Podcasts about labor education

After a 74-hour strike by 1,000 workers, the Nexperia Philippines Workers' Union secured the reinstatement of union leaders Mary Ann Castillo (president) and Girlie Battad (union official), along with a PHP50 (US$0.87) wage increase over three years. My guest today is Rochelle Porras from Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research in the Philippines.

Hey! Today on The Labor Room Podcast we are talking about True vs False labor and how to know whether or not you're having real labor contractions or if they are just a run of annoying braxton hicks contractions. It can be confusing if you're a new mom but in this episode we will go over: 5 things to look for to determine whether or not it's the real thing3 things to try if you're experiencing uncomfortable false labor5 ways you'll know for sure that this is true labor or notConnect with Heather:@alifeinlaborhttps://alifeinlabor.comResources Mentioned in the episode:The Labor and Delivery GuideThe Week By Week Pregnancy Sequence - FreeThe Empowered Birth Academy - $50 off with the code THELABORROOMJoin the Conversation:  The Labor Room Facebook group is a place to connect with other moms for support.CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth, breastfeeding, and baby care courses that will help you feel prepared and empowered on your journey to and through motherhood.And be sure to follow @alifeinlabor on instagram to join our little community of mamas who are navigating this stage of life right along side you.Support the Show.Support the Show.

The United Auto Workers are the latest group to join what’s been called the “summer of strikes.” Members of the Writer’s Guild of America continue their monthslong strike, along with the actor’s union SAG-AFTRA. Several Pacific Northwest organizations have gone on strike this summer as well, from teachers to nurses to bookstore employees. Meanwhile, Oregon’s unemployment rate is as low as it’s ever been at 3.4%. Joining us to talk about the myriad factors affecting Oregon’s labor force is Mark Brenner, co-director of the Labor Education and Research Center at the University of Oregon.

As we are on the brink of yet another strike (this time with the United Auto Workers), the Summer of Strikes rages on. We spend the first of the hour talking to Michael Childers, Professor at UW Madison's Department of Labor Education and the co-chair of the UW's School for Workers, about the general zeitgeist of unions, labors and working reclaiming power. Then we welcome back Bob Bonadurer, Milwaukee Public Museum's Planetarium Director, about August 30th's Super Blue Moon! Guests: Bob Bonadurer, Michael Childers

An Approach to Labor Education by

When you hear the words “child labor,” your mind may go to the turn-of-the-century photographs taken by Jacob Riis and Lewis Hine of the grim lives of tiny laborers toiling in mines and urban sweatshops. But recent news reports have revealed that child labor is alive and well in the United States in 2023. Jack Hodgson, a visiting professor in history at the University of Roehampton, joins the Belabored podcast to discuss child labor throughout U.S. history and in the context of labor and civil rights struggles that continue to this day. Late last year, SAG-AFTRA introduced two new podcast contracts that make it easy for producers to be flexible and creative in covering their podcasts at all budgets. Sue-Anne Morrow, National Director/Contract Strategic Initiatives & Podcasts at SAG-AFTRA, walks us through the details of these new agreements on the SAG-AFTRA podcast. From On The Line: Stories of BC Workers a remarkable but relatively unknown chapter of working-class solidarity. While waves of sympathy strikes to support the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike took place across Canada, the most pronounced of these was in Vancouver, B.C. Even after workers returned to their jobs, 325 women telephone operators stayed out for another two weeks. Our final segment today is from Labor History Today. A few weeks in the little town of Windber, Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Labor History Society and The Battle of Homestead Foundation were holding their “Annual Commemoration of the History of Working People” a daylong program on the United Mine Workers' 1922-23 Windber strike for union recognition, discussions on “Women in Coal and Steel” and “John Brophy and Labor Education”. Please help us build sonic solidarity by clicking on the share button below. Highlights from labor radio and podcast shows around the country, part of the national Labor Radio Podcast Network of shows focusing on working people's issues and concerns. #LaborRadioPod @AFLCIO @WorkingPod @DissentMag @sagaftra @BC_LHC Edited by Patrick Dixon and Mel Smith, produced by Chris Garlock; social media guru Mr. Harold Phillips.

Yesterday I drove a few hours west through howling wind and driving rain to the little town of Windber, Pennsylvania; a couple miles from Johnstown. The Pennsylvania Labor History Society and The Battle of Homestead Foundation were holding their “Annual Commemoration of the History of Working People” and despite the rough weather the basement hall at the Slovak Educational Club soon filled up with folks eager to hear a daylong program that included commemorating the United Mine Workers 1922-23 Windber strike for union recognition, discussions on “Women in Coal and Steel” and “John Brophy and Labor Education”. As folks sipped their hot coffee and munched on donuts, “Coal Miners' Balladeer” Tom Breiding regaled them with labor songs.   - Chris Garlock NOTE: the last speaker talking about her student days of organizing and diapering her children on the university president's desk  was not Bonnie Boyer but Amy Niehouse. On this week's Labor History in Two:  The year was 1937. That was the day workers sat down at the Hershey chocolate plant in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome, and to find out how you can be a part of Labor History Today, email us at LaborHistoryToday@gmail.com Labor History Today is produced by Union City Radio and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor. #LaborRadioPod #History #WorkingClass #ClassStruggle @GeorgetownKILWP #LaborHistory @UMDMLA @ILLaborHistory @AFLCIO @StrikeHistory #LaborHistory @wrkclasshistory  @HomesteadFdn

Tuesday, March 14th 2023, historian Keri Leigh Merritt returns to This is Hell! is co-editor of the collection, "After Life: A Collective History of Loss and Redemption in Pandemic America." This episode also features this week in Rotten History and new responses to the Question from Hell! Keri Leigh was a guest on the show back in 2017 to discuss a book that was selected as one of our listeners favorites of the year, "Masterless Men: Poor Whites and Slavery in the Antebellum South." Keri Leigh Merritt is a historian, editor and an independent scholar. She earned her B.A. from Emory University and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. Her first book, Masterless Men: Poor Whites and Slavery in the Antebellum South (Cambridge University Press, 2017), won both the Bennett Wall Award from the Southern Historical Association, honoring the best book in Southern economic or business history published in the previous two years, as well as the President's Book Award from the Social Science History Association. Merritt is also co-editor, with Matthew Hild, of Reconsidering Southern Labor History: Race, Class, and Power (University Press of Florida, 2018), which won the 2019 Best Book Award from the UALE (United Association for Labor Education). She is currently working on two book-length projects for trade presses. Merritt also writes for the public, and has had letters and essays published in a variety of outlets. Most recently she released a self-narrated audiobook version of Masterless Men, and launched her history-based YouTube Channel “Merrittocracy.”

March 5-11 is Women In Construction Week and we would like to highlight some of the great work being done by women in this space. From reducing stigma to creating a safe work environment both physically and emotionally, these two Ironworkers are forging a path for other women to follow. Erin Craw talks to Heather Kurtenbach and Vicki O'Leary about the changing landscape of the construction industry and how they plan to continue making it less intimidating for women to jump into this profession. While construction has predominantly been a man-dominated industry, times are changing. Women make up about 14% of the Construction Workforce but the numbers continue to grow. Heather Kurtenbach has been an Ironworker for 18 years, finishing her apprenticeship in 2009. She went on to become a foreman, GF, instructor, and now a Business Agent for her Local, Ironworkers Local 86 in Tukwila, WA.Vicki O'Leary joined Ironworkers International in January 2016. Since that time, she became Chair of the North American Building Trades Union (NABTU) Tradeswomen's Committee. She is a 30+ year member of Ironworkers Local #1 in Chicago. She completed her triple major Bachelor of Arts degree in Union Leadership & Administration, Labor Education & Labor Studies from the National Labor College (2008) and obtained her Master of Arts Degree from Gonzaga University in Organizational Leadership (2012). She has also graduated from the Harvard Trade Union Program (HTUP- 2018) along with Cornell's National Labor Leadership Initiative (NLLI- 2018). She passionately strives for equal opportunity for all ironworkers - one that is free from bullying, harassment, and intimidation.

Last updated : 2023.01.02 The latest news from home and abroad, with a close eye on Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula in particular

In an earlier era, a vibrant labor movement nurtured a broad middle class. But half-a-century ago, under severe attack from corporations, the fortunes of organized labor began to turn for the worse.Right now, though, we are seeing hopeful signs of a revival of union power, explains Mark Brenner, an economist and co-director of the Labor Education and Research Center (LERC) at the University of Oregon. Mark discusses the past and present state of the labor movement.Few workers face greater challenges than farmworkers, who endure low-pay and dangerous working conditions while performing truly essential work. In the second half of the show, Reyna Lopez, executive director of Pineros Y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), discusses the challenges faced by Oregon's farmworker movement, as well as its achievements and aspirations.

April 21, 2022--On Corporations and Democracy, Steve & Annie discuss “A New Day for Labor” with Mark Brenner, Co-Director of the Labor Education and Research Center at the University of Oregon, and past writer for Labor Notes.

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Keri Leigh Merritt. She is a historian who focuses on issues of equality and poverty in America. Her book, "Masterless Men: Poor Whites and Slavery is the Antebellum South" won the 2018 Bennett H. Wall Award from the Southern Historical Association. Along with Dr. Matthew Hild, she edited "Reconsidering Southern Labor History: Race, Class, and Power" the 2019 Best Book Awards winner from the United Association for Labor Education. She hosts the podcast Merrittocracy, and she is currently working on a Civil War documentary and a project on Lillian Smith. We speak with her about history, class, race, and Lillian Smith.

The half hour episode explores how organisations in different countries from across the Clean Clothes Campaign network supported workers in the time of COVID. In this episode, we hear how: Community mobilisation defended a garment worker in Romania; Trade unions and worker organisations made gains in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka; The effects of the pandemic in Turkey has led to a re-think on future campaigns to support worker rights; Plus thoughts and reflections on the impact of COVID on worker organising.Please share your feedback, comments and questions, by emailing: podcast@cleanclothes.orgSpeakers:Laura Stefanut, campaigner and former investigative journalist, RomaniaAnton Marcus, Joint Secretary of FTZ&GSEU (Free Trade Zone and General Services Employees Union), Sri LankaKalpona Akter, Executive Director of BCWS (Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity)Bego Demir, Clean Clothes Campaign, TurkeyChristie Miedema, Clean Clothes Campaign International Office, NetherlandsMandy Felicia, EILER (Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research), PhilippinesHost: Febriana Firdaus (febrianafirdaus.com)Sound Engineering Support:  Steve Adam (www.spectrosonics.com.au)Producer: Matthew AbudClean Clothes Podcast Team: Anne Dekker, Johnson Ching-Yin Yeung, Liz Parker, Tanne de GoeiFull Transcript HOSTWelcome to the first episode of the first series of the Clean Clothes podcast. I'm Febriana Firdaus.  As this episode is being produced, we've all heard terrible news out of Myanmar, with the military overthrow of the elected parliament. From all of us on the podcast, and certainly everyone in Clean Clothes, we want to express our solidarity and support to everyone from our network in Myanmar.  And to all the people of that country who stand for democracy, and for human rights and the rights of workers.  We're also sending our solidarity to my co-host, Manny Maung – she's completely caught up now, in the response to the military coup.  We'll have more to say from Clean Clothes, at the end of the show. We know that under COVID, brands have cancelled orders and refused to pay for completed work.  Many suppliers have cut wages and fired workers, who have far too often also been excluded from social safety nets and other support. In Romania one worker, Angelica Manole, protested against her wage cut.  Laura Stefanut is a former investigative journalist there, who got involved in the campaign. She tells the story.  LAURAAngelica is a brave worker who spoke about the fact that she was only paid about one hundred and forty Euros for one month's work. Each day she worked at least eight hours a day and she was paid like about half the minimum legal wage in Romania. So she spoke about this on Facebook. I believe she was the first garment worker that was so outspoken and so open to speaking to journalists and to Facebook friends. That's how we found out.  The company Tanex where Angelica was working, they're among the biggest garment factories in Romania. Certainly they're a famous factory. They were actually in the past they were trying to attract workers by saying that they pay more than other factories because as you probably know, in Romania workers are only paid the minimum wage, they work extra hours many times unpaid, the living wage is way above the legal minimum wage here so we're talking about people who work but stay poor.  At the factory what they did when the inspection went there, they said that she didn't work actually. So basically they lied, they said that she didn't come to work. But then you know it was a public scandal, I mean I helped her write some complaints to the Ministry of Labour, to the worker inspection, I also myself wrote complaints. I also contacted the Labour Ministry in Romania directly by phone and I was promised that things would be resolved and somehow they were, I mean there was another inspection which found the first inspection was wrong, and actually the factory did not register any absence of the worker, she was obviously there. So they fined the factory. Angelica was fired by Tanex. So even having all the national media's attention on you, even having strong figures who are taking your side like the Minister itself, she was still fired by the factory. Why, the factory wrote that she was fired because she spoke to the media.  I decided to generate a fundraising for Angelica, so we can cover the costs for her during the trial which lasted at least six months and have her paid the minimum salary, what she had at the factory. And it was amazing, in less than two days all the money were raised and there was huge support for Angelica from the public, you know, they were like cheering her, and actually so much money was raised that we were able to help three persons who were laid off from the factory. I think that this was utterly important, because the factories try to show that if you don't do exactly what the factory wants you to do, then you are, it's game over for you. And it usually is you know, so it's so important to show that the community can support you in such cases. It's utterly important.  Then I proposed this Urgent Appeal to the Clean Clothes Campaign on Angelica's case because I thought it made all the sense. She was very involved, she was very active, we knew the brands, we had a lot of data on the factory. They contacted the brands that were headquartered in those specific countries. At first it didn't seem to go well because the brands were reluctant, they were saying we were not right, the factories were saying everything is ok, look. So the CCC actually provided proof of these fines, and proof that the factory was actually lying to the brands. And they finally you know, they were convinced.  All the workers were paid. This was indeed a victory, even those who were fired, they were finally given the money, all the money they were owed. But this was just a case where everybody got involved you know. There are over one hundred and twenty thousand workers in this industry, like legally registered. So in order to make things work like for a bigger length of time, you have to have the people inside who know their rights, who are organised in one way or another.  There was a trade union, Unicomf, which was pretty active meaning that they heard about the case, they went there, they tried to get inside the factory, they were not allowed. So then they pushed together with the help of the brands and they were allowed inside the factory, they could talk to workers. But after this point they couldn't form a trade union. So they said Ok, guys we did what we could, we went there, we presented the case. If the workers didn't get subscribed then we cannot waste much resources because we don't have so much resources. Which I can understand, but at the same time we know that community organising or forming a trade union somewhere, it takes a lot of time and patience and some resources. They were helpful, but unfortunately a trade union was not formed there.  Things would not have been solved for the workers there, they would not have received their salaries, if there was not an international involvement and push. If you are not bullet proof when you go to war then they destroy you because the way they're lying, it's so you know natural I was shocked. I was shocked to see it, yeah. It's good to have the proof there, and to have as many witnesses as you can and as many documents as you can so when you go you just punch them and it's knockout.  HOSTThat's Laura Stefanut from Romania.  Angelica Manole was offered her old job back before the court case – but refused it. She's since found another job in her community.  COVID has hit garment workers hard in factories across the world. But the impacts and the responses are far from uniform.  A critical factor is the political space that trade unions can claim, along with other worker support organisations.  Our producer Matthew Abud, takes a look at the experiences of two South Asia countries, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. REPORTERIn Sri Lanka, a sudden lockdown in March left tens of thousands of garment workers stranded in Free Trade Zones, far from home villages and community networks of support.  The Free Trade Zone and General Services Employees Union, organised food rations, and also petitioned the government to help workers get back home.  In April the lockdown eased. Anton Marcus, is the union's Joint Secretary.  ANTONAnd then the government gradually reopened the factories. At that time we proposed the government to set up a tripartite task force to deal with the labour matters, because we told the government this is the time we have to come together. Because even the employers, or the government, or the trade unions cannot face these challenges alone. REPORTER The government had to move on the Task Force for several reasons.  ANTONBecause it very seriously impact on the export sector, and so our union is the majority union who represents the export sector employees. The other was at that time the government was preparing an election, general election. So politically they were very nervous,  that if there is any campaign or any protest, it will impact on their election result. So that is why the government had to appoint this task force.  REPORTERSocial distancing requirements meant factories couldn't re-start with a full workforce.  ANTON Then the employers took up the position that they're not in the position to pay the wages for the workers who are not reporting for work. At the beginning they said there are about five hundred thousand employees in the apparel sector, they want to dismiss three hundred thousand. So we said no way, because workers has to manage with their own. After we got the assurance that no-one will be dismissed, and then we said ok, we are agreed to introduce rotational system.  REPORTERAs well as defending jobs, through the Tripartite Task Force, Anton Marcus's union also negotiated financial support.  The eventual agreement meant that workers would not receive less than seventy five percent of their previous wage, even if they were not working.  In Bangladesh meanwhile, a recent report says over three hundred and fifty thousand garment workers lost their jobs.[1] As in Sri Lanka and other countries, unions mobilised to get food to workers.  Kalpona Akter is Executive Director of the labour rights advocacy organisation, Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity.  She says order cancellations by brands, and factory closures, brought fear and repression.  KALPONABut you know the workers' situation was more dire when factory management is started hand-picking them and firing. Like, pregnant workers was targeted, like they were like hand-picking these leaders and firing them. Many cases, I mean most of cases they didn't get the severances even. And one case I should mention that, the retaliation went that end that the factory kidnapped one of the union office-bearers middle of the night, and we had to jump on and we had to start fighting and keep calling all the polices and every security agency we can, to make sure that the guy not take away and he's not shipping to anywhere. And you know, we had been succeeded because we respond very rapidly on that but the factory keep doing retaliation to these workers as well. And lately our federation also facing that. But you know in general, this is what kind of freedom of association violations that our workers was facing. They were going in both ways, some of them was really afraid, that they don't want to raise voice because they will be lose their jobs which they cannot afford. And some of them really really says no, we have to fight back.  REPORTERYet along with the hardship, unions in both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have been able to build on their many responses, to boost membership. For Anton's union, this started by making sure workers were aware of how their rights had been defended.  This defense included stopping employer efforts to cut overtime payments, and to reduce labour law protections.  ANTONBecause of our intervention in the Tripartite Task Force, we got these kind of protective measures. And then we published, because worker don't know, workers don't know about these things. And the employers also hiding. So we published in the newspaper the basic thing of the Task Force decisions, and then we distributed the leaflets to raise the awareness among the workers about their rights under the pandemic, and as a result of our intervention some of the factory workers contacted us and they organised unions now. We got more than two thousand new members. So we supported them, and as a result they become members of our union.    REPORTERKalpona says while union membership initially dropped, unrelenting effort turned that around in mid-2020.  This includes her own organisation, which as a grassroots operation, has tens of thousands of solidarity members.  KALPONALike last, first few weeks, few months, we have been seen that it is decreasing enormously because then were so much fear just, they were focusing just to save their jobs, so they have money and they can feed themselves, at least they can live, you know, alive. I think we have been done our organising good in June July, during those two three months. And then from end of August it has been turning around and workers started coming to our centre in person. And we had to open the centre for them as well. So we took our life risk because they're taking risk as well.  So it is been turn back and now I think that workers are more strong enough to do organising though they knows that there might be so many consequences. They knows that they need to fight..  REPORTERKalpona thinks the emphasis of some labour organising may need to shift.  KALPONAThe COVID is not going like overnight or over year, it's a long run thing that we have in our planet now. So you know, if it is goes long then it will be consequences with the business, and if it is consequences with business that will be directly affect to the workers. So that in one way we feel we have more responsibility to work with government, manufacturers and brands, to make sure that our workers has unemployment insurance, has social security. So those are the areas will be focusing or working on more these days.  REPORTERAnton also sees several future challenges.  ANTONEmployers are very much getting, come together with the government. And we know that gradually the Army presence is getting increase in Sri Lanka, all the things are now undertaken by Army. So we see that there is a challenge. And maybe there will be a kind of a repression on us, so we have to be ready to face these challenges.  This is the good opportunity for workers to understand how important is the global solidarity, because this is the global challenge. We cannot find solution nationally. So therefore, we use this opportunity to educate the workers how important the global solidarity. And we want to see that the global unions and the other campaign organisations who are supporting for the employees, has to come together.  HOSTAnton Marcus ending that report from Matthew Abud. In Turkey the challenges to organising and supporting workers impacted by COVID has a different context.  After the attempted coup d'etat in 2016, the government cracked down on civil society, arresting thousands and shutting down many non-government organisations.  The coup's impact on trade unions and other worker support organisations remains profound. Bego Demir is with Clean Clothes Campaign in Turkey.  BEGOThe formulation of union also is changed. Like some union is also very close to government, like they organise factories when you check their numbers it's rising, but the worker, the union who actually support the workers right, which is like they work independently when you check their number it's going down. Like, clearly you understand from that picture like there is pressure like and effort from the government behind it.  HOSTThe structure of Turkey's garment sector also has a big role.  BEGOThe supply chain is big and it's differently formulated than other countries. You can see a lot of Tier 3, Tier 4 factories with just a few workers. Those small factories are unregistered, the workers work are unregistered, so unregistered workers, they don't have any rights.  HOST Bego says this means that, during the short lockdown in March, workers relied on family and community networks to survive – unions only had a minor role.  Unlike elsewhere, brands didn't cancel orders, likely because Turkey is so close to European consumer markets.  Factory workers were also exempted from later lockdown.  But they travelled and worked in crowded conditions where social distancing was impossible.  That meant a change of campaign tactics was needed. BEGOAt the first when Clean Clothes Campaign start their campaign, Pay Up Campaign, pay your workers campaign, so we joined that campaign but we saw the campaign is not covering all textile needs. So we start a campaign here as COVID to be recognised an occupational disease. Because legally when a worker has an occupational disease, doesn't matter when it's registered or unregistered, government have to give their rights. Because like, one hundred twenty one countries accepted like recognised COVID like occupational disease for health sector. So we so not just for health sector, for all workers. We get support for the campaign from all doctors, from like health sector as well, so we hope they will accept it, but it is a big challenge because it will be new. Let's see the result.  HOSTWithout this measure, unregistered workers can't get official support if they become sick with COVID.  Unregistered workers also can't legally join unions.  Over the longer term, protecting any of their rights – including health, or wages, or freedom of association – means this has to change.  BEGOWe reorganised our future structure. We were mostly focused on the living wage, on the workers' rights, but one of our main campaigns in future will be a way to register workers. Now we also spoke with some other partner in Turkey, some other NGOs, and they all realised that's a big problem. So in the future, somehow we need to push the government to make it work. I think like the reason government is not very strong to make all worker being registered, they want to attract people, attract brand especially, so they want to be in a competition with China. We want to change that, we want to convince them that cannot be a benefit for country.  HOST That's Bego Demir, from Clean Clothes in Turkey.  We've looked at several different examples of building trade unions and worker organisations, and defending rights in the time of COVID.   We asked Christie Miedema CHRISTIEI'm Christie Miedema. I work at the International Office of the Clean Clothes Campaign HOSTAnd Mandy Felicia  MANDYI am Mandy Felicia from ILIR, Philippines  HOSTFor their thoughts on how worker COVID's impacted worker organising MANDYDuring this COVID what stands out is really the collective effort of all the workers to try to sustain workers' organisations. We only do organising in communities and boarding houses of the workers. But during the pandemic it also prevented us from doing that, no? So what stands out really is the creative form how the workers tried to get in touch with each other. Using the new technology, and also the old technology of passing letters, no, to each other to give news to eqach other and to keep the organisations alive, by maintaining contact.  CHRISTIEWhat stands out to me is that COVID 19 has really created a threat of rolling back gains that were made in the past, rolling back workers rights, rolling back also maybe in the field of practices of brands becoming a bit more aware of how their choices influence their supply chains. We see them turning their backs on their supply chains, despite all those years of convincing brands that they're responsible for the supply chain.  MANDYThe pandemic also exposes the rottenness of the system, the capitalist system, how profit is given more importance than the lives of the people. Sad to say the system also took advantage of the crisis to exploit more, and take away the gains of the movement. The pandemic has taught us to rely more on ourselves and pinpoint the real importance of organisation, and the need to belong to one. There has been a lot of consciousness not only on the level of solidarity among the workers but also of international solidarity. Workers now see and understand more the global supply chain. They now look at how pandemic affected the workflow, the orders, you know the movement of the products have become very very conscious of that.  CHRISTIEI think a lot of the challenges that we'll continue to see are the ones that we did already. It's the fact that wages are not being paid, that workers are being dismissed without receiving their full severance pay, and the continued rollback of rights.  MANDYWe don't only have a problem with the pandemic. But also government using pandemic as an excuse to further repress and stop the people from being organised to challenge government policies. Last year on December 10 many unionists were arrested simultaneously, and a lot of unionists and labour rights defenders are now being accused of being rebels and are being put into jail using trumped-up charges. So we view with concern what is happening in Myanmar because we might have the same situation here, you know.  CHRISTIEAnd I think also the good thing is we have already learned from this, it took us all by surprise in March, in April, but we have learned to stay together and to face these challenges. So I think while the challenges might be similar, or while there might be new things coming towards us, we are stronger now, we have made up our minds and we know that we can stand together.  MANDYThere is a need to continuously assess, no.  Not only our situation but also our methods of organising and education, which is of paramount importance. But probably form is only secondary to the need of always working and being with the workers in their communities and workplaces if possible. We hope to find ways to better, for better security and health measures because I think the pandemic should not stop us from going to the workers. And that is the only thing that is constant for us, the need to organise ourselves, to assert our rights and together shape a better normal post-pandemic.  HOSTThat's Mandy Felicia.  And that's the end of our show.  Please send your thoughts, feedback, and questions. Email us at this address: podcast@cleanclothes.org. You can also see the email address on the podcast webpage. Matthew Abud produced this episode, with Anne Dekker, and the Clean Clothes Podcast team – Liz Parker, Tanne de Goei, and Johnson Chin-Yin Yeung. I'm Febriana Firdaus. See you for the next episode.  Before we go, a message from Clean Clothes about the situation in Myanmar. MIMMYThis is Mimmy Kowel, Coordinator of Clean Clothes Campaign South East Asia Coalition. This is our message to the workers in Myanmar. We, the global Clean Clothes Campaign Network, stand in solidarity with you. We condemn the military coup in Myanmar, and strongly urge all political leaders and military officials, to respect the 2020 election results, and restore the democratic process. All detained political leaders and activists should be released and no further arrests made. We will continue to closely follow the situation in your country, and we are ready to support as much as we can.   [1] Live blog, Jan. 23: https://cleanclothes.org/news/2021/live-blog-on-how-the-coronavirus-influences-workers-in-supply-chains

It's the 22nd anniversary of the direct action shutdown of the World Trade Organization (WTO) meetings in Seattle. The WTO is a transnational economic institution created to regulate and facilitate global (corporate) trade. Organized by a scrappy group of organizers, the shutdown kicked off an anti-corporate globalization moment in North America which challenged austerity and the capitalist political economy. Globally, those movements had already been fighting austerity and corporate power for decades. We talk with Nancy Haque, Stephanie Guilloud and David Solnit (@dsolnit)- three organizers that were all part of Direct Action Network to Stop Corporate Globalization (DAN), the body that organized the shutdown. Bios// In 1999, our three guests were all grassroots lead organizers and co-founders of the Direct Action Network to Stop Corporate Globalization which organized the mass action shutdown of the WTO in Seattle. Nancy was a labor-community organizer with Portland Jobs with Justice which uniquely bridged the labor movement with the Direct Action Network and mobilized hundreds of students and community folks from Portland. Now, Nancy is the Executive Director of Basic Rights Oregon (@basicrights), ensuring that all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Oregonians experience equality by building a broad and inclusive politically powerful movement, shifting public opinion, and achieving policy victories. Stephanie was a student at Evergreen State College where she worked with the Labor Education and Research Center and with student groups that mobilized hundreds of trained organized students. Now, Stephanie is co-director of Project South (@ProjectSouth). Stephanie is the editor of two anthologies: Through the Eyes of the Judged; Autobiographical Sketches from Incarcerated Young Men and Voices from the WTO; First-person Narratives from the People who Shut Down the World Trade Organization. David was with Art and Revolution Collective in the San Francisco Bay Area, and moved to Seattle for 6 months to organize as part of the Direct Action Network. Now, David is an arts organizer with the Climate Justice Arts Project--working to center arts organizing and narrative with Stop the Money Pipeline, Build Back Fossil Free and the Poor People's Campaign. He edited/co-authored "Globalize Liberation"--a post-Seattle WTO global justice and anti-capitalist analysis and organizing anthology and "The Battle of the Story of the Battle of Seattle." About the Shutdown WTO Organizers History Project// On the 20 year anniversary, a small group of friends and fellow DAN organizers put together The Shutdown WTO Organizers History Project-a website of organizers and first person accounts and analysis and co-published a 20-Year-Anniversary series of articles with Common Dreams. --------------------------------------- Links// The Shutdown WTO Organizers' History Project: https://www.shutdownwto20.org/ Remembering the Battle for Seattle: Organizers Launch Project to Reflect on 20 Years of Lessons (https://bit.ly/3ljIOpL) WTO Shutdown: A Few Things From the WTO Shutdown I Carry Into the Future (https://bit.ly/3xC853d) Follow Green and Red// https://linktr.ee/greenandredpodcast Donate to Green and Red Podcast// Become a recurring donor at https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR This is a Green and Red Podcast (@PodcastGreenRed) production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969). Executive consultation by Jeff Ordower. “Green and Red Blues" by Moody. Editing by Isaac.

In this first episode of Black Work Talk's Season Two, co-hosts Steven Pitts and Bill Fletcher talk with Rob Baril.  Rob is the president of SEIU 1199NE, a union of health care workers in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Rob talked about how members of SEIU 1199NE have been fighting state officials in Connecticut for better working conditions during the pandemic.  He indicated this fight not only won concrete victories but also strengthened the union for future battles. In addition, the various union campaigns allowed the union to build additional power and wield this power around a several issues facing members in the community include policing issues. For more information on SEIU 1199NE, see http://www.seiu1199ne.org/ (SEIU 1199NE) Rob mentioned the Bargaining of the Common Good framework; here is the link to the network's website https://www.bargainingforthecommongood.org/ (Bargaining for the Common Good) Bill mentioned the St Louis Teamsters' Community Steward Program in the 60s.  Bob Bussel of the Labor Education and Research Center at the University of Oregon has written a fascinating book on the experiences of the Teamster local that developed this program (and others).  Here is an interview with Bob about his book: https://www.press.uillinois.edu/wordpress/qa-with-fighting-for-total-person-unionism-author-bob-bussel/ (Interview with Bob Bussel, author of Fighting for Total Person Unionism)

“If I'm running a business and I can't afford to pay my electricity, I can't say the electric company is lazy.” So, why are so many companies over the last few weeks going on TV and calling workers lazy? Gordon Lafer has been fighting for the rights of workers for over 30 years. He is a political economist who has served as Senior Labor Policy Advisor for the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Education and Labor and has a history of Labor Union activism. He has written widely on labor and employment policy issues and is the author of one of our favorite books, The Job Training Charade. He started his political work as an economic policy analyst in the Office of the Mayor in New York City under Mayor Ed Koch. Lafer is currently an associate professor in the Labor Education & Research Center at the University of Oregon and a research associate of the Economic Policy Institute. This episode raised some really important questions around the true effectiveness of job training, wage inequality and the role of government to create a more equitable climate for workers. This is definitely one you're not going to want to miss, so let's bring it in!

The Maine Mural Podcast is revisiting the May 1st kickoff of the Pine and Roses publication! This episode features a discussion of our hope's for Pine and Roses with speakers Coral Howe, Todd Chretien of No Borders News, and Bhaskar Sunkara of Jacobin magazine. This episode's volunteer editor was Adam Bovie, of the Maine DSA State-Wide Podcast Committee.   Citations By Time-Stamp   [00 Min 47 Sec] -- Pine and Roses.org   [01 Min 04 Sec] -- Pine and Roses Launch Party Facebook Video   [01 Min 25 Sec] -- 2020 Post Election Round Table - Maine Mural Podcast Episode 4   [02 Min 38 Sec] -- Pine and Roses Facebook Page   [02 Min 39 Sec] -- Maine DSA's Homepage   [03 Min 24 Sec] -- Kate Sykes on 'Pine and Roses'   [03 Min 34 Sec] -- N. Sainte Harkins on 'Pine and Roses'   [03 Min 43 Sec] -- Andrew Miln on 'Pine and Roses'                           -- Isreal Mosley on 'Pine and Roses'   [03 Min 52 Sec] -- "The Mainer Who Wrote Jim Crow Into Law," By Isreal Mosley   [09 Min 29 Sec] -- "Interview: Maine Med Nurses Vote Union," By Todd Chretien   [10 Min 53 Sec] -- Lawrence Textile Strike of 1912 on Wikipedia   [11 Min 26 Sec] -- Southern Maine IWW   [12 Min 52 Sec] -- pineandrosesme@gmail.com   [17 Min 26 Sec]  -- Jacobin                            -- Catalyst                            -- Tribune of London   [18 Min 50 Sec] -- Appeal to Reason on Wikipedia   [21 Min 05 Sec] -- 'The Maine Socialist' and other publications from the University of Maine Bureau of Labor Education.   [25 Min 01 Sec] -- Marxists.org

The AFFI hosts Professor Robert Bruno with the University Of Illinois labor education program. Professor Bruno chats with us about labor history, labor politics and the importance of labor education.

Helena Worthen recreates what she might say to inquisitive members of her labor education classes. (Initially published December 1, 2020) Helena's book, "What Did You Learn At Work Today?" is here: http://tiny.cc/l6v5tz

On this vibe, we are joined by HSTA Vice President, Osa Tui Jr. He shares his reflections about what he has learned through his different roles. We move into our economics block to discuss the teacher shortage crisis and take a look at the differentials that are currently implemented to help teachers in chronic areas at 19:19. Then, we learn from our guest as he shares his reflections on what inspired him in his younger days at 36:00. This week's Literature Circle is based on the University of Hawaii Center for Labor Education and Research where we take a look at their resources that include the history of unions in Hawaii at 43:00. Lastly, shoutout to the organizers of Institute Day and we hope everyone has a great experience at their Institute Days across the state!

One of the most informative & persuasive writers ever, Gordon Lafer is author of The One Percent Solution: How Corporations are Remaking America One State At A Time. Both empowering & maddening, the piercing exposé of the destruction of labor & the middle class by moneyed interests is essential to mounting an effective reply. Gordon Lafer is a political economist and Associate Professor at the Labor Education and Research Center of the University of Oregon in Eugene.

President Donald Trump’s recently passed tax bill included a sizable tax break for many American corporations, slashed from 35 percent to 21 percent. While the tax cuts have increased cash flow for businesses, they also raise questions about the power of corporations in Washington through lobbying, campaign finance and political mobilization. Author and academic Gordon Lafer joins this episode of Politics & Polls to discuss the corporate tax cut and his new book, “The One Percent Solution: How Corporations Are Remaking America One State at a Time.” Lafer is a political economist and is an associate professor at the University of Oregon’s Labor Education and Research Center. He has written on issues of labor and employment policy and is author of “The Job Training Charade” (Cornell University Press, 2002). Lafer has served as an economic policy analyst for the Office of the Mayor in New York City and has testified as an expert witness before the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, and state legislatures. Lafer is the founding co-chair of the American Political Science Association’s Labor Project, and has taught as a visiting faculty member at the University of Massachusetts’ Union Leadership Academy and at the Universidad Latina de America in Michoacan, Mexico. From 2009 to 2010, Lafer took leave from his faculty position to serve as senior labor policy advisor for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor.

Producer/Host: Amy Browne FOUR FOUNDATIONAL THEORIES OF LABOR ACTIVISM IN MAINE: THE KNIGHTS OF LABOR, THE AFL, THE IWW, AND THE SOCIALIST PARTY OF EUGENE DEBS – a presentation by Marc Cryer, Director of the Bureau of Labor Education, the University of Maine, recorded at UMaine on 11/16/17. This was the final in the fall semester Marxist and Socialist Studies lecture series. Maine Currents- independent local news, views and culture, Tuesdays at 4pm on WERU-FM and weru.org The post Maine Currents 11/21/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Labor Historian to Give Book Talk: 11/12 A talk about the history of labor unions--the folks who gave you the weekend, the eight-hour work day, the minimum wage, social security, child labor laws, family and medical leave, and much more. Robert Bussel, PhD, an engaging speaker, past union organizer, professor of History, and director of the Labor Education and Research Center, University of Oregon, will speak about his new book, Fighting for Total Person Unionism. It tells about the vision of two union leaders, one African American, the other a white Irish Catholic, who became a remarkable interracial duo championing workers as “total persons” interested in the workplace, as well as their communities. The event is co-sponsored by the Concentration in Writing and Rhetoric, Political Science, and History

A talk about the history of labor unions--the folks who gave you the weekend, the eight-hour work day, the minimum wage, social security, child labor laws, family and medical leave, and much more. Robert Bussel, PhD, an engaging speaker, past union organizer, professor of History, and director of the Labor Education and Research Center, University of Oregon, will speak about his new book, Fighting for Total Person Unionism. It tells about the vision of two union leaders, one African American, the other a white Irish Catholic, who became a remarkable interracial duo championing workers as “total persons” interested in the workplace, as well as their communities. The event is co-sponsored by the Concentration in Writing and Rhetoric, Political Science, and History