social change, in order to preserve their privileges?Among the topics discussed is the nature of symbolic capital; whether self interest and political idealism are necessarily contradictory; how wokeness and anti-wokeness have similar incentives; violence and social change; and the economics of victimhood. This practical and illuminating episode will make you smarter about how America works. Required Reading:* We Have Never Been Woke: Social Justice Discourse, Inequality, and the Rise of a New Elite by Musa al-Gharbi (Princeton University Press). * Alex Press, “On the Origins of the Professional-Managerial Class: An Interview with Barbara Ehrenreich” (Dissent).* Musa al-Gharbi, “Social Movement Requires Force” (Salon).* Musa al-Gharbi, “The Symbolic Professions Are Super WEIRD” (Substack).* Musa al-Gharbi, “The Absurd Spectacle at Columbia Occludes the Grim Realities of Gaza” (Compact).* “Georg Simmel” (Encyclopedia Britannica). * Pierre Bourdieu, Distinction (Amazon).This post is part of our collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Governance and Markets.Wisdom of Crowds is a platform challenging premises and understanding first principles on politics and culture. Join us!

KPFA - UpFront
Florida braces for Hurricane Milton disaster; plus how climate change-induced disasters are killing workers

KPFA - UpFront

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2024 59:58


0:08 – Mitch Perry is Senior Reporter with the nonprofit newsroom The Florida Phoenix. He joins us from St Petersburg, Florida, which is evacuating from Hurricane Milton.  0:18 – Eugene Cordero is professor of Meteorology and Climate Science at San Jose State University, and also the founder and director of Green Ninja, an educational publisher that uses solutions to environmental problems as a lens for teaching science.   7:33 – Alex Press is a staff writer with Jacobin, who covers labor organizing. Her latest story is “Climate change induced disasters are killing workers” 7:50 – KPFA News: the Gaza war turns one Yesterday we spoke with Joel Beinin about the one year anniversary of October 7th, the mark it's left on Israeli politics, and why so many families of Israeli victims and abductees have become outspoken ceasefire advocates. For palestinians, October 7th marks the beginning of what the international court of justice determined was plausibly a genocide: a sustained assault by Israel that's damaged more than 60% of the buildings, displaced over 90% of the population at some point over the last year, and killed – in the official tally, which is almost certainly an undercount – more than 41,000 people. KPFA's reporter in Gaza, Rami Almeghari, filed this story.  The post Florida braces for Hurricane Milton disaster; plus how climate change-induced disasters are killing workers appeared first on KPFA.

The Real News Podcast
Workers at 'progressive' Trader Joe's still face rampant union busting | Working People

The Real News Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2024 58:07


Two years ago, workers from several different Trader Joe's grocery stores joined the wave of unionization efforts spreading across the country. Workers in Hadley, Massachusetts, made history in 2022 by not only becoming the first Trader Joe's store to vote to unionize but also by opting to form an independent union, Trader Joe's United (TJU). However, like with Starbucks, Amazon, Medieval Times, and other companies where workers have been exercising their right to organize in recent years, rampant union busting has been part of the Trader Joe's story from the beginning. What's worse, as Alex Press writes in Jacobin, rather than be compelled to follow the law and play by the rules, the supposedly progressive grocery chain has joined Elon Musk's SpaceX in attacking the very constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board. What is the current state of the union drive at Trader Joe's? What issues are employees (“crew members”) still dealing with on the job, and what can supporters do to help? In this episode, Max speaks with Alec Plant, a worker organizer at the Lincoln and Grace Trader Joe's in Chicago and a member of Trader Joe's United. Additional links/info below…Trader Joe's United website, Twitter/X page, and InstagramLauren Kaori Gurley, The Washington Post, “As Chicago Trader Joe's votes on unionizing, grocer fights other efforts”Alex Press, Jacobin, “Trader Joe's rejects the New Deal” Dave Jameison, HuffPost, “Trader Joe's threatened workers ahead of union vote, feds allege”Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, “Workers at North Center Trader Joe's are first in Chicago to file for union election”Steven Greenhouse, The New Republic, “How corporations crush new unions”Steven Greenhouse, The Guardian, “Major US corporations threaten to return labor to ‘law of the jungle'”Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / The Real News Network, "Want to unionize your workplace? These worker-organizers have some advice” Permanent links below…Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show!Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter pageIn These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter pageThe Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter pageFeatured Music…Jules Taylor, “Working People” Theme Song Studio Production: Max AlvarezPost-Production: Jules TaylorHelp us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Sign up for our newsletterLike us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterDonate to support this podcast

Working People
Alec Plant

Working People

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2024 58:07


Two years ago, workers from several different Trader Joe's grocery stores joined the wave of unionization efforts spreading across the country. Workers in Hadley, Massachusetts, made history in 2022 by not only becoming the first Trader Joe's store to vote to unionize but also by opting to form an independent union, Trader Joe's United (TJU). However, like with Starbucks, Amazon, Medieval Times, and other companies where workers have been exercising their right to organize in recent years, rampant union busting has been part of the Trader Joe's story from the beginning. What's worse, as Alex Press writes in Jacobin, rather than be compelled to follow the law and play by the rules, the supposedly progressive grocery chain has joined Elon Musk's SpaceX in attacking the very constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board. What is the current state of the union drive at Trader Joe's? What issues are employees (“crew members”) still dealing with on the job, and what can supporters do to help? In this episode, Max speaks with Alec Plant, a worker organizer at the Lincoln and Grace Trader Joe's in Chicago and a member of Trader Joe's United.  Additional links/info below… Trader Joe's United website, Twitter/X page, and Instagram Lauren Kaori Gurley, The Washington Post, “As Chicago Trader Joe's votes on unionizing, grocer fights other efforts” Alex Press, Jacobin, “Trader Joe's rejects the New Deal”  Dave Jameison, HuffPost, “Trader Joe's threatened workers ahead of union vote, feds allege” Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, “Workers at North Center Trader Joe's are first in Chicago to file for union election” Steven Greenhouse, The New Republic, “How corporations crush new unions” Steven Greenhouse, The Guardian, “Major US corporations threaten to return labor to ‘law of the jungle'” Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / The Real News Network, "Want to unionize your workplace? These worker-organizers have some advice”  Permanent links below… 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… Jules Taylor, “Working People” Theme Song   Studio Production: Max Alvarez Post-Production: Jules Taylor  

Know Your Enemy
What Was the CIO? (w/ Tim Barker and Ben Mabie)

Know Your Enemy

Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2024 81:36


Historian Tim Barker and editor/organizer Ben Mabie join to discuss a thrilling episode in the history of American labor. Barker and Mabie are two co-hosts of Fragile Juggernaut, a Haymarket Originals podcast exploring the history, politics, and strategic lessons of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (or CIO). Along with  co-hosts Alex Press, Gabriel Winant, Andrew Elrod, and Emma Teitelman, they've been telling the story of organized labor in the 1930s, the radical possibilities of that decade, and the eclipsing of those possibilities in the post-war years — with the onset of the cold war, McCarthyism, and anti-union legislation like Taft-Hartley.In a sense, this episode is a pre-history of the story we tell on Know Your Enemy. If you've ever wondered, what was it that so terrified reactionary businessmen about the New Deal era? How did they come to believe that revolutionary upheaval was a real prospect in America, that Communists were everywhere, threatening the social order, and that this peril demanded the creation and funding of a new conservative movement? Well part of the answer is: the CIO. From a certain angle, the right-wing fever dream was real, at least for a time: the CIO really was filled with Communists, labor militants really did take over factories and shut down whole cities, and it really did seem possible, if only briefly, that the American working class — including immigrants from all over Europe, black workers, and women — might find solidarity on the shop floor, consolidate politically, and threaten the reign of capital. That didn't quite happen. And this episode will partially explain why. Further Reading:Andrew Elrod, "Fragile Juggernaut: What was the CIO?" n+1, Jan 24, 2024. Bruce Nelson, Workers on the Waterfront: Seamen, Longshoremen, and Unionism in the 1930s, U of Illinois Press,  1988.Robert H. Zieger, The CIO, 1935-1955, UNC Press, 1995. Landon R.Y. Storrs,  The Second Red Scare and the Unmaking of the New Deal Left, Princeton U Press, 2012. Eric Blanc, “Revisiting the Wagner Act & its Causes,” Labor Politics, Jul 28, 2022.  Rhonda Levine, "Class Struggle and the New Deal: Industrial Labor, Industrial Capital, and the State," U of Kansas Press, 1988.Further Listening:The podcast: "Haymarket Originals: Fragile Juggernaut," 2024  ...and don't forget to subscribe to Know Your Enemy for access to all of our bonus episodes!

Work Stoppage
Ep 206 - No Time Like Today

Work Stoppage

Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2024 86:42


We continue our host shuffle this week as Dan is back, but John is away. We do run through a bunch of headlines but our focus this week is on a few stories. The biggest story in the country, the fight by college students against the genocide waged by our government in Palestine, is also a labor story. The attack on these students is an assault on any concept of rights but also on the labor movement, because ultimately solidarity is both our greatest weapon and the ruling class's greatest fear. We discuss the fascist crackdown on dissent across the country and the ways workers are fighting back. Also this week, we discuss a new piece by Alex Press at Jacobin on the union busting at PEN America, where bosses have been slow rolling contract negotiations for over a year and a half.  The UAW continues to make huge gains, with nearly 4000 workers at Penn finally winning a grad student union, and another potentially historic vote upcoming next week at Mercedes in Alabama.  Finally, we close out celebrating the first win of many by the new Pharmacy Guild at CVS. Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX  Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee More info on the show at http://workstoppagepod.com/

Jacobin Radio
May Day PSA

Jacobin Radio

Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2024 0:33


Jacobin is celebrating International Workers' Day once again with solidarity subscriptions! Since our founding in 2010, we've aimed to reach millions with democratic socialist perspectives on politics, economics, and culture. Our work online — be it podcasts, video, or daily articles — is sustained first and foremost through magazine subscriptions. On May 1st, and a few days after, you can use the code MAYDAY2024 at checkout to get a yearlong digital subscription for just $1, or $10 for the print magazine. This offer also applies to gift subscriptions.Subscribe here: https://jacobin.com/subscribe/?code=MAYDAY2024NYC listeners: May 1st (this evening) at 7pm, we're hosting a roundtable talk at The People's Forum about the future of the US labor movement, featuring Alex Press, Paul Prescod, Anthony Rosario, and Nick Livick. The event is free, but please RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jacobin-may-day-event-whats-next-for-us-labor-tickets-884360575287 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Majority Report with Sam Seder
3250 - Labor: 2023 In Review; Climate Change Silence w/ Alex Press, Bill McKibben

The Majority Report with Sam Seder

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2024 65:02


It's Hump Day! Sam speaks with Alex Press, staff writer at Jacobin, to discuss her recent piece entitled "In 2023, the US Working Class Fought Back." Then, they speak with Bill McKibben, contributing writer at The New Yorker and founder of ThirdAct.org, to discuss how 2023 was the hottest year on record. First, Sam runs through updates on Israel's direct statements of ethnic cleansing in front of Secretary Blinken, Trump's attempted immunity case, tonight's GOP debate, the government shutdown, Mayorkas' potential impeachment, labor action, and free lunch, before listening to Trump's attorney's desperation in the face of literally any line of actual legal questioning. Alex Press then joins, diving right into the numbers behind 2023's labor boom which saw some 500k workers striking – doubling 2022's numbers (which doubled those of 2021) – with a particular boom in action in the union-sparse private sector. After walking through the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on inspiring this post-crisis wave of labor action, Press steps back to explore the massive influence of the Chicago Teachers Union strike on the evolution of the US labor world, alongside movements like Occupy, Bernie Sanders' 2016 campaign, and the 2020 uprisings, in shaping the current organizing movement. Next, Alex and Sam touch on the incredible moves made by the NLRB in 2023 – including Card Check lite – and what they'd like to see from the board moving forward, before wrapping up with her expectations on major strikes (and the influence of Shawn Fain's UAW) heading into 2024. Then, Bill McKibben and Sam tackle the complete silence following 2023's record-setting heat numbers, the overwhelming influence of “climate delayers” in US politics, and the fossil fuel industry's 8-figure ad campaign to keep the US population on their side. After briefly expanding on the growth of both renewable energy and the extreme impacts of climate change in 2023, McKibben dives into the massive growth of US oil production and natural gas, the greenhouse explosion it has been causing, and the pressing need for Biden to make choices beyond the important changes in 2022's Inflation Reduction Act. Wrapping up, Bill emphasizes the threat of growing US industry and the influence of Big Oil heading into 2024. And in the Fun Half: Sam watches as Blinken continues to bend the knee to Israel on the world stage, Gideon Levy unpacks the horrors Israel is currently inflicting on Gaza, and Tim Pool goes to bat for Boeing and the private plane industry as they remain under threat by DEI. Tony from California discusses using the blueprint of the Dobbs decision to undermine the right, Elliot from Washington dives into Epic Games' destruction of Bandcamp, and Tulsi endorses the ‘Free' Speech of Twitter. Dave Rubin asks if it's racist to be racist if they're immigrants, plus, your calls and IMs! Check out Alex's work here: https://jacobin.com/author/alex-press Check out "The Crucial Years", Bill's newsletter on SubStack: https://billmckibben.substack.com/ Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the ESVN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/esvnshow Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: http://majority.fm/app Check out today's sponsors: Nutrafol: Take the first step to visibly thicker, healthier hair. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners ten dollars off your first month's subscription and free shipping when you go to https://Nutrafol.com/men and enter the promo code TMR.  Find out why over 4,000 healthcare professionals recommend Nutrafol for healthier hair. Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech @BradKAlsop Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.com/ The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/

Jacobin Radio
Behind the News: The Year in Labor w/ Alex Press

Jacobin Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2024 53:01


Samuel Moyn, law professor and historian, discusses the political and legal dubiousness of excluding Trump from the presidential ballot. Labor journalist Alex Press talks about the year in labor. See her Jacobin article, "In 2023, the US Working Class Fought Back" here.Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive online. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Behind the News with Doug Henwood
Behind the News, 1/4/24

Behind the News with Doug Henwood

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2024 53:00


Behind the News, 1/4/24 - guests: Samuel Moyn on the perils of striking Trump from the ballot, Alex Press on the (good) year in organized labor - Doug Henwood

KPFA - Behind the News
Perils of striking Trump from the ballot and the year in organized labor

KPFA - Behind the News

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2024 18:34


Samuel Moyn, law prof and historian, on the political and legal dubiousness of excluding Trump from the presidential ballot • labor journalist Alex Press on the year in labor (articles on that topic here and here) The post Perils of striking Trump from the ballot and the year in organized labor appeared first on KPFA.

On the Nose
Labor's Palestine Paradox

On the Nose

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 3, 2024 39:44


The US labor movement has had an exciting few years. Labor unions are gaining popularity among the general public as workers organize at new shops from Amazon to Starbucks to Harvard. Perhaps most critically, legacy unions are experiencing a democratic upsurge, with both the Teamsters and the United Auto Workers (UAW) recently electing militant leaders. This revival has also been expanding labor's purview, with unions increasingly taking on demands that exceed “bread-and-butter” concerns about wages and benefits. But the renaissance in labor is now being tested, as rank-and-file workers begin to demand that their unions break long-standing ties with Israel and materially support Palestinian liberation. This challenge is particularly stark in unions like the UAW, which represent workers producing the weapons being used to kill Palestinians. On this episode of On The Nose, news editor Aparna Gopalan speaks to historian Jeff Schuhrke, organizer Zaina Alsous, and journalist Alex Press about the labor movement's deep imbrication in Zionism and militarism, the rank-and-file efforts that have challenged this status quo over the decades, and what's at stake in labor embracing an anti-imperialist politics. Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).” Articles Mentioned and Further Reading“The Problem of the Unionized War Machine,” Jeff Schuhrke, Jewish Currents “US Labor Has Long Been a Stalwart Backer of Israel. That's Starting to Change,” Jeff Schuhrke, Jacobin “The UAW Has Had a Big Year. They're Preparing for an Even Bigger One,” Alex Press, Jacobin“A Night at the Movies With Brandon Mancilla,” Alex Press, The Nation“A Working-Class Foreign Policy Is Coming,” Spencer Ackerman, The Nation“Respecting the BDS Picket Line,” Labor for Palestine“Stop Arming Israel. End All Complicity,” Workers in Palestine

This Machine Kills
292. On Strikes and Solidarity (ft. Alex Press)

This Machine Kills

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2023 70:56


We are joined by Alex Press — labor reporter for Jacobin — for a broad survey of the very large, active landscape of labor union actions happening in the United States. After updates on strikes, we then discuss the deep intersections of solidarity between labor movements and support for Palestine. The struggle for a better world is not just a bunch of isolated events, disconnected in time and place. We must stand together in the many big fights against domination of all kinds. ••• Writers Against the War in Gaza: https://www.writersagainstthewarongaza.com ••• Follow Alex: https://twitter.com/alexnpress ••• Read Alex's work: https://jacobin.com/author/alex-press Subscribe to hear more analysis and commentary in our premium episodes every week! https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (www.twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (www.twitter.com/braunestahl)

Episode One
300 - Pixar's Sodas

Episode One

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2023 109:33


When Pepsi is purchased at a Naperville Circle K, Coke and his friends go on the adventure of a lifetime to track her down. E1 on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/e1podcast Starring Hasan Piker, Felix Biederman, Raina Douris, and Zola Jesus Featuring Will Menaker, Matt Christman, Nate Ruess, Alex Press, Cameron Fetter, Caleb Pitts, Patrick Doran, Julian Feeld, Alex Nichols, Branson Reese, Dan Boeckner, Titas Antanas Vilkaitis, Michael Hudson, Sweet Palma, John Semley, Alana Branson, Tom, Hesse, Derek, Wererat (Joel, TJ, and Elliott), and a text-to-speech thing Written by Alex Branson, Charles Austin, Andrew Hudson, and Felix Biederman Song by Charles Austin, Nate Ruess, and Raina Douris Artwork by Branson Reese Edited by Charles Austin

The Valley Labor Report
OVERTIME: Bill Maher is Dumb, Academics Scab Wokely, and What the UAW's Fight Means w/ Jacobin's Alex Press - TVLR 9/9/23

The Valley Labor Report

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2023 98:42


In OVERTIME, we're talking to Jacobin staff writer Alex Press about the UAW fight and other stories she has written about. ✦ ABOUT ✦The Valley Labor Report is the only union talk radio show in Alabama, elevating struggles for justice and fairness on the job, educating folks about how they can do the same, and bringing relevant news to workers in Alabama and beyond.Our single largest source of revenue *is our listeners* so your support really matters and helps us stay on the air!Make a one time donation or become a monthly donor on our website or patreon:TVLR.FMPatreon.com/thevalleylaborreportVisit our official website for more info on the show, membership, our sponsors, merch, and more: https://www.tvlr.fmFollow TVLR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheValleyLab...Follow TVLR on Twitter: @LaborReportersFollow Jacob on Twitter: @JacobM_ALFollow TVLR Co-Creator David Story on Twitter: @RadiclUnionist✦ CONTACT US ✦Our phone number is 844-899-TVLR (8857), call or text us live on air, or leave us a voicemail and we might play it during the show!✦ OUR ADVERTISERS KEEP US ON THE AIR! ✦Support them if you can.The attorneys at MAPLES, TUCKER, AND JACOB fight for working people. Let them represent you in your workplace injury claim. Mtandj.com; (855) 617-9333The MACHINISTS UNION represents workers in several industries including healthcare, the defense industry, woodworking, and more. iamaw44.org (256) 286-3704 / organize@iamaw44.orgDo you need good union laborers on your construction site, or do you want a union construction job? Reach out to the IRONWORKERS LOCAL 477. Ironworkers477.org  256-383-3334 (Jeb Miles) / local477@bellsouth.netThe NORTH ALABAMA DSA is looking for folks to work for a better North Alabama, fighting for liberty and justice for all. Contact / Join: DSANorthAlabama@gmail.comIBEW LOCAL 136 is a group of over 900 electricians and electrical workers providing our area with the finest workforce in the construction industry. You belong here. ibew136.org Contact: (205) 833-0909IFPTE - We are engineers, scientists, nonprofit employees, technicians, lawyers, and many other professions who have joined together to have a greater voice in our careers. With over 80,000 members spread across the U.S. and Canada, we invite you and your colleagues to consider the benefits of engaging in collective bargaining. IFPTE.org Contact: (202) 239-4880THE HUNTSVILLE INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD is a union open to any and all working people. Call or email them today to begin organizing your workplace - wherever it is. On the Web: https://hsviww.org/ Contact: (256) 651-6707 / organize@hsviww.orgENERGY ALABAMA is accelerating Alabama's transition to sustainable energy. We are a nonprofit membership-based organization that has advocated for clean energy in Alabama since 2014. Our work is based on three pillars: education, advocacy, and technical assistance. Energy Alabama on the Web: https://alcse.org/ Contact: (256) 812-1431 / dtait@energyalabama.orgThe Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union represents in a wide range of industries, including but not limited to retail, grocery stores, poultry processing, dairy processing, cereal processing, soda bottlers, bakeries, health care, hotels, manufacturing, public sector workers like crossing guards, sanitation, and highway workers, warehouses, building services,  and distribution. Learn more at RWDSU.infoThe American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union proudly representing 700,000 federal and D.C. government workers nationwide and overseas. Learn more at AFGE.orgAre you looking for a better future, a career that can have you set for life, and to be a part of something that's bigger than yourself?   Consider a skilled trades apprenticeship with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. Learn more at IUPAT.orgUnionly is a union-focused company created specifically to support organized labor. We believe that providing online payments should be simple, safe, and secure.  Visit https://unionly.io/ to learn more.Hometown Action envisions inclusive, revitalized, and sustainable communities built through multiracial working class organizing and leadership development at the local and state level to create opportunities for all people to thrive. Learn more at hometownaction.orgMembers of IBEW have some of the best wages and benefits in North Alabama. Find out more and join their team at ibew558.org ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Why Is This Happening? with Chris Hayes
Hot Labor Summer with Alex Press

Why Is This Happening? with Chris Hayes

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2023 57:13


It's been a hot summer in more ways than one. From strikes in Hollywood to United Auto Workers voting in favor of strikes, the push for better working conditions isn't showing signs of cooling down. It's been years since we've seen this kind of burst of workplace organizing, and it recalls some of the most famous moments of labor history. We couldn't think of a better voice than our guest this week to help us unpack everything that's been going on. Alex Press is a staff writer for Jacobin Magazine where she covers labor. Her work has appeared in outlets including the New York Times and the Washington Post, just to name a few. She was a union organizer before becoming a reporter. Press joins WITHpod to discuss what has contributed to this current wave, pandemic induced changes to how people think about labor, shifts in power during this moment and the outlook ahead.

Jacobin Radio
Dig: Seizing Labor's Moment w/ Alex Press & Eric Blanc

Jacobin Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2023 108:59


Featuring Alex Press and Eric Blanc on surging labor militancy and why US unions must seize this historic moment.Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig and ask our guests follow-up questions!Learn more about Haymarket's Book Clubs at haymarketbooks.orgSubscribe to Jacobin bit.ly/digjacobin and Catalyst bit.ly/digcatalyst Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Dig
Seizing Labor’s Moment w/ Alex Press & Eric Blanc

The Dig

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2023 108:59


Featuring Alex Press and Eric Blanc on surging labor militancy and why US unions must seize this historic moment. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig and ask our guests follow-up questions! Learn more about Haymarket's Book Clubs at haymarketbooks.org Subscribe to Jacobin bit.ly/digjacobin and Catalyst bit.ly/digcatalyst

Chapo Trap House
Bonus: WGA/SAG Strike Update

Chapo Trap House

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2023 42:44


We talk to Alex Press about her reporting on the ongoing WGA & SAG-AFTRA strikes, with additional commentary from some of the striking entertainment workers we met on the picket lines in LA and NYC. Special thanks to the following for speaking to us: Bex Taylor-Klaus Catherine Schetina Jess McKenna John Hodgman Max Calder Read Alex's piece on the strikes in Jacobin here: https://jacobin.com/2023/07/hollywood-writers-actors-strike-studios-streaming

Odd Lots
What the UAW Wants From Its Fight With the Big Three

Odd Lots

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2023 49:56 Transcription Available


On September 14, the contract between the United Auto Workers and the Big Three carmakers (GM, Ford and Stellantis) is expiring — and the possibility of a strike is real. This comes at a delicate time for multiple reasons. The labor market is tight, which means workers have other options. Inflation is high. And the auto industry is undergoing a major shift to the electric vehicle market, which may change the composition and pay of the labor force. The stakes are high. So what does the union want and how does it fit into the goals of the broader labor market? To understand more, we speak with Dan Vicente, the director of UAW Region 9, as well as Alex Press, a labor reporter at Jacobin magazine.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloc Party
Labor, the Left, and the Specter of a Strike at UPS

Bloc Party

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2023 60:47


This week we're talking about the labor movement and the political left. How can they support one another? Is the impending UPS workers strike a redux of their successful win in 1997? What are the political implications of a massive workers strike? This episode is a companion to our recent Bloc Doc video release, “UPS Strike: Lessons from ‘97”. Our old friend Jeremy Flood comes back to interview Jacobin staff writer Alex Press about the UPS workers organizing this year. Jeremy is a Brooklyn based filmmaker who now works as a video producer for the United Auto Workers union. Alex N. Press is a staff writer at Jacobin. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Nation, and n+1, among other places. —Follow us in your feeds for new episodes every other Thursday, and keep tabs on our Youtube page for our video team's Bloc Doc series!Questions? Answers? Thoughts? Email us at blocpartypod@gmail.com. Subscribe to the Bloc Media newsletter for bi-weekly updates from the team.

The Response
Unions, Strikes, and the Labor Movement with Alex Press

The Response

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2023 38:16


Today on the show we've brought on Alex Press, a staff writer at Jacobin Magazine, to explore labor power — specifically, looking at how the strengthening of the labor movement through unions, strikes, and other workplace actions, are serving as a response to not only the harms inflicted by neoliberalism, but also, how these institutions and actions can serve as direct responses to climate change-fueled disasters.  It's been said that one of the best disaster responses is an organized workplace. In this episode, we'll explore what we mean by that, take stock of the current labor landscape in the United States, and discuss how unions, strikes, and other forms of labor power can serve as ways to strengthen our collective and solidarity-focused muscles in a world of neoliberal capitalism. Resources: In Obama's Working, There is No Way Out, Alex Press's piece in Jacobin Citations Needed — News Brief: 2000s Zombie Neoliberalism Lives On in Obama's New Netflix Doc The Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show. The Response is published by Shareable.

Working People
Sean Orr

Working People

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2023 75:12


The largest private sector labor contract in the US is set to expire at midnight on July 31; as negotiations continue to play out, we will soon see whether or not the 350,000 Teamsters working for United Parcel Services (UPS) will hit the picket line and wage one of the largest strikes in US history. As Sean Orr, a UPS package-car driver and elected shop steward for Teamsters Local 705 in Chicago, and Elliot Lewis, a UPS package-car driver and alternate shop steward for Teamsters Local 804 in New York City, recently wrote in Jacobin, "This contract fight is about two visions of work in the twenty-first century. One is promoted by workers: equal pay for equal work, dignity and autonomy on the job, and a stable work-life balance. The other is promoted by Wall Street: hypersurveillance, low pay, subcontracting, gig work, and 'flexible' scheduling practices that hurt workers and benefit bosses." In this episode, we talk to Sean Orr about growing up in a de-industrializing Milwaukee, his path to becoming a Teamster and working for UPS, why the current contract fight is such a pivotal moment for the Teamsters and the labor movement, and what we can all do to stand in solidarity with all UPS workers.  Additional links/info below... Sean's Twitter page International Brotherhood of Teamsters website, Facebook page, and Twitter page Teamsters for a Democratic Union website, Facebook page, and Twitter page Sean Orr & Elliot Lewis, Jacobin, "UPS Teamsters Are Ready to Strike" Sean Orr & Elliot Lewis, Labor Notes, "UPS Teamsters Start Strike Authorization Vote" Working People, "Teamsters in Boston Have a Message for UPS (w/ Thomas Mari, Jane Fallon, Rob Atkinson, JJ Rodriguez, Fred Zuckerman, Julie, & Sean M. O'Brien)" Working People, ""If You Can't Stand the Heat, Keep Working" (w/ Zakk, Gabriela, & Steve)" The Upsurge podcast Spotify page, Twitter page, and Patreon  Alex Press, Jacobin, "Inside the Teamsters' Preparations for a UPS Strike" J.J. McCorvey, Adiel Kaplan, & Annie Probert, NBC News, "UPS Drivers on Track to Get Air-Conditioned Trucks for the First Time" 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

The Real News Podcast
The Teamsters Take Amazon | The Upsurge

The Real News Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2023 48:21


Read the transcript of this podcast: Amazon: The company we hate to love, for its convenient next-day deliveries, and we love to hate, for its egregious treatment of the workers that execute that miracle.It really needs no introduction. Amazon is a corporate giant with 1.5 million employees, most of which are in the Teamsters' bread and butter industry: logistics, meaning warehouse workers and delivery drivers. Only, these workers are almost entirely non-union. But the problem with Amazon is not just its own non-union pay and working conditions. Left unchecked, Amazon may just start a race to the bottom for the working class as a whole.The Teamsters, alongside other unions and worker collectives, are trying to change that. And in April earlier this year, 84 of Amazon's delivery drivers and dispatchers in Palmdale, California joined Teamsters Local 396 and won a first contract. This is a huge deal, but it's not an uncomplicated victory.In this episode, you'll hear from one of those Amazon drivers, Arturo Solezano, about their working conditions, and why he and his now-union siblings joined the Teamsters. We also spoke with Alex Press, staff writer at Jacobin magazine, who unpacked why Amazon is a threat that needs to be taken seriously by the Teamsters and the rest of organized labor. Finally, you'll hear an update on UPS contract negotiations from Greg Kerwood, a package car delivery driver from Teamsters Local 25 in Boston. Additional links/info below…Support the show at Patreon.com/upsurgepod.Follow us on Twitter @upsurgepod, Facebook, The Upsurge, and YouTube @upsurgepod.Check out Alex Press's article on the UPS contract campaign in Jacobin magazine, and Teddy's video collaboration with More Perfect Union on why UPSers may strike this August.Hosted by Teddy Ostrow Edited by Teddy OstrowProduced by NYGP & Ruby Walsh, in partnership with In These Times & The Real NewsMusic by Casey GallagherCover art by Devlin Claro Resetar Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer: Donate: https://therealnews.com/donate-podSign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/newsletter-podLike us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnewsFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews

The Takeaway
The WGA Strike Enters Week Three

The Takeaway

Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2023 7:58


The Writers Guild of America, which has over 11-thousand members, is entering week its third week of a work stoppage.  This is the first strike in 15 years, and comes at a time when the TV and film industry has seen some major changes in recent years. Amongst their demands, writers are seeking higher wages, better residuals, and assurances on the use of AI. First we hear from Monice Mitchell Simms, TV writer, screenwriter, author, producer and a member of the Writers Guild of America, who has been on the picket lines in Los Angeles. Then we speak with Alex Press, labor reporter and staff writer at Jacobin Magazine

The Takeaway
The WGA Strike Enters Week Three

The Takeaway

Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2023 7:58


The Writers Guild of America, which has over 11-thousand members, is entering week its third week of a work stoppage.  This is the first strike in 15 years, and comes at a time when the TV and film industry has seen some major changes in recent years. Amongst their demands, writers are seeking higher wages, better residuals, and assurances on the use of AI. First we hear from Monice Mitchell Simms, TV writer, screenwriter, author, producer and a member of the Writers Guild of America, who has been on the picket lines in Los Angeles. Then we speak with Alex Press, labor reporter and staff writer at Jacobin Magazine

Newsflash
681: Debt Ceiling Chaos: 30 Days To Financial Ruin

Newsflash

Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2023 39:24


Also, the First Republic collapse, Noam Chomsky and Jeffery Epstein, Trump and CNN, AOC endorsing Philly mayoral candidate Helen Gym and a May Day look at the Labor movement from Jacobin's Alex Press

The Bitchuation Room
Tucker and Teamsters with Wosny Lambre & Alex Press (Ep 179)

The Bitchuation Room

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2023 88:48


Fox News fires Tucker on a dime and the fallout will be juicy. Turns out Carlson was as vile off air as he was on air as a former staffer's lawsuit alleges. She also has tapes! Wosny Lambre of The Ringer joins to discuss that and Biden/Harris 2024. Joe's not throwing in the towel yet. He wants four more years to finish a job that no one has that much clarity on, including him. Then, the Teamsters are looking to strike in the summer for a better UPS contract that doesn't undercut workers. Alex Press of Jacobin joins to explain the evolution of the union under new president Sean O'Brien, and how its gearing up for a likely strike. Finally, a segment for all the good news in the world, "You Love to See It!". This time, Chile nationalizes lithium, students support Ralph Yarl, and Elon's rocket goes up in flames. Truly heartwarming stuff.Featuring: Wosny Lambre, https://www.instagram.com/bigwos Alex Press, https://twitter.com/alexnpress Read Alex's piece on UPS: https://jacobin.com/2023/02/teamsters-ups-contract-negotiation-strike-sean-obrien-rank-and-file Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Antifada
Ep 211 - The Union Makes us Sean w/ Alex Press

The Antifada

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2023 61:05


For full episode: http://patreon.com/theantifadaWe check in with labor reporter Alex Press about the Sean vanguard emerging in the UAW and Teamsters, if the the unions are moving left and if the left is moving closer to the working class, recent updates from Amazon, Starbucks, and Trader Joe's unionization drives, cross-border solidarity with Mexican and US autoworkers, reflections of striketober and the great resignation, something interesting Andy found in the trash, and much more!Articles by Alex Press:https://jacobin.com/2023/03/uaw-convention-bargaining-shawn-fain-reformhttps://jacobin.com/2023/03/amazon-third-party-sellers-small-businesseshttps://jacobin.com/2023/02/strike-increases-us-labor-movement-2022-statisticshttps://www.thenation.com/article/archive/construction-union-hudson-yards/https://newrepublic.com/article/153044/big-techs-unholy-alliance-pentagonhttps://jewishcurrents.org/from-the-ashes-of-the-oldhttps://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/01/nyregion/turbulent-labor-rally-snarls-midtown.htmlSong: The Press - Revolution Now!

The Bitchuation Room
Tucker and Teamsters with Wosny Lambre & Alex Press (Ep 179)

The Bitchuation Room

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2023 88:48


Fox News fires Tucker on a dime and the fallout will be juicy. Turns out Carlson was as vile off air as he was on air as a former staffer's lawsuit alleges. She also has tapes! Wosny Lambre of The Ringer joins to discuss that and Biden/Harris 2024. Joe's not throwing in the towel yet. He wants four more years to finish a job that no one has that much clarity on, including him. Then, the Teamsters are looking to strike in the summer for a better UPS contract that doesn't undercut workers. Alex Press of Jacobin joins to explain the evolution of the union under new president Sean O'Brien, and how its gearing up for a likely strike. Finally, a segment for all the good news in the world, "You Love to See It!". This time, Chile nationalizes lithium, students support Ralph Yarl, and Elon's rocket goes up in flames. Truly heartwarming stuff.Featuring: Wosny Lambre, https://www.instagram.com/bigwos Alex Press, https://twitter.com/alexnpress Read Alex's piece on UPS: https://jacobin.com/2023/02/teamsters-ups-contract-negotiation-strike-sean-obrien-rank-and-file Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Deconstructed
The Teamsters and the UAW Gear Up for Struggle

Deconstructed

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2023 76:49


Last month, the United Auto Workers took part in a historic election. Shawn Fain was elected president of the union, who represents a reform group, looking to give more power to its workers. At the same time, DHL workers have been engaged in a unionizing push, at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky airport; the Teamsters, a union with a rollercoaster of a history, are trying to organize the DHL workers. This week on Deconstructed, Ryan Grim is joined by Brandi Dale and Steve Fightmaster, two DHL workers active in the unionizing efforts at the airport. Then, Grim is joined by labor reporter Alex Press, who breaks down developments with the United Auto Workers leadership and provides an update on Amazon's unionization attempts.If you'd like to support our work, go to theintercept.com/give, where your donation, no matter what the amount, makes a real difference.And if you haven't already, please subscribe to the show so you can hear it every week. And please go and leave us a rating or a review — it helps people find the show. If you want to give us additional feedback, email us at Podcasts@theintercept.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Give Them An Argument
Season 5 Episode 10: The GTAA Labor Special (ft. RM Brown, Alex Press and José Sanchez)

Give Them An Argument

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2023 104:39


Ben is off this week while traveling, so Super-Producer Jake takes the reins for an episode on labor organizing! He welcomes famed Jacobin labor reporter Alex Press as well as rank and file organizer José Sanchez to discuss some of the biggest current organizing drives in America. Of particular relevance -- José is currently organizing with fellow grad students at Duke to form a union. Before that, the gang discusses extremely failed attempts to define the word "woke." On the post-game for GTAA patrons, the crew examines some of the wildest Alex Jones clips Andy could find.Follow Alex on Twitter: @alexnpressFollow José on Twitter: @comradesanchezFollow Ben on Twitter: @BenBurgisFollow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_ShowBecome a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from patron-exclusive postgames every Monday night to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:patreon.com/benburgisRead the weekly philosophy Substack:benburgis.substack.comVisit benburgis.com

Working People
A "Do or Die" Moment for the Academic Labor Movement (w/ Matt Thomas, Kristina Mensik, Bryan Sacks, & Todd Wolfson)

Working People

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2023 96:37


At colleges and universities across the country, a heated battle is playing out right now over workers' right to organize and have a say over how the institutions they keep afloat with their labor are run. From graduate student-worker unionization efforts and strikes at Temple University, the University of California, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern University, Northeastern University, the University of Chicago, and Indiana University, to faculty strikes (and near-strikes) at the University of Illinois at Chicago, The New School, Howard University, etc., to workers across the higher ed sector striking in the UK, the academic labor movement is one of the most explosive sites of labor struggle right now. Meanwhile, the administrative class is working overtime to not only slow down this movement, but to squash it altogether. As we speak, full-time and adjunct faculty at Rutgers University are prepared to strike for the first time in school history after months and months of bad-faith bargaining and union-busting from the university administration; at the same time, the Duke University administration has not only refused to acknowledge its graduate student-workers' right to unionize, but it has vowed to go to the National Labor Relations Board in the hopes of stripping that right from graduates at all private universities.  In this panel episode, we talk with worker-organizers from Duke and Rutgers about the struggles taking place at their institutions and across higher ed. Panelists include: Matt Thomas, a PhD student in the English Department at Duke University and co-chair of the Duke Graduate Student Union; Kristina Mensik, a PhD student in the Political Science Department at Duke University and a member of the Duke Graduate Student Union; Bryan Sacks, an adjunct professor of Religion and Philosophy at Rutgers and vice president of the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union (PTLFC-AAUP-AFT); Todd Wolfson, associate professor of Journalism and Media Studies at Rutgers and general vice president of Rutgers AAUP-AFT Additional links/info below... Duke Graduate Student Union website, Facebook page, Twitter page, and Instagram  Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union website and Twitter page Rutgers AAUP-AFT website, Facebook page, Twitter page, and Instagram  Higher Ed Labor United (HELU) website, Facebook page, Twitter page, and Instagram  Kristina's website and Twitter page Todd's faculty page and Twitter page Alex Press, Jacobin, "Duke University Is Trying to Turn Back Time on Graduate Worker Unions" Deepa Kumar, Truthout, "One of US's Largest Public Universities Could See First Strike in Its 257 Years" Nancy Solomon, Gothamist, "With 94% Vote, Rutgers Faculty Tells Union Leaders They Can Call a Strike" Indigo Olivier, Teen Vogue, "Graduate Unions: Why Student Workers at University of California, Temple, More Are Striking" Dave Kamper, Labor Notes, "What's Fueling the Graduate Worker Union Upsurge?" 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

The Takeaway
Prestige Won't Pay The Bills

The Takeaway

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2022 20:03


Last Thursday, more than 1,100 New York Times journalists and other staff members walked off the job in a historic 24 hour strike, punctuating nearly two years of contract negotiations over better compensation, pensions and healthcare benefits. Despite the image of prestige that working at a legacy news outlet conjures, workers describe being unable to make ends meet on the pay the Times provides.  The situation is similar for part-time faculty at The New School, a private university with a public image bolstered by its history of fostering radical inquiry. These 2,600 adjuncts teach nearly 90% of the school's classes, but many say they work multiple jobs due to low pay. The portion who were teaching this semester recently ended the longest adjunct strike in U.S. history — three weeks. These labor disputes are an expression of the inherent tension for mission-driven creative and intellectual workers: holding management accountable while continuing to be accountable to the public they serve. We're joined by Alex Press, labor reporter and staff writer at Jacobin Magazine, and Natasha Lennard, columnist at The Intercept and part-time faculty member at The New School.

The Takeaway
Prestige Won't Pay The Bills

The Takeaway

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2022 20:03


Last Thursday, more than 1,100 New York Times journalists and other staff members walked off the job in a historic 24 hour strike, punctuating nearly two years of contract negotiations over better compensation, pensions and healthcare benefits. Despite the image of prestige that working at a legacy news outlet conjures, workers describe being unable to make ends meet on the pay the Times provides.  The situation is similar for part-time faculty at The New School, a private university with a public image bolstered by its history of fostering radical inquiry. These 2,600 adjuncts teach nearly 90% of the school's classes, but many say they work multiple jobs due to low pay. The portion who were teaching this semester recently ended the longest adjunct strike in U.S. history — three weeks. These labor disputes are an expression of the inherent tension for mission-driven creative and intellectual workers: holding management accountable while continuing to be accountable to the public they serve. We're joined by Alex Press, labor reporter and staff writer at Jacobin Magazine, and Natasha Lennard, columnist at The Intercept and part-time faculty member at The New School.

Know Your Enemy
On Barbara Ehrenreich (w/ Alex Press & Gabriel Winant)

Know Your Enemy

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2022 95:10


This episode was unplanned, but when Barbara Ehrenreich died on September 1, 2022, we felt an urge to honor her memory and the profound influence she has had on the American left, socialism, feminism, and our collective thinking about class struggle. From her work in the women's health movement of the 1960s, to her theorizing (with  ex-husband John Ehrenreich) of the "professional-managerial class" in the 1970s, to her explorations of Reagan-era yuppie pathologies, and her renowned exposé of low-wage work in 2001's Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich has been an essential and nuanced guide to the inner-life of American class conflict in the latter half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st. To undertake this journey through an extraordinary body of work, we're joined by two brilliant writers who have both — in their own way — taken up  Ehrenreich's profound ethical and intellectual challenge: Alex Press, staff writer at Jacobin magazine (and KYE's favorite labor journalist); and returning guest Gabe Winant, University of Chicago historian and author of The Next Shift: The Fall of Industry and the Rise of Health Care.As Gabe writes in his stunning obituary last week, "Ehrenreich's specialty was to reveal her readers to themselves by showing them the other. Her humor and projection of personal vulnerability were particularly deft techniques for asking the reader to see their own position, often through identification with Ehrenreich: she invites this, beckoning you to follow her into her subject, and then suddenly wheels around on you—and you are caught out." We hope this episode can manage something of that technique for the listener, that you might find yourself "caught out" too, thinking deeply about where you fit into the story Barbara is telling — and what it might call on you to do, fight for, or think harder about. Enjoy.  Further Reading: Barbara & John Ehrenreich, "The Professional-Managerial Class," Radical America, March 1977. — "The New Left and the Professional Managerial Class," Radical America, May 1977.— "Death of a Yuppie Dream," Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, Feb 2013. Barbara Ehrenreich & Deirdre English, Witches, Midwives, and Nurses: A History of Women Healers, The Feminist Press, 1973.Barbara Ehrenreich, Fear of Falling: The Inner Life of the Middle Class, Pantheon, 1989. Barbara Ehrenreich, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, Metropolitan, 2001. Barbara Ehrenreich, "Preface to Klaus Theweleit's Male Fantasies Volume 1: Women, Floods, Bodies, History," U of Minnesota Press, 1987. Gabriel Winant, "On Barbara Ehrenreich," n+1, Sept 9, 2022. — "Professional-Managerial Chasm," n+1, Oct 10, 2019. — "The Right Kind of Worker," Know Your Enemy, May 2022. Alex Press, "On the Origins of the Professional-Managerial Class: An Interview with Barbara Ehrenreich." Dissent, Oct 22, 2019. David Rieff, "White Bread, White Dread (review of Fear of Falling)," LA Times, Aug 20, 1989.   This episode of Know Your Enemy is dedicated to Barbara Ehrenreich (1941-2022) and all those who loved and learned from her.

The Takeaway
Twerking-Class Heroes

The Takeaway

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 26, 2022 20:49


For the past few months, the Star Garden Topless Dive Bar in North Hollywood has been the site of an effort to form the first union for strippers in the U.S. in 25 years. While stripping may seem like an unlikely profession to unionize due to the "gig" nature of the work, the dancers say they are defying stereotypes about sex work and proving that every worker deserves a union.  "I want this campaign to hopefully inspire and motivate other dancers and other sex workers to stand up for themselves and stand up for each other and know that there is a community," Reagan, an organizer at Star Garden told The Takeaway. The same energy animating the Star Garden dancers has been inspiring workers across many industries. According to a Bloomberg Law analysis of National Labor Relations Board data, there were more successful union elections in the first half of this year than in the first half of any other year since 2005. We hear from Alex Press, labor journalist with Jacobin Magazine, about how workers can leverage this energy into workplace power.  

Left Reckoning
69 - Uvalde, Texas GOP Dithers, & Dollar General Say Enough ft. Alex Press

Left Reckoning

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2022 82:47


Get the postgame and sunday patreon shows at patreon.com/leftreckoning!David & Matt talk about the latest horror in Texas. And Alex Press (@alexnpress) joins us to talk about how Dollar General workers are fighting for a better life. https://jacobin.com/2022/05/dollar-general-workers-shareholder-rally-pay-safety

Jacobin Radio
Dig: The Return of Labor Militancy

Jacobin Radio

Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2022 103:12


Live from New York: Dan interviews Amazon Labor Union president Chris Smalls, Jaz Brisack of Starbucks Workers United, SEIU Local 1199NE president Rob Baril, Jacobin writer Alex Press, and Labor Notes writer Luis Feliz Leon on the return of labor militancy that we see sweeping Amazon, Starbucks, and workplaces all around the US.Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Dig
The Return of Labor Militancy

The Dig

Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2022 103:13


Live from New York: Dan interviews Amazon Labor Union president Chris Smalls, Jaz Brisack of Starbucks Workers United, SEIU Local 1199NE president Rob Baril, Jacobin writer Alex Press, and Labor Notes writer Luis Feliz Leon on the return of labor militancy that we see sweeping Amazon, Starbucks, and workplaces all around the US. Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig

The Majority Report with Sam Seder
2818 - Labor Action Sweeps The Nation & A Way To Ending US Wars w/ Alex Press & Daniel Bessner

The Majority Report with Sam Seder

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2022 75:19


Emma hosts Alex Press, writer at Jacobin, to discuss her recent pieces on the burgeoning labor movement countrywide and Eric Adams's homelessness policies. Then Emma is joined by Daniel Bessner, co-host of the American Prestige podcast on SubStack, to discuss his recent brief for the Quincy Institute, "Ending Primacy to End U.S. Wars." Emma and Alex begin Eric Adams' front-facing assault on the homeless, including the NYPD's terror unit conducting an encampment sweep while a literal terrorist wandered the city, diving into his pointlessly expensive muscle-flexing of boosting the NYPD budget alongside cutting homeless services, before diving into his blame of protesters and parents for the deaths of Black teenagers by gunshot. Next, they swing over to Alex's labor reporting, as she first contextualizes the recent discourse over unionization within the ever-falling rate of unions in the US, before looking into the positives we have seen in the wake of the Great Resignation of 2020. However, she then discusses the move from the individual action of this wave of resignation, to the collective action we've seen particularly amongst Starbucks and Amazon workers, as we begin to switch from temporary improvements for ourselves to bolstering the protections for workers and our colleagues as a whole, walking through the story of the unionization of the JFK-8 Amazon fulfillment center and the corporate neglect that lead to it. They wrap up the interview by touching on the labor movement amongst truckers in LA and Long Beach as Alex and Emma explore Biden's improved NLRB and the genuine actions they're taking to protect workers in the ever-evolving gig economy. Then, Daniel joins as he and Emma walk through the evolution of US armed primacy, first assessing its beginnings on the global stage in the wake of WW2, before walking through how it developed in the century before that, with the US simply containing their action as an expansionist power to the Western hemisphere. Next, they walk through the developments of the ‘30s and ‘40s that lead American elites to worry about their place on the global stage, and push us to become the hegemonic powers we see today. After discussing our armed primacy throughout the Cold War, they discuss our turn to the Middle East in the wake of the fall of the Berlin Wall, how we used it to legitimize keeping our place as the world's police, and how it set us on a collision course with Iraq, before wrapping up the interview with the concept of a turn to the pacific, and what the future of armed primacy (and hopefully its decline) could look like. Emma also touches on PR pro-Eric Adam's NYPD flaunting the arrest of Frank James, despite them having absolutely nothing to do with it. And in the Fun Half: Emma is joined by Matt and Brandon as they watch Charlie Kirk discuss horizontal organizing… of houses, MTG goes to notorious feminist Matt Gaetz as he flies in to rescue her from BULLY Jimmy Kimmel, and Brandon gets into the feminization of videogames in the wake of gamer gates' crackdown on giggle physics. Evan from NJ discusses Ukrainians returning to their homes, and gets Matt to dive into the new Q Anon documentary, before they discuss TN Senator Frank Niceley's discussion of Hitler's unproductive attitude, Rachel Duffy's going all-in on promoting wage cucking, and Dave from Jamaica engages in a fantastic conversation on the categorizations we use in sports, plus, your calls and IMs!   Check out Alex's work at Jacobin here: https://www.jacobinmag.com/author/alex-press   Check out Dan's Quincy Institute brief here: https://quincyinst.org/report/ending-primacy-to-end-u-s-wars/   Purchase tickets for the live show in Boston on May 15th HERE:   https://majorityreportradio.com/live-show-schedule Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com: https://fans.fm/majority/join Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here:  https://madmimi.com/signups/170390/join Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Support the St. Vincent Nurses today! https://action.massnurses.org/we-stand-with-st-vincents-nurses/ Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on Youtube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Subscribe to Matt's other show Literary Hangover on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/literaryhangover Check out The Nomiki Show on YouTube. https://www.patreon.com/thenomikishow Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out The Letterhack's upcoming Kickstarter project for his new graphic novel! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/milagrocomic/milagro-heroe-de-las-calles Check out Jamie's podcast, The Antifada. https://www.patreon.com/theantifada, on iTunes, or at https://www.twitch.tv/theantifada (streaming every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7pm ET!) Subscribe to Discourse Blog, a newsletter and website for progressive essays and related fun partly run by AM Quickie writer Jack Crosbie. https://discourseblog.com/ Subscribe to AM Quickie writer Corey Pein's podcast News from Nowhere. https://www.patreon.com/newsfromnowhere  Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattBinder @MattLech @BF1nn @BradKAlsop The Majority Report with Sam Seder - https://majorityreportradio.com/

The Rick Smith Show
The Rick Smith Show | 1-13-22 (1st Hour)

The Rick Smith Show

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2022 59:30


Yet another corporation finds out what happens when you exploit working people, hospitals struggle under the weight of a massive onslaught of Covid cases, and workers take aim at Amazon and fight for better schools as well. That and more on tonight's #RickShow. Our guests tonight are:Alex Press of Jacobin MagazineBrian Alexander, Author of “The Hospital”Dan Brown Jr, Sponsor of the “We Want Made In USA” petition to AmazonDeborah Gordon Klehr, Executive Director of the Education Law CenterCall-in at 1-866-416-RICK (7425) to join the show.Want more #RickShow? Go to https://www.thericksmithshow.comThe Rick Smith Show streams live every weeknight from 9p-11p EST on YouTube & Twitch TV, and the show runs every night in prime time on Free Speech TV starting in January 2022. Be sure to add the FSTV channel on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, on the FSTV iOS app, or find it in the regular channel lineup on DirecTV or Dish.Radio listeners – You can find us in most major markets, including New York City on WBAI 99.5 FM, Los Angeles on KPFK 90.7 FM, Chicago on WCPT AM 820, Columbus on 98.3/92.7 FM, Minneapolis on AM950, and many others. Check your local listings.Questions or comments? Email Rick@thericksmithshow.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Rick Smith Show
Alex Press of Jacobin on Working Conditions at Kroger

The Rick Smith Show

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2022 18:00


Alex Press of Jacobin exposes some terrible working conditions at Kroger, and explains why workers there just voted to go out on strike. Some of the stories are simply astonishing.Call-in at 1-866-416-RICK (7425) to join the show.Want more #RickShow? Go to https://www.thericksmithshow.comThe Rick Smith Show streams live every weeknight from 9p-11p EST on YouTube & Twitch TV, and the show runs every night in prime time on Free Speech TV starting in January 2022. Be sure to add the FSTV channel on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, on the FSTV iOS app, or find it in the regular channel lineup on DirecTV or Dish.Radio listeners – You can find us in most major markets, including New York City on WBAI 99.5 FM, Los Angeles on KPFK 90.7 FM, Chicago on WCPT AM 820, Columbus on 98.3/92.7 FM, Minneapolis on AM950, and many others. Check your local listings.Questions or comments? Email Rick@thericksmithshow.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Rick Smith Show
The Rick Smith Show | 1-13-22 (2nd Hour)

The Rick Smith Show

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2022 59:30


Yet another corporation finds out what happens when you exploit working people, hospitals struggle under the weight of a massive onslaught of Covid cases, and workers take aim at Amazon and fight for better schools as well. That and more on tonight's #RickShow. Our guests tonight are:Alex Press of Jacobin MagazineBrian Alexander, Author of “The Hospital”Dan Brown Jr, Sponsor of the “We Want Made In USA” petition to AmazonDeborah Gordon Klehr, Executive Director of the Education Law CenterCall-in at 1-866-416-RICK (7425) to join the show.Want more #RickShow? Go to https://www.thericksmithshow.comThe Rick Smith Show streams live every weeknight from 9p-11p EST on YouTube & Twitch TV, and the show runs every night in prime time on Free Speech TV starting in January 2022. Be sure to add the FSTV channel on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, on the FSTV iOS app, or find it in the regular channel lineup on DirecTV or Dish.Radio listeners – You can find us in most major markets, including New York City on WBAI 99.5 FM, Los Angeles on KPFK 90.7 FM, Chicago on WCPT AM 820, Columbus on 98.3/92.7 FM, Minneapolis on AM950, and many others. Check your local listings.Questions or comments? Email Rick@thericksmithshow.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Rick Smith Show
Alex Press of Jacobin on the IATSE Contract That Almost Wasn‘t

The Rick Smith Show

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2021 18:00


Alex joins the show to talk about the new contract that saved Hollywood from a crippling strike ... and how close it came to being voted down. Want more #RickShow? Go to https://www.thericksmithshow.com The Rick Smith Show streams live every weeknight from 9p-11p EST on YouTube, and you can catch up on what you miss twice a week on Free Speech TV: Wednesday night @ 9pm EST Saturday night @ 6pm EST Be sure to add the FSTV channel on Apple TV or Roku or find us in the regular channel lineup on DirecTV or Dish. Radio listeners – You can find us in most major markets, including New York City on WBAI 99.5 FM, Los Angeles on KPFK 90.7 FM, Chicago on WCPT AM 820, and many others. Check your local listings. Questions or comments? Email Rick@thericksmithshow.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Rick Smith Show
The Rick Smith Show | 11-17-21 (2nd Hour)

The Rick Smith Show

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2021 59:30


As former New Jersey Governor and Trump doormat Chris Christie attempts a redemption tour on all the major networks, we discuss the possible coming of the post-Trump pivot, and why it should be rejected before it ever begins. We also discuss breaking news in the IATSE contract vote, and several other #Strikesgiving stories. Our guests tonight are: Alex Press of Jacobin Magazine Scott Paul of The Alliance for American Manufacturing Tony DiPerna of the International Masonry Institute Former Congressman Bob Ney Want more #RickShow? Go to https://www.thericksmithshow.com The Rick Smith Show streams live every weeknight from 9p-11p EST on YouTube, and you can catch up on what you miss twice a week on Free Speech TV: Wednesday night @ 9pm EST Saturday night @ 6pm EST Be sure to add the FSTV channel on Apple TV or Roku or find us in the regular channel lineup on DirecTV or Dish. Radio listeners – You can find us in most major markets, including New York City on WBAI 99.5 FM, Los Angeles on KPFK 90.7 FM, Chicago on WCPT AM 820, and many others. Check your local listings. Questions or comments? Email Rick@thericksmithshow.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.