Podcasts about national employment law project

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Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2021 54:38

Support the Working Life Network here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast ActBlue: secure.actblue.com/donate/working-life-1 How many of you dealt with that chaos when it came to wrestling with the unemployment insurance system last year? Some of the rhetoric we heard was, “well that chaos was just the pandemic crush overwhelming the system”. Yes, that’s true in a very narrow sense—the system collapsed in many places, meaning people who were desperate to get a check to pay rent or for food had to wait months and months for a first check…and lots of people just gave up. But, here’s the truth, folks—that’s a feature not a bug. So, as enhanced unemployment benefits are about to expire at the end of March but seem likely to be extended in a new stimulus bill, is this chaos going to continue to be as bad as it was a year ago? Michele Evermore, a senior policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project and a leading national expert on the unemployment insurance system, tells us the status and how we fix the broken system. Support the Working Life Network here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast ActBlue: secure.actblue.com/donate/working-life-1 Remember during the presidential campaign when Joe Biden promised not to raise taxes for anyone making less than $400,000? I thought, “well, that’s dumb”. Why should someone making say $250,000—which puts them in the one percent—not pay higher taxes? I figured right then that that line-in-the-sand $400K number was a purely stupid political calculation—let’s not piss off the people in the suburbs who voted for Trump who we want to get. Really? Why not try a direct populist argument to reach a whole lot of people who are making under $100,000 and get angry about taxes because they have to pay a heavy load but see people making $250,000 paying a relatively small sum? I talk with Matt Gardner, senior fellow at the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, about taxing people above $400,000, why other well-off people shouldn’t pay higher taxes as well and, bonus, how Netflix is paying less than one percent taxes on a massive revenue boost (hint: legalized corruption!) Support the Working Life Network here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast ActBlue: secure.actblue.com/donate/working-life-1

Unemployment Questions, Answered; Why Antacids Are Selling Out

Here & Now

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 30, 2020 42:51

The coronavirus relief bill that Trump signed on Sunday also includes extended support for unemployed people. Michele Evermore, senior policy analyst with the National Employment Law Project, answers questions about unemployment. And, Dr. Thomas Carroll of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston talks about why antacids like Tums are selling out, and how the stress-induced shortage is affecting people with serious acid reflux disorders.

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Pandemic highlights long-time disincentive to work in state's unemployment law

The Capitol Pressroom

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 30, 2020 12:29

Dec. 30, 2020 - COVID-19 has thrown many New Yorkers into a state of financial insecurity with thousands losing their jobs. We talked with Paul Sonn, State Policy Program Director at the National Employment Law Project, about how the Empire State's unemployment programs work and what changes can be made to improve the system.

covid-19 pandemic longtime unemployment new yorkers empire state national employment law project

The Luxury of Paid Sick Leave

Our America with Julián Castro

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2020 24:38

Martin Macias and his wife, Tomasita, crossed the border from Mexico into the United States back in the ‘80s with the dream of starting a family. They had their son Jose, and together they became community leaders in the fight for immigrant rights and workers’ benefits. But their journey is marked with unimaginable loss – of a job, their home, and the family’s matriarch. This week, we’re talking about the life and death consequences of what happens when workers are denied basic benefits like paid time off. The father-son activist duo talk about Tomasita’s lasting impact, and what it’s going to take to make economic progress for undocumented immigrant families in our country. Keep up with Julián on twitter @JulianCastro and Instagram @JulianCastroTX. Resources from this episode: Follow Make The Road Nevada’s advocacy updates on their webpage and on Twitter. Keep up with the Fight For $15 here. Check out Informed Immigrants’ comprehensive list of immigrant rights resources and the National Employment Law Project’s fact sheet on immigrant workers’ rights and COVID-19. Support the show by checking out our sponsors You can digitally purchase life insurance from Haven Life Insurance Agency at havenlife.com/ouramerica. Haven Term is a Term Life Insurance Policy (ICC17DTC) issued by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), Springfield, MA 01111 and offered exclusively through Haven Life Insurance Agency, LLC. Policy and rider form numbers and features may vary by state and not be available in all states. Our Agency license number in California is 0K71922 and in Arkansas, 100139527. The Marguerite Casey Foundation, creating greater freedom for changemakers to create a truly representative economy. Learn more at caseygrants.org, and connect with the Foundation on Twitter and Facebook. To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to https://www.lemonadamedia.com/show/our-america shortly after the air date. Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Whistleblower retaliation complaints have gone unanswered

Federal Drive with Tom Temin

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2020 9:36

Since the advent of the pandemic, whistleblowers have called out employers throughout the country. Many of the whistleblowers complained of retaliation to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. But OSHA resolved only a tiny fraction of the retaliation complaints, according to my next guest. For details, the director of the worker health and safety program at the National Employment Law Project, Debbie Berkowitz.

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The Future Works - Episode 8: Economic Recovery Through Quality Jobs

The Future Works - A Podcast for Workforce Leaders

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2020 26:31

New York has an opportunity to learn from the last recession, and reshape its regional economics by understanding and focusing on growing better jobs across the state as it recovers. Back in 2014, the National Employment Law Project found that the Great Recession wiped out high-wage and middle-wage jobs across the county, only to be replaced with low-wage work. Pre-COVID, in New York, 9 out of the top 10 fastest growing occupations paid less than $32,000 in 2019. For Episode 8 of The Future Works, we are joined by Mark Popovich, Director of the Good Companies, Good Jobs Initiative at the Aspen Institute who breaks down what it means to engage in job quality, the business proposition for employers and what workforce professionals can do, now.

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BARTEES STRANGE!

Better Yet

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2020

The song we played this week was “Mustang” by Bartees Strange! Support Better Yet on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/betteryetpodcast Listen to Bartees Strange on Bandcamp! https://barteesstrange.bandcamp.com/ National Employment Law Project https://www.nelp.org/ Mutual Aid Network https://www.mutualaidnetwork.org/ FUCK THE POLICE

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Belabored: The Senate Fiddles While America Burns, with Rebecca Dixon

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Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2020 66:31

The Democrats in the House just passed a new stimulus bill, but what are its odds of passing the Senate? Rebecca Dixon of the National Employment Law Project breaks it down. The post Belabored: The Senate Fiddles While America Burns, with Rebecca Dixon appeared first on Dissent Magazine.

What’s inside Prop 22, Uber and Lyft’s $182M ballot measure on the fate of gig drivers?

KPFA - UpFront

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2020

Listen to the full radio report here, first aired September 24, 2020: https://kpfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/BOONE-Prop-22-Explainer.mp3 jQuery(document).ready(function($) { var media = $('#audio-344185-52'); media.on('canplay', function (ev) { this.currentTime = 0; }); }); By Ariel Boone (@arielboone), KPFA elections reporter OAKLAND, CA – Ride-hailing and delivery companies Uber, Lyft, Doordash, Postmates and Instacart have spent at least $182 million in support of Proposition 22, which California voters will decide in November. At issue is the basic question: are drivers independent contractors, or should they be guaranteed all of the rights of employees, like minimum wage, overtime, workers compensation and unemployment insurance? Proposition 22 would permanently classify drivers for app companies as independent contractors. “What Prop 22 would do is protect the ability of app based drivers to choose to work as independent contractors, with control over where, when, how long and for whom they wanna work,” says Geoff Vetter, a spokesperson for the Yes on 22 campaign. “What we know from speaking with rideshare and delivery drivers is that more than 70 percent say that they want the ability to remain independent contractors.” Driver John Mejia disagrees. He drove for Uber and Lyft for just over four years, and he says the flexibility is a myth. He wants to be treated as an employee, in accordance with AB 5. For years, Mejia recalls, he would log into the Uber and Lyft apps to drive, and see a notice informing him his pay rate would decrease. Each time, he pressed “accept” — that was the only way to continue working. “They've always controlled how much I make when, when I get paid the most and under their algorithms,” Mejia says. “Is that independence? Not really. Is that, is that flexibility? Not really.” The workplace rights of John Mejia and thousands of other app drivers became a state policy fight in 2018, when the California Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision called Dynamex. It created a simple test to determine if a worker is an employee or an independent contractor. To pass the Dynamex ABC test and classify their its drivers as independent contractors, Uber, Lyft, Doordash and their industry would have to prove that, A – Their drivers are “free from the control and direction of the company”; B – that the driving they do would is “outside the usual course of the company's business”; And C – That the driver is engaged in an independent trade or small business. Though lawsuits are currently making their way through courts deciding the matter, labor experts tell KPFA that multiple federal judges have agreed that app companies fail the ABC test — and that drivers are employees. Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, the author of AB 5, a bill that incorporated the Dynamex decision into state law, agrees. “There is no way for a delivery driver, an Uber driver, to fit into this idea of being a small business,” she says. “They don't set their own rates. They don't make their own decisions. they're told where to go, when to go. there there's just a lot of control in the entire aspect of it.” “What I realized after driving with them almost for four and a half years, was that it was never about the relationship with the driver. It was really about their relationship to making money.” – John Mejia, driver for Uber and Lyft Six weeks after Governor Newsom signed AB 5 in 2019, delivery and ride-hailing companies filed paperwork to put Proposition 22 on the ballot, and exempt themselves from the law. Proposition 22 has support from police unions, multiple chambers of commerce, and the California Republican Party. In fact, the Yes on 22 campaign this month transferred $2 million to the California Republican Party to support campaigning efforts for the measure. It's opposed by labor unions, including the Teamsters, SEIU, United Food and Commercial Workers and the California Labor Federation as well as high-profile Democrats, like presidential nominee Joe Biden and senators Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren. What's inside Prop 22? Prop 22 would would permanently classify drivers for the app companies as independent contractors, not employees. It also contains some things that look like worker protections: It bars companies from stealing tips from drivers, a practice which is already illegal for employers to do to employees. It mandates drivers rest after working for 12 hours — though drivers could easily flout the law by switching to a second app. It makes app companies pay a healthcare subsidy for drivers to buy insurance through Covered California. But the subsidy is based on the price of a “bronze” plan, known for high deductibles and fees. Plus, Prop 22 creates a minimum pay system, something drivers have long demanded, which the app companies say is a historic wage guarantee. The initiative promises 30 cents a mile and 120 percent of minimum wage for hours worked. But there's a catch: labor attorneys say the companies found a way to undercount work hours. “The ballot proposition would only pay drivers for about two-thirds of the time that they're actually working, because it only pays them for engaged time,” says Rey Fuentes, a legal fellow at the Partnership for Working Families. “The companies funded research that clearly indicates drivers spend about a third of their time waiting, logged on, engaged to work — or essentially engaged to wait. And that time is compensable. Under California law, you should be paid for that time.” Another study by UC Santa Cruz researchers suggested the unpaid waiting time for San Francisco gig drivers could be closer to 20-24 percent of their working time. Whatever the proportion, under Prop 22, waiting time would remain uncompensated. The Yes on 22 campaign told KPFA that they intentionally limited driver pay to this so-called “engaged time” to prevent drivers from double dipping, earning money to wait on two apps at the same time. But two drivers told KPFA they feel the apps keep them waiting without pay on purpose to “maximize profits” and increase the availability of instant rides and deliveries for customers. Another thing Proposition 22 does: restrain lawmakers. If the state legislature wants to give app drivers a legal right to unionize or collectively bargain, they have to amend Prop 22, and that requires a seven-eigths supermajority vote. The part of the measure that makes drivers independent contractors could never be amended, Rey Fuentes says. Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez says she's “never” seen a ballot initiative with a seven-eighths threshold. “Sometimes it requires a three fourth vote of the legislature, but seven-eighths is almost laughable.” Geoff Vetter, the Yes on 22 spokesperson, says it's intentional. “We think it's important that the voice of drivers and voters be protected, so that if Proposition 22 passes in November, the legislature can't come back in January and completely undo it.” No sick leave, and a raging pandemic Another impact Prop 22 might have: keeping drivers on the job while they're sick. Independent contractors don't get the paid sick leave that state and local laws require for employees. Labor rights lawyer Rey Fuentes says this means Proposition 22 would even override more generous local laws in places like San Francisco, where employees are currently guaranteed access to up to nine days of paid sick leave. “The ballot proposition would make that law inaccessible to workers for companies like Doordash and Uber and Lyft, and leave them with zero paid sick leave,” he says. KPFA spoke with a driver named Edan Alva, who had no legal protections or sick leave when he fell seriously ill with the flu in January. Driving has been Alva's primary source of income since 2018, and seeing a doctor would have cost him $120, which he could not afford. “I had to work sick, putting myself and my passengers at risk,” he says. “And I hated myself for doing that. But the choice was between working sick and losing the roof over my head. I worked as much as I could just until I earned enough money to pay my rent. And then I just physically couldn't work or really move much anymore.” Edan Alva now volunteers for a group called Gig Workers Rising, which is campaigning against Prop 22. He stopped driving when the pandemic started, and says he won't go back unless he feels safe. The CDC currently recommends companies pay for worker sick leave — so they don't go to work sick, and possibly spread a deadly disease. Thousands of drivers have also struggled to access pandemic unemployment insurance, because Uber and Lyft have declined to report driver earnings to the state. John Mejia filed for pandemic unemployment insurance, but the companies wouldn't confirm to the state that he worked for them, even though he had his earnings documented on a 1099. “They made it difficult for me,” Mejia says. “I actually got some unemployment insurance, but it took me just under six months before I saw any money from them.” The UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education conducted analysis that found Uber and Lyft would owe the state of California's unemployment insurance fund $413 million, if they had classified their drivers as employees. For now, California is continuing to pay out, despite the companies not paying in. Rebecca Smith of the National Employment Law Project says, “if you are an employee, you're entitled to all of those things. You're entitled to minimum wage, and overtime, and health and safety protections, and paid sick days. And in California, paid family leave and unemployment benefits when you lose your job and workers' compensation when you're injured, much of that is taken away by this initiative and it's taken away permanently.” A 2020 study from UC Santa Cruz of gig drivers in San Francisco said 45% of the workers couldn't handle a $400 financial emergency without having to borrow money. The study also estimates that up to 1 in 5 drivers might be earning nothing at all once expenses are accounted for. The post What's inside Prop 22, Uber and Lyft's $182M ballot measure on the fate of gig drivers? appeared first on KPFA.

What’s inside Prop 22, Uber and Lyft’s $182M ballot measure on the fate of gig drivers?

KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2020

Listen to the full radio report here, first aired September 24, 2020: https://kpfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/BOONE-Prop-22-Explainer.mp3 jQuery(document).ready(function($) { var media = $('#audio-344185-19'); media.on('canplay', function (ev) { this.currentTime = 0; }); }); By Ariel Boone (@arielboone), KPFA elections reporter OAKLAND, CA – Ride-hailing and delivery companies Uber, Lyft, Doordash, Postmates and Instacart have spent at least $182 million in support of Proposition 22, which California voters will decide in November. At issue is the basic question: are drivers independent contractors, or should they be guaranteed all of the rights of employees, like minimum wage, overtime, workers compensation and unemployment insurance? Proposition 22 would permanently classify drivers for app companies as independent contractors. “What Prop 22 would do is protect the ability of app based drivers to choose to work as independent contractors, with control over where, when, how long and for whom they wanna work,” says Geoff Vetter, a spokesperson for the Yes on 22 campaign. “What we know from speaking with rideshare and delivery drivers is that more than 70 percent say that they want the ability to remain independent contractors.” Driver John Mejia disagrees. He drove for Uber and Lyft for just over four years, and he says the flexibility is a myth. He wants to be treated as an employee, in accordance with AB 5. For years, Mejia recalls, he would log into the Uber and Lyft apps to drive, and see a notice informing him his pay rate would decrease. Each time, he pressed “accept” — that was the only way to continue working. “They've always controlled how much I make when, when I get paid the most and under their algorithms,” Mejia says. “Is that independence? Not really. Is that, is that flexibility? Not really.” The workplace rights of John Mejia and thousands of other app drivers became a state policy fight in 2018, when the California Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision called Dynamex. It created a simple test to determine if a worker is an employee or an independent contractor. To pass the Dynamex ABC test and classify their its drivers as independent contractors, Uber, Lyft, Doordash and their industry would have to prove that, A – Their drivers are “free from the control and direction of the company”; B – that the driving they do would is “outside the usual course of the company's business”; And C – That the driver is engaged in an independent trade or small business. Though lawsuits are currently making their way through courts deciding the matter, labor experts tell KPFA that multiple federal judges have agreed that app companies fail the ABC test — and that drivers are employees. Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, the author of AB 5, a bill that incorporated the Dynamex decision into state law, agrees. “There is no way for a delivery driver, an Uber driver, to fit into this idea of being a small business,” she says. “They don't set their own rates. They don't make their own decisions. they're told where to go, when to go. there there's just a lot of control in the entire aspect of it.” “What I realized after driving with them almost for four and a half years, was that it was never about the relationship with the driver. It was really about their relationship to making money.” – John Mejia, driver for Uber and Lyft Six weeks after Governor Newsom signed AB 5 in 2019, delivery and ride-hailing companies filed paperwork to put Proposition 22 on the ballot, and exempt themselves from the law. Proposition 22 has support from police unions, multiple chambers of commerce, and the California Republican Party. In fact, the Yes on 22 campaign this month transferred $2 million to the California Republican Party to support campaigning efforts for the measure. It's opposed by labor unions, including the Teamsters, SEIU, United Food and Commercial Workers and the California Labor Federation as well as high-profile Democrats, like presidential nominee Joe Biden and senators Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren. What's inside Prop 22? Prop 22 would would permanently classify drivers for the app companies as independent contractors, not employees. It also contains some things that look like worker protections: It bars companies from stealing tips from drivers, a practice which is already illegal for employers to do to employees. It mandates drivers rest after working for 12 hours — though drivers could easily flout the law by switching to a second app. It makes app companies pay a healthcare subsidy for drivers to buy insurance through Covered California. But the subsidy is based on the price of a “bronze” plan, known for high deductibles and fees. Plus, Prop 22 creates a minimum pay system, something drivers have long demanded, which the app companies say is a historic wage guarantee. The initiative promises 30 cents a mile and 120 percent of minimum wage for hours worked. But there's a catch: labor attorneys say the companies found a way to undercount work hours. “The ballot proposition would only pay drivers for about two-thirds of the time that they're actually working, because it only pays them for engaged time,” says Rey Fuentes, a legal fellow at the Partnership for Working Families. “The companies funded research that clearly indicates drivers spend about a third of their time waiting, logged on, engaged to work — or essentially engaged to wait. And that time is compensable. Under California law, you should be paid for that time.” Another study by UC Santa Cruz researchers suggested the unpaid waiting time for San Francisco gig drivers could be closer to 20-24 percent of their working time. Whatever the proportion, under Prop 22, waiting time would remain uncompensated. The Yes on 22 campaign told KPFA that they intentionally limited driver pay to this so-called “engaged time” to prevent drivers from double dipping, earning money to wait on two apps at the same time. But two drivers told KPFA they feel the apps keep them waiting without pay on purpose to “maximize profits” and increase the availability of instant rides and deliveries for customers. Another thing Proposition 22 does: restrain lawmakers. If the state legislature wants to give app drivers a legal right to unionize or collectively bargain, they have to amend Prop 22, and that requires a seven-eigths supermajority vote. The part of the measure that makes drivers independent contractors could never be amended, Rey Fuentes says. Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez says she's “never” seen a ballot initiative with a seven-eighths threshold. “Sometimes it requires a three fourth vote of the legislature, but seven-eighths is almost laughable.” Geoff Vetter, the Yes on 22 spokesperson, says it's intentional. “We think it's important that the voice of drivers and voters be protected, so that if Proposition 22 passes in November, the legislature can't come back in January and completely undo it.” No sick leave, and a raging pandemic Another impact Prop 22 might have: keeping drivers on the job while they're sick. Independent contractors don't get the paid sick leave that state and local laws require for employees. Labor rights lawyer Rey Fuentes says this means Proposition 22 would even override more generous local laws in places like San Francisco, where employees are currently guaranteed access to up to nine days of paid sick leave. “The ballot proposition would make that law inaccessible to workers for companies like Doordash and Uber and Lyft, and leave them with zero paid sick leave,” he says. KPFA spoke with a driver named Edan Alva, who had no legal protections or sick leave when he fell seriously ill with the flu in January. Driving has been Alva's primary source of income since 2018, and seeing a doctor would have cost him $120, which he could not afford. “I had to work sick, putting myself and my passengers at risk,” he says. “And I hated myself for doing that. But the choice was between working sick and losing the roof over my head. I worked as much as I could just until I earned enough money to pay my rent. And then I just physically couldn't work or really move much anymore.” Edan Alva now volunteers for a group called Gig Workers Rising, which is campaigning against Prop 22. He stopped driving when the pandemic started, and says he won't go back unless he feels safe. The CDC currently recommends companies pay for worker sick leave — so they don't go to work sick, and possibly spread a deadly disease. Thousands of drivers have also struggled to access pandemic unemployment insurance, because Uber and Lyft have declined to report driver earnings to the state. John Mejia filed for pandemic unemployment insurance, but the companies wouldn't confirm to the state that he worked for them, even though he had his earnings documented on a 1099. “They made it difficult for me,” Mejia says. “I actually got some unemployment insurance, but it took me just under six months before I saw any money from them.” The UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education conducted analysis that found Uber and Lyft would owe the state of California's unemployment insurance fund $413 million, if they had classified their drivers as employees. For now, California is continuing to pay out, despite the companies not paying in. Rebecca Smith of the National Employment Law Project says, “if you are an employee, you're entitled to all of those things. You're entitled to minimum wage, and overtime, and health and safety protections, and paid sick days. And in California, paid family leave and unemployment benefits when you lose your job and workers' compensation when you're injured, much of that is taken away by this initiative and it's taken away permanently.” A 2020 study from UC Santa Cruz of gig drivers in San Francisco said 45% of the workers couldn't handle a $400 financial emergency without having to borrow money. The study also estimates that up to 1 in 5 drivers might be earning nothing at all once expenses are accounted for. The post What's inside Prop 22, Uber and Lyft's $182M ballot measure on the fate of gig drivers? appeared first on KPFA.

“We live in distress” One Oakland teacher on 9th Circuit upholding Trumps revoking TPS for 400,000 people; Plus: San Jose, Cupertino scheduling homeless sweeps, despite COVID moratorium

KPFA - UpFront

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2020 119:59

Protester in London denouncing the US Muslim ban, which like the ending of temporary protected status (TPS) are part of the Trump Administrations policies to alienate and criminalize immigrants to the US. (Photo: Wikipedia) 0:08 – Behind the new unemployment numbers Michele Evermore (@EvermoreMichele) is a senior policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project in Washington, D.C. focusing on social insurance. 0:25 – KPFA News: The Census Bureau recently released statistics on poverty, income, and health insurance coverage for last year. It shows median household income in 2019 increased 6.8% from 2018, and the official poverty rate decreased 1.3 percentage points — all before COVID hit. KPFA's Linda Khoury has more. 0:34 – South Bay sweeps threaten curbside communities, as several shelters close permanently Aug 15. Caltrans has scheduled a sweep for today, and Cupertino has a sweep scheduled Sep 21. Shaunn Cartwright is an advocate with the ‘Unhoused Response Group,' which formed at the beginning of the pandemic and advocates and supports curbside communities in the South Bay. 0:49 – In another edition from our series Taken from Us, we hear from Michelle and Ashley Monterrosa, the sisters of 22-year-old Sean Monterrosa. Sean was unarmed and kneeling with his hands raised when Vallejo Police Officer Jarrett Tonn fatally shot him through the windshield of a moving police vehicle in a Walgreens parking lot during the early morning hours of June 2nd. The family couldn't get any answers from the police that night. Instead, it took a day and a half for the police department to admit an officer had killed someone, and the police union filed a temporary restraining order to prevent the release of the names of officers involved. Later it was discovered that vital evidence, the windshield from the police car, had been destroyed, prompting an investigation by the California Department of Justice. Our reporter Chris Lee (@chrislee_xyz) spoke with Sean's two sisters in San Francisco, where he was born and raised. There is a car caravan to demand justice this Saturday, Sep 19th at 12 noon at Holly Park in San Francisco. Michelle and Ashley Monterrosa are currently fundraising and working with Bay Area artist Oree Originol to display pictures of Sean and other victims of police violence on a billboard space directly in front of the Vallejo Police Department. 1:08 – The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upholds Trump's repeal of TPS protections for 400,000 people Rosa Carranza is a Bay Area activist, preschool teacher, and TPS recipient herself. 1:20 – Is California Waste Solutions laundering money and bribing Oakland City officials? The Oakland Public Ethics Commission and The Oaklandside are investigating. Darwin Bond Graham is news editor of the Oaklandside. His latest investigation is Accusations of political ‘money laundering' under investigation in Oakland. 1:34 – How can outdoor performing arts happen in SF. And how to do it safely. Andrew Wood is Director of the SF International Arts Fest, which is calling for the reopening of outdoor sites for the performing arts. 1:45 – The Oakland International Film Festival kicks off today (Sep 17-27) David Roach is the director of the Oakland International Film Festival, now in its 18th year and virtual. The festival will feature 68 filmmakers and kicks off *today, Thursday Sep 17 at 3pm with the film, We Are the Dream, The Kids of the MLK Oratorical Festival and panel discussion. The post “We live in distress” One Oakland teacher on 9th Circuit upholding Trumps revoking TPS for 400,000 people; Plus: San Jose, Cupertino scheduling homeless sweeps, despite COVID moratorium appeared first on KPFA.

Melissa Cropper (OFT-AFT) / Debbie Berkowitz (National Employment Law Project)

America's Work Force Union Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2020 54:40

Our first featured guest today on America’s Work Force Union Podcast was Ohio Federation of Teachers President Melissa Cropper. Cropper spoke about issues with standardized testing, the fight to limit new private school vouchers and various other education related topics.Debbie Berkowitz, Worker Safety and Health program director for the National Employment Law Project (NELP) was the second featured guest today on the podcast. She discussed her time spent working with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and comparing how pandemics were dealt with in the past compared to now, OSHA’s lack of response to worker complaints and how the COVID-19 pandemic exposed how weak worker rights really are.

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#SaveThe600

Council 4 Unplugged

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2020 27:31

Michele Evermore of the National Employment Law Project and Xavier Gordon of AFSCME Local 269 (representing the CT Department of Labor) join us to discuss the struggles facing unemployed workers and the political fight over unemployment insurance benefits.

labor national employment law project ct department

IMPACT on Important People

IMPACT

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2020 59:56

Nevada's second special legislative session of 2020 drew some contentious discussions - about criminal justice reforms (lawmakers didn't think they went far enough, but voted for the bill anyway), about DETR (technical fixes that most lawmakers can't even name), about voting (that's clear, but the president seems to think it isn't) and about COVID19 liability protection.That last bill, SB4 - which was first argued into the wee hours of the night - drew the most astonishing admission of the session, when Governor Steve Sisolak's General Counsel Brin Gibson said the bill - which did not include the input from hospitals or schools or the small business community - did include the “important members of the Nevada economy.”Meaning resort/casinos. And Culinary workers.Hospitals were specifically left out of liability protection for COVID19. Lawmakers continuously asked why, but the closest they got to an answer was this from Gibson:"There's a potential that this deal falls apart if we started amending our certain provisions in there and for reasons that might not be obvious, some are messaging related, some are optical related, some are substantive." Assemblyman Glen Leavitt of Boulder City couldn't even get Gibson to say who was in the room negotiating the deal.

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Secretive Vallejo police clique celebrated fatal shootings by officers; Plus, Congress lets additional unemployment benefits lapse, as workers face claims delays

KPFA - UpFront

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2020 57:14

A Vallejo police sergeant's badge is bent to indicate fatal shootings of civilians, a new investigation by Open Vallejo says. Photo by Geoff King for Open Vallejo. On this show: 0:08 – For Mondays with Mitch, Cat Brooks and Brian Edwards-Tiekert chat with Mitch Jeserich, host of Letters & Politics weekdays at 10. 0:34 – John Swartzberg is clinical professor emeritus of infectious diseases at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health. 1:08 – Congress just let the $600-per-week additional unemployment insurance relief lapse, as Covid-19 continues to rage in the U.S. An analysis by the California Budget and Policy Center says Black and brown Californians are most affected by this. We talk with Chris Hoene (@ChrisWHoene), executive director of the California Budget and Policy Center. Read their latest article: “Congress' Failure to Extend UI is an Economic Attack on Workers & Families, Particularly Black & Brown Californians… Here's How We Know.” 1:17 – Even if Congress decided to reinstate the $600-per-week additional unemployment benefit, it could take four weeks to take effect, because of the staffing and technology limitations of state unemployment processing. Delays have already affected millions of claims. We talk with Michele Evermore (@EvermoreMichele), senior policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project in Washington, D.C. 1:39 – A stunning nine-month investigation from a new nonprofit newsroom Open Vallejo has revealed details about a secretive Vallejo police clique that celebrated fatal shootings of civilians by officers. Geoffrey King is an attorney and journalist, and founder of Open Vallejo. Read the investigation here. The post Secretive Vallejo police clique celebrated fatal shootings by officers; Plus, Congress lets additional unemployment benefits lapse, as workers face claims delays appeared first on KPFA.

Worker Health & Safety Press Conference

Virginia Interfaith LIVE

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2020 42:26

This episode of Virginia Interfaith LIVE! is a press conference from July 13, 2020 hosted by the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, the Virginia AFL-CIO, and the Legal Aid Justice Center to learn why the Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board must adopt clear standards and not allow employers to simply follow CDC guidelines if they feel like it. The Virginia Health and Safety Codes Board will hold a meeting on July 15, 2020, and worker advocates and health and safety experts are calling on Governor Northam and the Board to enact a strong Virginia OSHA Standard. Our speakers are Joyce Barnes, home health aide; Doris Crouse-Mays, President of the Virginia AFL-CIO; Jason Yarashes, Attorney with the Legal Aid Justice Center; Deborah Berkowitz, Worker Health and Safety Program Director at the National Employment Law Project; Delegate Jeion Ward (D, 92nd district); David Walrod from the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers; and Deborah Talley, a worker at a Boar's Head factory. This press conference is moderated by Kim Bobo, Executive Director of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy. We hope you enjoy it. You can find us at virginiainterfaithcenter.org or at vainterfaith on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

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Worker Health & Safety

Virginia Interfaith LIVE

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2020 42:35

On this episode of Virginia Interfaith LIVE, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy's Executive Director Kim Bobo talks with state and national leaders about worker health and safety, particularly in the time of COVID-19, and the unique opportunity Virginia has to set a standard for health and safety regulations. Our wonderful guests are Deborah Berkowitz, the Worker Health & Safety Program Director for the National Employment Law Project, Rebecca Reindel, the Safety and Health Director for AFL-CIO, Jason Yarashes, an attorney at Legal Aid Justice Center, and Michael Pope from the Virginia Public Radio. We hope you enjoy and you can find us at virginiainterfaithcenter.org or at vainterfaith on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

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Episode 188: Corporations & the Pandemic Killing Fields; Taking A Cleaver To The Pentagon Budget

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Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2020 41:25

Episode 188: Big companies don’t give a second thought to making big profits during the COVID-19 pandemic even if that means thousands of workers—and their families—will get sick and die from the virus. Actually, it’s a feature not a bug, no pun intended—in food processing, all those workers who make sure you get beef or chicken on your plate, are getting sick by the droves, and the only way that happens is because companies, big rich companies, keep dangerous plants operating unsafely because to make things slightly safer would cost them a few bucks. That’s criminal in a normal world. Debbie Berkowitz, director of the worker health and safety program at the National Employment Law Project, joins me to look at the threat to workers—a threat that is growing as the pandemic surges. Support the Working Life Network here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast and at ActBlue: secure.actblue.com/donate/working-life-1 A few days ago, Bernie Sanders introduced a bill to cut the bloated Pentagon bi-partisan budget by a very, very modest 10 percent, with the money saved slotted to underwrite human and social programs in cities and communities where the poverty rate is 25 percent or higher. Ashik Siddique, research analyst at the National Priorities Project, talks with me about where the Pentagon could be cut—and how the slashing could go far, far deeper. Support the Working Life Network here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast and at ActBlue: secure.actblue.com/donate/working-life-1 Don’t forget to sign up for The Show!: https://www.youtube.com/WorkingLifewithJonathanTasini -- Jonathan Tasini Follow me on Twitter @jonathantasini Sign up for The Working Life Podcast at: www.workinglife.org Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jonathan.tasini.3

WORKING LIFE PODCAST: HOW DO I GET MY DAMN UNEMPLOYMENT CHECK—WE HAVE THE LOWDOWN

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2020 62:31

The big news—it's the first regularly scheduled Working Life TV Show!!! View the show now and sign up at www.youtube.com/WorkingLifeWithJonathanTasini But, all our audio podcast listeners will still be able to hear the show in the long-time format. The unemployment system is in chaos—jammed phone lines, crashing websites. People can't get the checks they desperately need to pay for simple things like food, utilities and rent. So, I decided to devote the lion's share of the show to dig into why this happening—and give concrete tips on how to access the system. Do not give up—that's the message Judy Conti, government affairs director for the National Employment Law Project and I deliver in our conversation (and here are the slides we used in the video show!) As hundreds of thousands of people are massing in the streets, we are inundated by a slew of corporate commercials and corporate statements from Amazon, News Corp and even from something called the Hedge Fund Association, all falling over to show enlightenment about racism, even embracing the slogan “Black Lives Matter”. But, as I explain in the show, once people win an unwinding of the militarization of communities and the unwinding of policing as it's been done for decades, that's only half the battle because the corporate PR bullshit is trying to hide the depths of how the corporate boot remains firmly on the neck of African Americans, and all Americans, but especially people of color.

0610 In Focus 2 : Economic hardships of African Americans

TBS eFM This Morning

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2020 10:33

Featured Interview: Economic hardships of African Americans -미국 흑인들의 경제적 어려움 Guest: Han Lu, policy analyst, National Employment Law Project

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WORKING LIFE PODCAST: HOW DO I GET MY DAMN UNEMPLOYMENT CHECK—WE HAVE THE LOWDOWN

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2020 62:31

The big news—it's the first regularly scheduled Working Life TV Show!!! View the show now and sign up at www.youtube.com/WorkingLifeWithJonathanTasini But, all our audio podcast listeners will still be able to hear the show in the long-time format. The unemployment system is in chaos—jammed phone lines, crashing websites. People can't get the checks they desperately need to pay for simple things like food, utilities and rent. So, I decided to devote the lion's share of the show to dig into why this happening—and give concrete tips on how to access the system. Do not give up—that's the message Judy Conti, government affairs director for the National Employment Law Project and I deliver in our conversation. As hundreds of thousands of people are massing in the streets, we are inundated by a slew of corporate commercials and corporate statements from Amazon, News Corp and even from something called the Hedge Fund Association, all falling over to show enlightenment about racism, even embracing the slogan “Black Lives Matter”. But, as I explain in the show, once people win an unwinding of the militarization of communities and the unwinding of policing as it's been done for decades, that's only half the battle because the corporate PR bullshit is trying to hide the depths of how the corporate boot remains firmly on the neck of African Americans, and all Americans, but especially people of color.

Ep 185: How Do I Get My Damn Unemployment Check—We Have The Lowdown; Corporate PR Slime

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2020 62:31

Episode 185: The big news—it’s the first regularly scheduled Working Life TV Show!!! View the show now and sign up at: www.youtube.com/WorkingLifeWithJonathanTasini But, all our audio podcast listeners will still be able to hear the show in the long-time format. The unemployment system is in chaos—jammed phone lines, crashing websites. People can’t get the checks they desperately need to pay for simple things like food, utilities and rent. So, I decided to devote the lion’s share of the show to dig into why this happening—and give concrete tips on how to access the system. Do not give up—that’s the message Judy Conti, government affairs director for the National Employment Law Project and I deliver in our conversation (you can see the slides Judy and I are talking about here: https://www.workinglife.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Working-Life-TV-slides.ppt) Support the Working Life Network here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast and at ActBlue: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/working-life-1 As hundreds of thousands of people are massing in the streets, we are inundated by a slew of corporate commercials and corporate statements from Amazon, News Corp and even from something called the Hedge Fund Association, all falling over to show enlightenment about racism, even embracing the slogan “Black Lives Matter”. But, as I explain in the show, once people win an unwinding of the militarization of communities and the unwinding of policing as it’s been done for decades, that’s only half the battle because the corporate PR bullshit is trying to hide the depths of how the corporate boot remains firmly on the neck of African Americans, and all Americans, but especially people of color. Support the Working Life Network here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast and at ActBlue: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/working-life-1 -- Jonathan Tasini Follow me on Twitter @jonathantasini Sign up for The Working Life Podcast at: www.workinglife.org Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jonathan.tasini.3

Crisis Conversations: Anti-Blackness in America

Better Life Lab | The Art and Science of Living a Full and Healthy Life

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2020 34:22

Since May 25, tumultuous protests have engulfed the country — touched off by the murder of George Floyd, another black man who died at the hands of a white police officer. And as protests have transfixed the nation, data continues to show the coronavirus pandemic also is disproportionately affecting communities of color, On this essential episode of Crisis Conversations, host Brigid Schulte asks: What needs to change to end our country's entrenched structural racism,? And how do we create a better, fairer America? To take on these questions, Brigid is joined by: Angela Hanks, Deputy Executive Director of the Groundwork Collaborative, and author of Structural Racism is Exacerbating the Coronavirus Pandemic for Black People - Especially Black Women Autumn McDonald, Senior fellow and head of New America California. She has been hosting COVID and the Black Community online conversations Dr. Nicole Mason, President and CEO of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research Kemi Role, Director of Work Equity at the National Employment Law Project

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Big biz uses COVID-19 to dodge responsibility for worker safety

Your Rights At Work

Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2020 54:43

Broadcast May 21, 2020 This week's guests: REBECCA DIXON, Executive Director, National Employment Law Project, on how big biz is using coronavirus as an excuse to get permanent protection from all worker lawsuits LYNN BERNABEI, lawyer, Bernabei & Kabat, on MedStar employee fired for tweeting about hospital's lack of coronavirus safety precautions DAMON SILVERS, Director of policy and special counsel for the AFL-CIO: AFL-CIO sues feds over coronavirus workplace safety Music: “We Just Come to Work Here” Artist: Ben Grosscup; original lyrics by Harry Stamper; new lyrics by Paul McKenna Produced by Chris Garlock; engineering by Jerry Paris

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Phase Two

Sunrise

Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2020 20:53

Gov. Ron DeSantis visits Jacksonville to announce he’s lifting some of the restrictions imposed during the pandemic. Currently, we are in Phase One. In Phase Two, people from vulnerable populations would still be asked to self-isolate, but groups of up to 50 people would be permitted, as long as they practice social distancing. Phase Two also allows for increased restaurant capacity, as well as the reopening of gyms, schools, and bars. Also, on today’s Sunrise: — Monday is a big day in South Florida — Miami-Dade and Broward counties will relax their stay-at-home orders and begin reopening businesses. They’re the last counties in the state to enter what has been called “Phase One” of Florida’s grand reopening. — Sunrise takes another deep dive into the state workers' comp system. It’s been a nightmare for workers trying to file a claim. An attorney with the National Employment Law Project says it’s doing exactly what it was designed to do: Save money for business by making the unemployment system so frustrating that people will decide its simply not worth the effort. — Checking in with two Florida Men: one is a pro-Trump Congressman who unknowingly filed a bill that could hurt the President. The other is a 36-year-old who wanted to fight a child.

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Freelancers and unemployment benefits in California

Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2020 50:14

On Tuesday, California launched a new portal for freelancers to receive pandemic unemployment benefits. A freelance event planner shares her difficulty in accessing the portal. Also, the program director for the National Employment Law Project discusses the problems plaguing the state's unemployment system.

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What's it like to be an "essential worker" while others are sheltering?

America Amplified: Life, Community, and COVID-19

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2020 47:04

Rose Scott of Atlanta’s WABE and Mina Kim of San Francisco’s KQED get a better understanding of what life is like for the workers who have been defined as “essential.” These workers have been living with the fear of being exposed to the coronavirus while providing services -- from grocery store clerks to healthcare workers. Guests include Keith Parker, President and CEO of Goodwill of North Georgia and former General Manager/CEO of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority; Mily Trevino, longtime Central Valley farmworker and founder of Lideres Campesinas, a non-profit supporting farmworker women and girls; and Debbie Berkowitz of the National Employment Law Project and a formerOSHA official.

COVID-19 and Unemployment Insurance (Part 2): A Live Q&A with Rebecca Dixon (Executive Director, National Employment Law Project)

Opportunity in America - Events by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2020 59:12

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, our unemployment numbers are simply devastating. Millions of people are suddenly without an income and may be without health insurance in the midst of a pandemic. The human costs of this economic dislocation are profound. What can we do to help individuals who are unexpectedly out of work? We turn to Rebecca Dixon, Executive Director of the National Employment Law Project and the newest member of our Advisory Council, to talk about unemployment insurance—how it works, who it helps, and how it might better meet the needs of the people who find themselves in need in our current crisis. During this live Q&A discussion, participants had the opportunity to ask questions about unemployment insurance in this fast-changing situation. The Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy. We recognize that race, gender, and place intersect with and intensify the challenge of economic inequality and we address these dynamics by advancing an inclusive vision of economic justice. For over 25 years, EOP has focused on expanding individuals' opportunities to connect to quality work, start businesses, and build economic stability that provides the freedom to pursue opportunity. Learn more at as.pn/eop.

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WORKING LIFE PODCAST: RETAIL WORKERS ON CORONA FRONTLINES; AMAZON MAIMS; CORI BUSH RUNS

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Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2020 57:46

When I have snuck out briefly in the past couple of weeks to safely get a few items at the supermarket, I made sure to thank the workers in the aisles and my cashier for being on the job, and I also tell them be safe and careful. They are supremely vulnerable to getting sick. Those retail workers, who still have jobs despite many stores having closed down, are forced to show up at work, mainly because they have no choice—their boss hasn't shut down and the workers need the paycheck because lots of them are like millions of Americans with very little in the way of an emergency cash cushion, and in lots of cases they have zero paid sick leave. Today, I speak with Dave Mertz, vice president and New York City director of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, about what's happening in the lives of retail workers on the corona frontlines. And speaking of bad employers—even without a pandemic Amazon is injuring workers and tossing them away like disposable units. Irene Tung, senior researcher and policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project, talks to me about a stunning new study she recently co-authored that looks at Amazon's injury and turnover rates. I wrap up this week's episode with a conversation with Cori Bush, a single parent, registered nurse, a pastor, an activist, and a community organizer in St Louis Missouri, who is a strong progressive taking on a long-time entrenched incumbent in a Democratic primary in Missouri's 1st Congressional District.

COVID-19 and Unemployment Insurance (Part 1): An Interview with Rebecca Dixon (Executive Director, National Employment Law Project)

Opportunity in America - Events by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2020 24:08

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, our unemployment numbers are simply devastating. Millions of people are suddenly without an income and may be without health insurance in the midst of a pandemic. The human costs of this economic dislocation are profound. What can we do to help individuals who are unexpectedly out of work? We turn to Rebecca Dixon, Executive Director of the National Employment Law Project and the newest member of our Advisory Council, to talk about unemployment insurance—how it works, who it helps, and how it might better meet the needs of the people who find themselves in need in our current crisis. The Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy. We recognize that race, gender, and place intersect with and intensify the challenge of economic inequality and we address these dynamics by advancing an inclusive vision of economic justice. For over 25 years, EOP has focused on expanding individuals' opportunities to connect to quality work, start businesses, and build economic stability that provides the freedom to pursue opportunity. Learn more at as.pn/eop.

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Episode 174: Retail Workers on Corona Frontlines; Amazon Maims; Cori Bush Runs

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Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2020 57:46

Episode 174: When I have snuck out briefly in the past couple of weeks to safely get a few items at the supermarket, I made sure to thank the workers in the aisles and my cashier for being on the job, and I also tell them be safe and careful. They are supremely vulnerable to getting sick. Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast Those retail workers, who still have jobs despite many stores having closed down, are forced to show up at work, mainly because they have no choice—their boss hasn’t shut down and the workers need the paycheck because lots of them are like millions of Americans with very little in the way of an emergency cash cushion, and in lots of cases they have zero paid sick leave. Today, I speak with Dave Mertz, vice president and New York City director of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, about what’s happening in the lives of retail workers on the corona frontlines. Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast And speaking of bad employers—even without a pandemic Amazon is injuring workers and tossing them away like disposable units. Irene Tung, senior researcher and policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project, talks to me about a stunning new study she recently co-authored that looks at Amazon’s injury and turnover rates. Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast I wrap up this week’s episode with a conversation with Cori Bush, a single parent, registered nurse, a pastor, an activist, and a community organizer in St Louis Missouri, who is a strong progressive taking on a long-time entrenched incumbent in a Democratic primary in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District. Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast -- Jonathan Tasini Follow me on Twitter @jonathantasini Sign up for The Working Life Podcast at: www.workinglife.org Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jonathan.tasini.3

Episode 172: Corona In The Age Of Class Warfare; McKayla’s Bid To Knock Out Hoyer

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Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2020 45:11

Episode 172: Pandemics might be one of the single best mass events to shine a light on class warfare, especially in the U.S. Rich people don’t have to worry about getting sick—they can afford extensive care in a country in which millions of working-class people can’t even afford to see a doctor for a run-of-the-mill reason. If a rich person gets sick, well, he can just sit home in his pajamas for as long as needed and never worry about paying next week’s rent, while a fast food worker or other service worker on an hourly wage is forced to go to work, even when sick. Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast What the coronavirus has shown, quite sharply and clearly, is that a country without paid sick leave is not only an immoral society but also, on a practical level, a country which denies the most basic benefits that could contain a health threat—which is what I talk about today with Judy Conti, government affairs director for the National Employment Law Project. Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast Then, you probably can’t find many people in Congress who are bigger shills for the corporate world than Steny Hoyer—and McKayla Wilkes is aiming to send Hoyer quickly into the world he really aspires to, that of a lobbyist for corporations. I talk with her today about her primary challenge. Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast -- Jonathan Tasini Follow me on Twitter @jonathantasini Sign up for The Working Life Podcast at: www.workinglife.org Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jonathan.tasini.3

WORKING LIFE PODCAST: BLOOMBERG ISN'T ALONE MUZZLING WORKERS; RAMOS RUNS IN NEW YORK

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Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2020 49:29

Episode 171 You may remember me using this before because the idea comes up again and again in the struggle of workers to get some power at work. In his ballad “Pretty Boy Floyd”, Woody Guthrie sang these words: “Yes, as through this world I've wandered I've seen lots of funny men; Some will rob you with a six-gun, And some with a fountain pen” Today that's real life, and today, I chat with Hugh Baran of the National Employment Law Project about forced arbitration, a mumbo jumbo legal term that basically means millions of workers are giving up their rights to corporations who are stealing billions from workers by using the power of the corporate pen. Then, I chat with Tomas Ramos, a progressive running for the 15th Congressional district in New York, a heavily Democratic district where a progressive can win.

Episode 171: Bloomberg Isn’t Alone Muzzling Workers; Ramos Runs in New York

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Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2020 49:29

Episode 171: Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast You may remember me using this before because the idea comes up again and again in the struggle of workers to get some power at work. In his ballad “Pretty Boy Floyd”, Woody Guthrie sang these words: “Yes, as through this world I've wandered, I've seen lots of funny men; Some will rob you with a six-gun, And some with a fountain pen” Today that’s real life, and today, I chat with Hugh Baran of the National Employment Law Project about forced arbitration, a mumbo jumbo legal term that basically means millions of workers are giving up their rights to corporations who are stealing billions from workers by using the power of the corporate pen. Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast Then, I chat with Tomas Ramos, a progressive running for the 15th Congressional district in New York, a heavily Democratic district where a progressive can win. Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast -- Jonathan Tasini Follow me on Twitter @jonathantasini Sign up for The Working Life Podcast at: www.workinglife.org Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jonathan.tasini.3

Working Life Podcast: The Minimum Wage Divides The County In Half

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 27, 2019 44:22

Episode 162: As the New Year beckons, there's good news and bad news on wages. The good news is something I've been able to talk about for the past few years at the end of each year—come January 1st, a whole lot of people are going to see their paychecks increase because of some state and local minimum wage hikes that go into effect. Which shows why movements matter—in this case, the Fight for 15. The bad news: we are quickly becoming a country divided in half when it comes to minimum wages standards. That's on tap here in our first segment in a discussion with Yannet Lathrop, policy analyst for the National Employment Law Project. Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast And two years after she first came on the program, progressive candidate Kara Eastman is back to talk about her second campaign to unseat a Republican incumbent in the 2nd Congressional district in Nebraska—and, even though she came so close in 2018, the party elites are not in her corner. Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast -- Jonathan Tasini Follow me on Twitter @jonathantasini Sign up for The Working Life Podcast at: www.workinglife.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/jonathan.tasini.3

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Working Life Podcast: The Minimum Wage Divides The County In Half; Eastman Takes Another Shot in Nebraska

The Real News Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 27, 2019 44:23

Episode 162:As the New Year beckons, there's good news and bad news on wages. The good news is something I've been able to talk about for the past few years at the end of each year—come January 1st, a whole lot of people are going to see their paychecks increase because of some state and local minimum wage hikes that go into effect. Which shows why movements matter—in this case, the Fight for 15. The bad news: we are quickly becoming a country divided in half when it comes to minimum wages standards. That's on tap here in our first segment in a discussion with Yannet Lathrop, policy analyst for the National Employment Law Project.Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcastAnd two years after she first came on the program, progressive candidate Kara Eastman is back to talk about her second campaign to unseat a Republican incumbent in the 2nd Congressional district in Nebraska—and, even though she came so close in 2018, the party elites are not in her corner.Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast-- Jonathan TasiniFollow me on Twitter @jonathantasiniSign up for The Working Life Podcast at: www.workinglife.orgFacebook: www.facebook.com/jonathan.tasini.3

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Episode 162: The Minimum Wage Divides The County In Half; Eastman Takes Another Shot in Nebraska

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2019 44:22

Episode 162: As the New Year beckons, there’s good news and bad news on wages. The good news is something I’ve been able to talk about for the past few years at the end of each year—come January 1st, a whole lot of people are going to see their paychecks increase because of some state and local minimum wage hikes that go into effect. Which shows why movements matter—in this case, the Fight for 15. The bad news: we are quickly becoming a country divided in half when it comes to minimum wages standards. That’s on tap here in our first segment in a discussion with Yannet Lathrop, policy analyst for the National Employment Law Project. Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast And two years after she first came on the program, progressive candidate Kara Eastman is back to talk about her second campaign to unseat a Republican incumbent in the 2nd Congressional district in Nebraska—and, even though she came so close in 2018, the party elites are not in her corner. Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast -- Jonathan Tasini Follow me on Twitter @jonathantasini Sign up for The Working Life Podcast at: www.workinglife.org Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jonathan.tasini.3

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Episode 147: Temp Work Is All The Rage; Coal Miners & The Green New Deal

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Play Episode Listen Later Sep 11, 2019 54:25

Episode 147: Once upon a time, if you got a job that lasted a long time, you’d be a permanent worker, maybe after a short probationary period. Not so much anymore with the plague forcing people to take “temp” jobs—the kind of job that is increasing in the past few years, outpacing full-time permanent work, and also spreading a lot more to so-called “blue collar” jobs. I explore this with Laura Padin, senior staff attorney with the National Employment Law Project and author of a new important report called “Lasting Solutions for America’s Temporary Workers”. Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast My regular listeners may recall that whenever the topic of a Green New Deal comes up, I gripe about the way in which environmentalists and politicians so easily promise to take care of workers. Don’t worry, people say, there will be a “Just Transition” for workers in the fossil fuel industries, which would mean income support and job retraining. Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast But when you dig down into these plans and promises, virtually all of them are done on the cheap—meaning giving those workers income that won’t last for more than a few years and training them for jobs that will pay a lot less. That is especially true when workers move from a good union job to an industry that is non-union, and most of the climate change-related industries are non-union. So, today, you will hear from Cecil Roberts, the president of the United Mine Workers of America, about the future his members are looking at as the country, and the globe, debate climate change. Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast -- Jonathan Tasini Follow me on Twitter @jonathantasini Sign up for The Working Life Podcast at: www.workinglife.org Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jonathan.tasini.3

Episode 143: Kill More Hogs, Hurt More Workers; Your Server’s Higher Wage Won’t Hurt

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Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2019 39:31

Episode 143: Working on in a hog processing plant is one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet—and it’s about to get a whole lot worse, evoking “The Jungle” of the early 20th Century. In a classic profits-over-people move, a new regulation is about to hit which would eliminate any speed restrictions on how fast hog carcasses come hurtling down the assembly line. As it is about to become law—more than a year after I first talked about the topic in a May 2018 episode—I bring back Debbie Berkowitz, director of the worker safety and health program at the National Employment Law Project, to dig into the attack against these workers. Support the podcast here: https://www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast Then, you knew it along—hiking the minimum wage does not usher in an apocalypse for businesses, despite the whining and moaning of the CEO class. The opposite is true. With the latest state minimum wage hike at the end of 2018 to $15 an hour in New York State in the books, I talk with Yannet Lathrop, policy analyst with NELP, about a new study she co-authored that looks at the New York City restaurant industry and debunks, yet again, the rhetoric about minimum wage hikes hurting business. Support the podcast here: https://www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast -- Jonathan Tasini Follow me on Twitter @jonathantasini Sign up for The Working Life Podcast at: www.workinglife.org Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jonathan.tasini.3

Ep 140: Stopping Wall Street Looting; Airline Workers Demand Fair Pay; The Minimum Wage Bill Passes

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2019 50:45

Episode 140: I like the ring of The Stop Wall Street Looting Act, don’t you? True, it’s part of the business model of the joint, especially the private equity pirates. The Act is, in fact, aimed squarely at the private equity industry, who have stripped and destroyed hundreds of companies. I’ll talk about the Act with the national expert on the industry, Eileen Appelbaum, the co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast When you are sitting on your airplane ready to take off, you’ve probably seen those LSG Sky Chefs catering trucks driving up to service your plane with the sumptuous menu of crackers and peanuts. Thousands of those catering workers are low paid, and have to pay for expensive ,mediocre health insurance—and they are preparing for a possible strike to get some justice on the job. I’ll be speaking with one of the workers on today’s program. Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast Lastly, you may have heard a minimum wage bill passed the House which would hike the minimum wage to $15 by 2025. Judy Conti, the government affairs director of the National Employment Law Project, chats with me about the bill—and what happens next. Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast

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Episode 139: The Corporate Sneak Attack Against Workers In The States; Amazon’s Tax Dodging Culture.

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Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2019 62:30

Episode 139: I have to tip my cap to the conservative, anti-worker right-wing. That whole gang has been far more focused, in a laser-like way, on seizing power in places where it can matter a lot—the local and state political arenas. Progressives, until recently, just didn’t focus enough on state capitols and local races—letting the right wing dominate state legislatures and local city governments. And that’s meant really bad things for workers to the tune of billions of dollars in lost wages—as we will hear today from Laura Huizer, senior staff attorney of the National Employment Law Project, who talks about a report she has co-authored looking at a little wonky, very dangerous, legal thing called “pre-emption”. Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast And with the strike by thousands of workers globally against Amazon this past Monday on Amazon Prime day, I remind us what a corporate terrorist the company really is by re-airing two great segments on the topic of Amazon’s tax avoidance strategy. You will hear from Matt Gardner, senior fellow at the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, and Oren Teicher, CEO of the American Booksellers Association. Support the podcast here: www.patreon.com/WorkingLifePodcast -- Jonathan Tasini Follow me on Twitter @jonathantasini Sign up for The Working Life Podcast at: www.workinglife.org Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jonathan.tasini.3

Episode 132: Murder, Violence and Robbery—Gifts From the Free Market

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Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2019 61:04

Episode 132: Murder, violence and robbery—it sounds like a list for a plot of The Wire. But, no, it’s just another standard operating procedure for the free market system—in which people are murdered in Colombia thanks to so-called “free trade”, workers are beat up and sometimes killed at McDonald’s because the company doesn’t care about its workers beyond the bottom line so leaves workers exposed to threats to their lives and, lastly, public sector employees have the money they have saved for retirement, sometimes over many decades, taken from them mainly because some greedy Wall Street lowlifes crashed the economy to make a pile of money no matter the cost to millions of people. The Violence: Debbie Berkowitz, the Worker Health and Safety Program Director for the National Employment Law Project, chats with me about NELP’s new report looking at the violence faced by McDonald’s workers. The Robbery: Tom Chamberlain, president of the Oregon AFL-CIO, explains how the Democratic-led Legislature is pushing—disgracefully—to cut public workers’ pensions. The Murders: Cathy Feingold, the director of the AFL-CIO’s international department who was recently elected as Deputy President of the International Trade Union Confederation, the organization representing 200 million unionized workers worldwide, breaks down the widespread killing of union leaders and other activists in Colombia, despite promises made—promises yours truly never bought—that the so-called “free trade” deal between the U.S. and Colombia would bring about labor rights reforms and protections. -- Jonathan Tasini Follow me on Twitter @jonathantasini Sign up for The Working Life Podcast at: www.workinglife.org Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jonathan.tasini.3

Episode 114: How Amazon Dodges Taxes; 22 Million Workers Get A Raise!

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Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2019 57:46

Episode 114: I’ve spent a fair amount of time recently on the very bad deal made by New York and Virginia with Amazon to lure the company to build its new headquarters in those two states. Amazon is an important story because of the power it exercises over our economy—a power that grows every day. This week, I talk with Oren Teicher, the CEO of the American Booksellers Association, whose perspective goes beyond the damage Amazon has done to book stores; he and I talk specifically about the hundreds of millions of dollars states and cities lose because of Amazon’s on-going shenanigans around sales tax collections, and how the company hurts businesses and communities on just about every block in the country. In the second segment, I celebrate and discuss with Yannet Lathrop of the National Employment Law Project the extra money 22 million workers will see in their paychecks this year because of state and local hikes in the minimum wage (yes: the federal minimum wage still stands at an immoral $7.25-an-hour). Our Robber Baron of the week is the CEO of Standard & Poor’s.

The Justice System and Jobs: How Court Decisions Are Shaping Americans' Work Lives

Opportunity in America - Events by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2018 90:01

This Supreme Court term saw several high-profile cases in which the court adjudicated labor issues. The Janus decision, with its implications for public sector unions, and the Epic Systems decision, regarding the use of private arbitration, drew the media's attention this year. Somewhat less widely covered were important decisions of lower courts, which have been adjudicating issues such as the validity of non-compete agreements, whether non-poach agreements among franchisees are legal, and what defines when a worker must be considered an employee. While these and other employment-related court rulings can seem technical or dry, the impact of these rulings will be felt by virtually everyone with a job: the over 150 million wage and salary workers in the United States. Throughout history, courts have played a key role in interpreting and enforcing the rules that govern work, balancing the rights and interests of workers and those of the companies they work for. How courts strike that balance has changed over the years and has influenced the continuing evolution of the relationship between workers and employers. In this event, we hear from legal and economic scholars and worker advocates about the critical role that courts have in setting the rules for the employer-employee relationship and the impact these decisions can have on individuals and the economy. This event features Oren Cass (Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute), Sarita Gupta (Co-Director, Jobs with Justice), Christine Owens (Executive Director, National Employment Law Project), Evan Starr (Assistant Professor of Management & Organization, Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland), and moderator Lauren Weber (Workplace Reporter, Wall Street Journal). This event is part of the Working in America series, an ongoing discussion series hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program that highlights an array of critical issues affecting low- and moderate-income workers in the United States and ideas for improving and expanding economic opportunities for working people. For more information, visit as.pn/workinginamerica. The Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy. We recognize that race, gender, and place intersect with and intensify the challenge of economic inequality and we address these dynamics by advancing an inclusive vision of economic justice. For over 25 years, EOP has focused on expanding individuals' opportunities to connect to quality work, start businesses, and build economic stability that provides the freedom to pursue opportunity. Learn more at as.pn/eop.

Episode 99: Anonymous Tells Unintended Truths; Cutting Off The Prison Industry; Bank Workers Woes

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Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2018 60:18

Episode 99: Anonymous did, in fact, do us a great favor—but probably not in the way he or she (most likely a “he”) thinks. I ruminate a bit on the point I have made for a long time—Anonymous simply showed us that Donald Trump and the Republican Party, as a whole, are one and the same. I, then, turn to a discussion with American Federation of Teachers leader Jay Rehak about his union’s efforts to use its large pension fund holdings to undercut the private prison industry’s role in tearing children from their families under the immoral Trump immigration policies. And, finally, I converse with Anastasia Christman from the National Employment Law Project about the hard conditions facing bank workers. Our Robber Baron of the week is the CEO of General Dynamics.

Dr. Gerald Horne: Slavery Was Key in July 4 Declaration of Independence

Loud & Clear

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2018 112:08

On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Dr. Gerald Horne, a professor of history at the University of Houston and author of many books, including “The Counter-Revolution of 1776: Slave Resistance and the Origins of the United States of America.”A few years ago, Dr. Gerald Horne wrote a book called “The Counterrevolution of 1776” in which he argues that the American Revolution was a conservative reaction to changes in the British views toward slavery. Abolitionist sentiment was running high in London, and the only way to keep Africans enslaved in the colonies was to revolt. False Profits—A Weekly Look at Wall Street and Corporate Capitalism with Daniel Sankey, L&C’s regular Tuesday economic segment, focuses on big banks getting big breaks and what society could do with extra wealth from automation, versus what companies will do with it—namely, lay off workers. Financial policy analyst Daniel Sankey joins the show. A new study shows that Uber and Lyft drivers are being pushed into poverty by the companies that force them to work long hours with no breaks and no benefits, oftentimes for less than the minimum wage. The National Employment Law Project and the Partnership for Working Families found that Uber and Lyft bullied legislators in the vast majority of states to overrule regulations and strip drivers of their rights. Brian and John speak with Bhairavi Desai, executive director of New York Taxi Workers Alliance.A year ago, big tech company Google said it would stop letting outside parties scan gmail inboxes for data to use for advertising. But according to a Wall Street Journal investigation, it hasn’t. Dr. Robert Epstein, the Senior Research Psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology, joins the show.US hospitals have experienced a medicine crisis over the past few years. One of the primary drug manufacturers, Pfizer, has not been producing cheap older drugs like morphine with the regularity that hospitalized people need—but they have been raising their prices on big money-makers like Viagra and blood pressure medication. So why can’t hospitals get what they need? Dr. Margaret Flowers, the co-coordinator of Popular Resistance at PopularResistance.org, joins Brian and John.German Chancellor Angela Merkel has completely reversed course to save her coalition. She’s fully capitulated to Interior Minister Horst Seehofer’s demands to hold in custody migrants who have applied elsewhere for asylum. What does this mean for European migration and for her hobbled government? Berlin activist and journalist Diani Baretto joins the show.As you’ve heard on this show and elsewhere for several days, leftist candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador won the Mexican presidential election this past Sunday. Polls showed that he was in the lead by 20 and 30 points, and he has been popular in the country for decades. But some media and political analysts are delivering credit for his win to none other than...Russia. How DID Andres Manuelovich get elected? Brian and John speak with Alex Rubinstein, Sputnik news analyst and journalist whose work is on Twitter at @RealAlexRubi.

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U.N. v. Trump

OFF-KILTER with Rebecca Vallas

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2018 60:35

This week on Off-Kilter, while Trump spent much of the week crowing about how he’s to thank for the so-called “best economy ever,” the United Nations released a scathing indictment of poverty and inequality in the U.S., finding that for all but the richest, “the American Dream is rapidly becoming the American illusion.” The report’s findings are damning and specifically call out Trump and the GOP for lavishing massive tax breaks on the wealthiest while 5.3 Americans live in “third world conditions of absolute poverty.” Rebecca speaks with Philip Alston, the U.N. special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, who authored the fiery report. Later in the show, ride-hailing corporations like Uber and Lyft have adopted the dirty tactics of the gun and tobacco industries to buy political influence and override local policies intended to protect consumers and drivers. In 2016, Uber and Lyft deployed a whopping 370 lobbyists around the country—more than Amazon, Microsoft, and Walmart combined. To unpack how Uber and Lyft have rewritten state laws in a staggering 41 states to benefit their own bottom lines at the expense of their drivers and consumers, Rebecca talks with Rebecca Smith, director of work structures at the National Employment Law Project, and one of the authors of the recent report, “Uber State Interference: How TNCs (Transportation Network Companies) Buy, Bully, and Bamboozle Their Way to Deregulation.” But first, Michigan passes a slightly less racist but still awful bill jeopardizing Medicaid for 350,000 Michiganders; the story behind the “Save Our Tips” signs all over D.C.; the return of the Equal Rights Amendment; why did Trump try to hide the Social Security and Medicare Trustees Report? and more. Jeremy Slevin returns with the news of the week in poverty and inequality, In Case You Missed It.

What's in Store: The Future of Work in Retail

Opportunity in America - Events by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2017 84:30

Headlines warn that changes in retail will lead to disruptive job loss for frontline workers such as cashiers, salespersons, stock clerks, and order fillers. But there may be more to the story. New technologies, the rise of ecommerce, and shifting business strategies, marketing approaches, and customer expectations are altering the way businesses sell, customers shop, and employees work. How will these changes influence retail businesses' employment practices and the shape of retail jobs? Will the response to these changes vary across segments of the retail industry, whether companies are publicly traded or privately held, small or large, brick-and-mortar or online, or local or multinational? What are the opportunities to create new jobs with potentially more productive, meaningful, and rewarding work? This event features Ellie Bertani (Senior Director of Associate Innovation, US People Team, Walmart), Tsedeye Gebreselassie (Senior Staff Attorney, National Employment Law Project), Gina Schaefer (Co-Founder & CEO, A Few Cool Hardware Stores), Sebastian Vanderzeil (Director & Global Thematic Research Analyst, Cornerstone Capital Group), and moderator Greg Ip (Chief Economics Commentator, The Wall Street Journal). This event is part of the Working in America series, an ongoing discussion series hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program that highlights an array of critical issues affecting low- and moderate-income workers in the United States and ideas for improving and expanding economic opportunities for working people. For more information, visit as.pn/workinginamerica. The Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy. We recognize that race, gender, and place intersect with and intensify the challenge of economic inequality and we address these dynamics by advancing an inclusive vision of economic justice. For over 25 years, EOP has focused on expanding individuals' opportunities to connect to quality work, start businesses, and build economic stability that provides the freedom to pursue opportunity. Learn more at as.pn/eop.

united states america ceo walmart wall street journal retail future of work eop national employment law project

Holiday Special Pt. 2: Facing Race – Kim Diehl + Tarso Luís Ramos

The Laura Flanders Show

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2016 26:48

Supposedly, the far right have won. So what now? We ask our guests this week the same question, taking from a mixed pot of loss and success. Whether it's about the fight for reproductive justice in the South, or a movement for rural agency in progressive work, our guests offer some wisdom on what's happening now, and what's next as we head into the new administration. The Facing Race conference, coordinated by Race Forward this November in Atlanta, brought together some of the most noteworthy names in progressive organizing right now. This week on the show, we have a special compilation of interviews from the conference with these very activists. On this Holiday Special for the Laura Flanders Show Podcast, Laura speaks with Tarso Luís Ramos, executive director of Political Research Associates, about the far right's global dawn; Kim Diehl of the National Employment Law Project, on strategy for progressive movements. For more on these organizations, check out our website at www.lauraflanders.com.

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"Combatting Islamophobia" Khutbah by Zahra Billoo (7/24/15)

The Women's Mosque of America

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2016 34:34

Khateebah Zahra Billoo delivers the 7th khutbah for The Women's Mosque of America on July 24th, 2015. In her sermon, Zahra talks about how we as individuals in the Muslim community should stand up for ourselves and our communities to challenge injustice in our daily lives and the world around us. Bio: As the Executive Director of CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) San Francisco Bay Area, Zahra Billoo strives to promote justice and mutual understanding. Zahra joined CAIR-SFBA in 2009, and immediately embraced her roles as community organizer and civil rights advocate. She frequently provides trainings at mosques and universities as part of CAIR's efforts to empower the community, while building bridges with allies on civil rights issues. Zahra also represents victims of discrimination and advocates for policy changes that uphold civil rights for all. A 2014 recipient of the National Lawyers Guild SF Bay Area Chapter's Unsung Hero Award and a 2013 recipient of the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California's Trailblazer Award, Zahra came to CAIR with a background in employment and labor rights advocacy. In college, she worked with the California Faculty Association on issues including faculty salaries and the defunding of public higher education. In law school, she was awarded the Peggy Browning Fund Fellowship to work on the National Employment Law Project. Zahra graduated Cum Laude from CSU Long Beach with degrees in Human Resources Management and Political Science. She earned her J.D. from UC Hastings College of Law, and was admitted to the California Bar in 2009.

Belabored Podcast #94: Disrupting Uber

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Play Episode Listen Later Jan 8, 2016 43:02

New legislation in Seattle could pave the way for Uber drivers to unionize. We explore the legal and political road ahead with Rebecca Smith of the National Employment Law Project and Takele Gobena of the App-Based Drivers Association. The post Belabored Podcast #94: Disrupting Uber appeared first on Dissent Magazine.

The 1099 Economy: Exploring a New Social Contract for Employers, Employees, and Society

Opportunity in America - Events by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2015 84:41

Headlines about work abound with projections that employment as we know it is quickly fading away. Jobs are sliced-and-diced into “micro-tasks,” and employees are replaced by an army of contractors. Some blue-collar workers do not even know whom they work for, technically, due to the layers of contracting that separate them from the company to which they deliver services. The on-demand or “sharing” economy is exploding. Microenterprises are proliferating. Estimates of the percentage of the workforce that is “contingent” (or freelance, contract or self-employed) range widely from four to 40 percent. This panel discusses the scope of these phenomena, what is driving this trend, and the implications for workers trying to earn a living in today's economy. As the social contract between employers and employees deteriorates, how do workers access stable and adequate incomes, protections from abuse, and basic benefits like health care and retirement? As the nature of work evolves, how should labor and social policies evolve to ensure work in America can still lead families to a better future? Panelists explore policy alternatives for today and for the future. This event features Sen. Mark Warner (US Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia), Jared Bernstein (Senior Fellow, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; Board Chair, National Employment Law Project), Natalie Foster (Fellow, The Institute for the Future; Co-Founder, Peers), Saket Soni (Director, National Guestworker Alliance and New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice), David Williams (Chief Tax Officer, Intuit Inc.), and moderator Yuki Noguchi (National Correspondent, NPR). This event is part of the Working in America series, an ongoing discussion series hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program that highlights an array of critical issues affecting low- and moderate-income workers in the United States and ideas for improving and expanding economic opportunities for working people. For more information, visit as.pn/workinginamerica. The Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy. We recognize that race, gender, and place intersect with and intensify the challenge of economic inequality and we address these dynamics by advancing an inclusive vision of economic justice. For over 25 years, EOP has focused on expanding individuals' opportunities to connect to quality work, start businesses, and build economic stability that provides the freedom to pursue opportunity. Learn more at as.pn/eop.

Full time Struggle, Part time Work: Making a living post recession

Making Contact

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2015 29:14

During the Great Recession from 2007 to 2009 millions of people lost their jobs and hustled to survive. Since then, the economy has regained more than 8 million jobs. Still wage growth remains low and many simply can’t find a full time work. On this edition of Making Contact we’ll hear from a panel of labor experts on the state of labor market especially for part-time and low-wage workers. The Panelists include former New York Times labor reporter Steven Greenhouse, Ann Boger, Director of Government Affairs & Public Policy for the Freelancers Union; Tsedeye Gebreselassie, Senior Staff Attorney for the National Employment Law Project; and Rick McGahey, the first voice you’ll hear. He’s a Professor of Professional Practice and Director of Environmental Policy and Sustainability for The New School for Public Engagement. The moderator is David Gray, Senior Fellow at New America NYC.

Full time Struggle, Part time Work: Making a living post recession

Making Contact

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2015 29:14

Belabored Podcast #79: On Board for $15

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2015 44:39

Irene Tung of the National Employment Law Project explains Andrew Cuomo's new wage board, an unconventional way that New York fast food workers might see a raise. Plus, audio from the Walmart shareholders meeting. The post Belabored Podcast #79: On Board for $15 appeared first on Dissent Magazine.

Belabored Podcast #58: Holding McDonald’s Responsible, with Catherine Ruckelshaus

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Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2014 47:16

This week, Belabored talks to Catherine Ruckelshaus, General Counsel of the National Employment Law Project, about the NLRB's McDonald's ruling, and what it means for workers facing the "Who's the Boss" problem. The post Belabored Podcast #58: Holding McDonald’s Responsible, with Catherine Ruckelshaus appeared first on Dissent Magazine.

Belabored Podcast #52: Fast Food Local, with Tsedeye Gebreselassie