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Workers Speak for Themselves · Labor Radio-Podcast Daily

0:00
So, um, guys, uh, am I coming across really, um, roboty sounding?
0:06
No, but I do think that your, um, your connection to Wi-Fi might be
0:11
inconsistent just the tiniest bit.
0:15
And meanwhile, Thaddius, is there something we can… Actually,
0:18
one thing is what mic are you… Is you using the built-in mic?
0:21
I'm using the built-in mi- mic on my laptop.
0:24
That's part of the problem, right, Harold?
0:25
Part, I mean, the built-ins are just not that good.
0:28
Um, there's not a lot I think we can do about that other than if
0:32
you can get closer to it maybe.
0:34
Yeah, and let me, let me place something underneath of the, the laptop as
0:38
well so that it isn't bouncing there.
0:42
And with that, folks, welcome to the Labor Radio Podcast weekly, where we bring you
0:47
highlights from some of the great shows across the Labor Radio Podcast network.
0:53
our compatriot, Patrick Dixon, is on the road this week, but
0:58
we are so, so lucky to have our summer intern, Tejas, on the show.
1:06
Tejas, thank you so much for joining us.
1:09
Thank you, Harold.
1:10
I couldn't or wouldn't want to be anywhere else at the moment, so-
1:15
… it works out pretty well.
1:16
Oh, we'll change that.
1:17
We'll change that.
1:18
You- you're gonna, you're gonna have to rethink that- … by
1:20
the time this is done.
1:22
Obviously, he's, uh, he's- he's new blood.
1:25
He's new blood.
1:25
We are really happy to have you here with us, and let's, uh,
1:29
let's get this show on the road.
1:30
To you, Harold.
1:34
All right, Chris.
1:35
So this week, workers at a gender-affirming care clinic in Washington
1:40
State explain why they organized a union after management allegedly
1:45
retaliated against worker activists
1:48
one of our bosses, one of the owners, Anna Lantry- Mm-hmm … has basically
1:53
expressed hostility to the ideas of union- Yes … calling them cults.
1:57
Yeah,
1:57
Amazon worker organizers in California discuss the challenges of building
2:01
a union inside one of the world's largest and most anti-labor employers.
2:07
why it was so important to me to unionize is because we don't have
2:10
a seat at that table when they talk about our compensation packages.
2:13
They
2:13
just tell you what is gonna-
2:14
Yeah.
2:15
Yeah.
2:15
It's the shareholders that are at that table deciding what us workers
2:19
get, are gonna get for that year.
2:22
Now, these are shareholders who are multimillionaires, billionaires
2:25
who don't work or live like we do.
2:28
Australian indigenous activist Mark, and this is real, National Sorry Day, and they
2:34
discuss the continuing impact of child removals on First Nations communities.
2:40
you're Aboriginal in Australia, you're, you are, you are, you are
2:44
definitely assumed to be a bad, um, mother, to be a bad community
2:49
member, to be not a good society.
2:51
That's what, that's what white society has painted of us, you
2:54
know, the First Nation people.
2:56
We'll also hear from Texas labor leader Rick Levy on organizing
3:01
in a right to work state.
3:02
one of the really interesting things about right to work is that, um,
3:08
sometimes I feel like we're hungrier or we're scrappier in a way because
3:12
we know we don't have that automatic membership And we have to organize every
3:17
day just to keep people in the union.
3:19
El Cafecito del Día looks at the history of Mexican American families targeted
3:24
during mass deportation campaigns and why that history still matters today.
3:28
Instead of creating ways to protecting mixed-status families and allow them
3:33
to remain together, the goal under this administration is not to keep
3:37
families together, but to remove them together, similarly to what
3:41
happened during the interwar period.
3:43
And Say What, one of my favorite podcast titles, explores how deeply
3:49
held beliefs shape our responses to work, life, and mental health
3:54
That's why small things can hit so hard, and a single mistake can feel so big.
4:02
Because it's not about the moment, it's about the core belief beneath the moment.
4:09
It's like an iceberg.
4:12
You only see what's above the surface, but the real weight and
4:17
girth of it is beneath the surface.
4:22
That's all ahead on this week's Labor Radio Podcast Weekly.
4:26
Cue the music, Chris.
4:29
Dun,
4:29
dun, dun.
4:29
Except it's probably already been playing the whole time.
4:31
Who knows?
4:31
It's, it has been.
4:32
It has been.
4:40
All right, folks.
4:41
First up, Labor Radio on KBOO takes us to Vancouver, Washington, where workers at-
4:47
Where I used to live.
4:49
Sorry, go ahead.
4:51
Just step all over my line.
4:53
That's okay.
4:53
I don't mind.
4:56
Where workers at a gender-affirming care clinic say a union drive was
5:00
met with resistance from management.
5:02
They explain why they organized and what happened next.
5:06
I am so glad that Labor Radio on KBOO did a story on this.
5:11
I mean, it's an electrolysis clinic, and a lot of people aren't gonna
5:16
pay attention to a strike there, but these are really important
5:21
I know some people in interesting jobs have been organizing, but I was like,
5:25
when, when the electrolysis workers are organizing, you know something is going on
5:30
Yo, what's up everybody?
5:31
You are listening to KBOO 90.7 FM Portland, streaming all
5:35
across the world at kboo.fm.
5:37
Just put it in your browser and we're with you wherever you want us to be.
5:39
Now, I'm Poxy Leonard here, and they let me on during daylight hours, so watch out.
5:44
So all that said, tonight, um, I'm here talking with, uh, Deja and Rain from
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Real You Electrolysis Workers United.
5:52
That's right, real union here.
5:54
And uh, a group formed by workers, um, at Real You Electrolysis
5:57
in Vancouver, Washington.
5:59
And um, we're gonna discuss an ongoing labor dispute that has, uh,
6:02
resulted in a walkout and a strike.
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Now, um, the dispute began after a coworker was terminated in April,
6:09
leading employees to begin discussing workplace concerns and organizing efforts.
6:13
So workers say they, uh, they support, uh, they have the support for
6:17
unionization here, which grew quickly with more than 70% of practicing
6:20
clinicians signing a petition, you know, seeking voluntary union recognition.
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Now, organizers say additional employees involved in those efforts were actually
6:28
later terminated, leading workers to walk out in protest in solidarity.
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So workers involved in the effort believe those actions were connected
6:36
to their organizing activity.
6:37
Now, tonight we're here, and we're going to discuss and hear directly
6:41
from someone involved, walk through the timeline, and better understand
6:44
how things reached this point.
6:45
So Deja, Rain, thank you for being here tonight.
6:47
How are you?
6:48
Great.
6:49
Thanks for having us, Poxy.
6:50
Oh, yeah.
6:50
Thank you so much.
6:51
Now, for people just hearing about this for the first time, who are you, and
6:56
what is Real You, and, uh, the Real, the Real You Electrolysis Workers United?
7:00
Of course.
7:01
So Rain and I are both practicing clinicians at Real You Electrolysis.
7:06
Um, for those that don't know what electrolysis is, it is a
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permanent hair removal method.
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Um, it is primarily used for, um, gender-affirming care for
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transgender patients who are seeking to remove unwanted hair,
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um, either for cosmetic reasons, dysphoria reasons, or in preparation
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for gender-affirming surgeries.
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Mm-hmm.
7:26
Um, Rain and I, and most of the practicing clinicians at Real You
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Electrolysis, we are also trans ourselves.
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So it is kind of a special place in that I can't really think of any other
7:40
jobs that I've had or that I've even heard of where you can have a staff
7:43
of predominantly trans people- Yeah
7:45
working with predominantly trans people.
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Um, but yeah, that is kind of the background of what we do.
7:52
Um- Would you like me to say more about-
7:56
Yeah, I mean, so let's say, let's say, you know, let's, let's
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go back to the beginning here.
7:59
Now, now, so what's happened that started this whole process for
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the conversation here tonight?
8:03
'Cause you all have been picketing all weekend, so let's take it
8:05
back to the beginning there.
8:06
Yeah.
8:07
Well, so we have to go kind of far back to get to the real beginning.
8:11
One of the things that makes this workplace special, aside from the fact
8:15
that it's predominantly a trans space, is that most places, if you're gonna practice
8:22
electrolysis, you need certification.
8:25
Um, what Real You has offered to their employees is basically in Washington, you
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can practice without certification as long as you have a certified clinician on site.
8:36
Okay.
8:37
So they predominantly hire people who are not certified electrologists, train them,
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and then will offer to send them to school to get their certification in exchange for
8:49
signing a four-year work contract, which if you fail to achieve your certification,
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or if you quit, or if you are terminated, um, a full amount of usually $21,000 is
9:03
due for repayment effective immediately.
9:06
So most of us took this job because we wanted to become electrologists, couldn't
9:10
afford to put ourselves through school, and thought, "Well, it's kind of a big
9:15
commitment, but it seems like this is a great place to work, a great opportunity,
9:20
kind of worth the risk maybe." Um, that being said, it is kind of a condition of
9:25
employment to agree that you will sign the promissory note to go to school.
9:30
It was something they had every one of us sign our very first day along with
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the rest of the employment agreement.
9:36
Okay, so, like, the majority of the staff has signed on to this agreement
9:38
then is what you're telling us.
9:39
The entirety of the staff.
9:40
The entirety of the staff.
9:41
Yes.
9:41
All right.
9:41
Okay.
9:41
Yeah.
9:42
So where our current organization efforts began started around one of
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our coworkers who is pretty near and dear to a lot of us who work there.
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Um, she's been with the company for quite a long time, has a stellar
9:58
reputation, absolutely one of the most gifted practitioners there.
10:03
Um, she was kind of one of the first up to start schooling when
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Real You Electrolysis opened their own schooling program on site.
10:11
Okay.
10:14
Within a few weeks of starting the schooling, she was terminated, um,
10:20
with rather suspicious circumstances.
10:23
Mm-hmm.
10:23
And basically management moved immediately to try to collect the $21,000.
10:31
Um,
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for all of us, knowing that this person was terminated and the circumstances
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around that termination were basically did not jive with the company's stated
10:43
disciplinary policy, the reasons were flimsy, possibly even fabricated.
10:50
Mm-hmm.
10:51
We all got scared because if somebody who was so good at her job can be terminated
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while not even practicing, just being in school, pretty much any of us at any
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time could just as likely be terminated.
11:07
You've mentioned, you know, more than, more than 70% of the support
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comes fr- from y- your clinicians.
11:12
So I mean, I know- Yes … there's th- you mentioned 11 people
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earlier, but the staff is small.
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You know, this is a smaller business, so that's- it's a,
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like, pretty super majority there.
11:20
Yes.
11:20
Now w- w- with that, with that being the case, um, you know-
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W- was there, like, a particular moment out s- like, that, that
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things… Had anything kind of shifted or escalated prior to this?
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Was there, is there a ch- a turn in culture, like, in weeks coming up to this?
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Or, um, were they res- w- were the owners resilient or resistant to
11:41
the, the ideas of the union prior?
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Anything of that nature?
11:44
Oh, yes.
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I mean, our, one of our bosses, one of the owners, Anna Lantry- Mm-hmm … has
11:51
basically expressed hostility to the ideas of union- Yes … calling them cults.
11:56
Mm-hmm.
11:57
Um, she has- Yeah,
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that's pretty hostile.
11:59
Yeah.
12:00
Yeah.
12:01
Um, she has said things like she wants to be a billionaire.
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She wants to be on the Forbes 500.
12:07
Yes.
12:07
Um, she said if you give transgender people a decent job
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and a modicum of respect, they will march into hell for you.
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Mm. So she clearly has targeted her hiring efforts to people that she
12:22
believes she can exploit- Yeah … um, based on things that she has said to us.
12:28
All right, well Deja, Rain, thank you for joining me here
12:31
on the air on KBOO 90.7 FM.
12:33
Hey, this is Lena from the Work Stoppage podcast.
12:36
We're a proud part of the Labor Radio Podcast Network, more than 200
12:40
labor radio and podcast shows across the country and around the world.
12:45
The Labor Radio Podcast Network, where the people speak.
12:48
Find us at laborradionetwork.org
12:52
Next, Riverside Rank-and-File talks with Amazon worker organizer Nanette Plascencia
12:57
about the challenges of building a union inside one of the world's largest
13:00
employers and why workers keep trying.
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And I don't think they're gonna stop trying anytime soon.
13:07
It's gonna be a long effort it seems, so.
13:10
Mm-hmm.
13:11
Uh, actually she mentions, uh, one other union that's, uh… Or one other Amazon
13:18
facility that's organized with the s- the Teamsters, uh, in Southern California.
13:22
But I looked and there are five other facilities at the moment
13:28
in Southern California that are organized with the Teamsters, so.
13:31
Well, yeah, that's a hotbed of organizing at Amazon facilities.
13:36
You know, Teamsters 1932, who also have a labor radio podcast network
13:42
show, the Worker Power Hour, they're centered there in that area.
13:46
And Randy Corrigan, their secretary treasurer, he is leading the fight.
13:52
So if you wanna see what's going on when it comes to organizing Amazon
13:56
distribution centers, you should be looking at San Bernardino County.
14:00
I'll have to take a look at their podcasts.
14:09
Riverside Rank and File, and I'm your host, Steve Matthews.
14:13
We have our guest today, Nanette Plascencia, who is from Moreno Valley
14:17
Amazon facility, has been an employee for over 10 years in, in Amazon, and
14:23
has quite the important information for us all to, to hear about what it's
14:27
like to work there and what she's been involved with to try to give workers
14:31
a voice to have a union in Amazon.
14:33
Welcome, Nanette.
14:34
Thank you.
14:35
Thank you for having me.
14:36
You, you're most welcome.
14:38
Your facility, Moreno Valley, which is called ONT8, but not
14:41
Ontario, 'cause that was my-
14:42
Correct.
14:43
… that was my mistake.
14:45
About how many employees are there?
14:48
So we have about 1,000 employees, um, around there,
14:52
maybe 1,200 at most during peak.
14:55
that is our, um, guesstimation, through us being able to find out what we can.
15:01
and that was another big issue that I learned about, that, me and my coworkers
15:05
ran into as we were trying to unionize.
15:08
We ran into the issue of we knew there was a law saying that we had
15:12
to get 30% of our authorization cards signed by our coworkers
15:17
that worked inside the warehouse.
15:19
So we knew that, but the second issue was we didn't know how many worked there.
15:25
So we said, "Okay, well, let's go get the numbers." We thought we could go
15:30
up to HR and say, "Hey, we need to know how many people work here," you know?
15:34
'Cause we knew that there was a law that said we needed 30%.
15:36
So we assumed there was a law that said, "Okay, you get to know how
15:39
many people work in your warehouse."
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So I went up to HR, and I asked them, "Okay, can I please have a sheet,
15:45
or know how many people work in my warehouse?" And they kind of laughed and
15:49
said, "What?" And I was like, "Yeah, I would just like to know how many people
15:53
work at my warehouse." And they said, "Sorry, we don't provide that." Yeah.
15:57
So we're not gonna give you the information to help you.
15:59
Yeah.
16:01
So but then at some point you reached out to a particular union.
16:04
What was the first step you did after you talked to your coworkers,
16:07
and a number have said they were interested along with you?
16:10
Who did you reach out to first?
16:12
It was in 2020.
16:13
That was when I first started, in 2020.
16:16
I tried to run for city council in of Perris, where I live.
16:20
And so I went to a meeting where they had a bunch of different union
16:25
organizations there to see if they would help, in donating to my campaign.
16:31
So I met them all there, and I had to present a speech, and they asked me
16:35
questions and stuff, and I did that.
16:38
And then at the end I said, "If any of you do not support me, okay, I'll take that.
16:45
I understand.
16:46
You have your reasons.
16:47
Okay.
16:48
But the main thing is can you please send me someone to help me unionize
16:53
my Amazon facility?" And I walked out.
16:56
So after that, my information got passed around, and I got a phone
17:01
call a few weeks later, and it was from the United Steelworkers Union.
17:04
Oh, okay.
17:04
Yeah.
17:04
From the Steelworkers first.
17:06
Yes.
17:06
Mm-hmm.
17:06
So they were the first ones who reached out and really wanted
17:08
to help, and they were great.
17:10
They really did help.
17:12
Yeah.
17:13
They taught me and my coworkers a lot.
17:16
We learned about laws that helped us, that protected us
17:19
while trying to unionize- Mm-hmm
17:21
which we had no clue before And they were really great, and we
17:26
even actually started to get union authorization cards signed under them.
17:31
And we started that.
17:32
With, with the Steelworkers, okay.
17:33
With the Steelworkers, yeah.
17:34
But that didn't last too long I think because we were so new
17:37
at it and didn't know too much, that a lot of my coworkers were
17:41
They weren't too sure, so we kinda like broke off and it ended.
17:46
So that was a sad thing, but they were really good.
17:49
I wish we would've kept longer with them.
17:51
It's not uncommon- Yeah … that the first time people try to
17:54
unionize that it doesn't work.
17:56
Yeah.
17:56
And management will say what they have to say, and people
17:59
don't know to believe or not.
18:00
Yeah.
18:01
And sometimes the second time or third time around's a lot clearer-
18:04
Yeah
18:04
… with people what you need to do.
18:06
Yeah.
18:07
And then that's when we, we did have our second time around was
18:11
with the Amazon Labor Union.
18:13
And with them it was great too.
18:17
They were great because they were workers just like us.
18:20
They knew how it was in the facility.
18:22
They went through the exact same thing that we did.
18:25
They knew how it was in there.
18:27
They knew how Amazon operated.
18:29
They knew what to expect.
18:31
And, um, so we had that common bond.
18:34
Are these the same people that unionized in New York and-
18:37
Yes … in Long Island?
18:37
They were the same workers in New York, and they still
18:40
worked there too as workers.
18:41
You know, besides Chris Smalls, everybody else on the ALU
18:44
was still employed at Amazon.
18:46
So, um, some of them would come and help us too when we would be outside trying
18:49
to sign a- union authorization cards.
18:51
Really appreciate you taking the time to be here and for your 10 years of
18:55
dedication to your coworkers, because that's something that's deserves respect.
18:59
I'm Steve Matthews, and this is Riverside Rank and File.
19:04
Hi, this is Steve Matthews, the host from Riverside Rank & File.
19:08
We're part of a network with more than 200 labor radio shows and podcasts from
19:13
across the country and around the world.
19:15
Find us at laborradionetwork.org.
19:19
Thank you
19:19
Over on Australia's Solidarity Breakfast, Indigenous activist Aunty
19:25
Ria discusses National Sorry Day, the legacy of the Stolen Generations,
19:30
and the continuing fight for justice for First Nations families.
19:35
So I just gotta say, I've, I've been to Australia, my best friend lives
19:38
there, and there are lots of bad things that happened in Australian
19:43
history, which I'm not gonna get into.
19:44
Mm. But the fact that they have a National Sorry Day, I, I
19:49
just gotta give it up for them.
19:50
I, I think that is a, a really cool thing and, and I, I, uh, I
19:55
think it'll be a while before … I mean, can you imagine under the
19:57
current administration, you know?
20:01
It, it would be, it would not be National Sorry Day.
20:03
It'd probably be something that we can't say on, on network radio.
20:06
It would be National Never Say You're Sorry Day, 'cause that's weak.
20:11
this section, this was, uh, an interesting thing for me too.
20:14
I was wondering how long it took them to establish a National Sorry Day
20:29
Back with Annie and Tobia on Solidarity Breakfast on 3CR,
20:32
your community radio station.
20:34
Don't forget Radiothon's coming up, and of course, we're, uh, on our live
20:39
program for Radiothon is the 13th of June.
20:42
Auspicious or not?
20:44
Mm. Uh, on the r- line we've got Auntie r- Rio.
20:49
Is that how I say your name?
20:51
Good morning, darling.
20:52
No, it's, um, it's Rio, as in Rio de Janeiro.
20:57
Good on you.
20:58
Uh, good morning.
20:58
How are you?
20:59
Are y- I hope you're nice and rugged up.
21:01
Well, no, I just, I was actually waiting yesterday, uh, to, you know, just, you
21:07
know, um, what am I gonna say today?
21:10
But that's okay.
21:10
Um, that's me.
21:11
I'm I am who I am.
21:14
You're ahead of yourself.
21:16
Yeah.
21:16
Well, I'm glad you picked up the phone for us today.
21:19
Um, National Sorry Day on Tuesday the 26th of May.
21:23
Oh, yes, yes, yes.
21:25
Tell us about why it's so important for everybody to be, uh, aware of this day.
21:33
Well, it's, it's really, it's really important to, like, we commemorate the,
21:41
the national apology, but, you know, because we're, we're not dis- We're,
21:46
we're, we're having a march because we're not disrespectful of the, um, Stolen
21:51
Gen members who never returned home, who, who never got to hear the apology
21:57
as, as, um, farcical as it seems to me.
22:02
But, you know, um, we wanna, we wanna say that if you say
22:07
sorry, you don't do it again.
22:09
Mm. Yeah.
22:11
So, um, that was a very, very emotional day for everyone, you know, every
22:18
Aboriginal Australian, and we're feeling, um, that- We're feeling a sense of calm
22:26
that some of our, some of our stolen gen members passed away with a sense
22:32
of, um, closure because of that apology.
22:36
Yep.
22:37
And not knowing that, well, what are you gonna do with the apology?
22:42
You know?
22:43
Yeah.
22:43
So, like nothing's been implemented to say it won't happen again.
22:48
Um, but actually it is.
22:50
It- it's, um, it's not so-called stolen anymore.
22:54
It's, it's, it's a legal entity now to remove our children forcibly.
22:59
And it's at some of the highest numbers ever recorded, really.
23:03
Oh, absolutely.
23:05
Just, just do the research.
23:06
You know, do the research.
23:08
We're not doing this for nothing.
23:09
We're, we're actually on the ground, going into courts, going into homes.
23:15
You know, we, we as GMAA wanted to say that, have that Aboriginal representative
23:22
when you're go in to remove children, when you go into, um, make sure the child is
23:28
civilized, civilized for no, no reason.
23:31
You're saying that the child may, so three s- three-letter word, very
23:37
strong in our community, and it instills fear- Mm … in, in mums
23:43
and dads and grannies, grandparents, that, you know, this big, um-
23:50
Oh, what do you call it?
23:51
Million dollar organization can just step up and take your child.
23:55
I've had, uh, someone tell me, a, a young Aboriginal woman, uh, mother t- talk
24:01
to me about how, uh, when, uh, these people, the welfare people talk to her,
24:09
uh, they assume that she's a bad mother.
24:12
You know what I mean?
24:13
Like from the beginning, from the, the… It's not the same interaction as
24:18
they'd have with a, a, uh, white mother.
24:21
That's her impression.
24:23
Darling, when you're, when you're, when- if you're Aboriginal in
24:26
Australia, you're, you are, you are, you are definitely assumed to be a
24:31
bad, um, mother, to be a bad community member, to be not a good society.
24:35
That's what, that's what white society has painted of us, you
24:39
know, the First Nation people.
24:41
So we're not surprised that, um, you're getting told that, you know.
24:45
That's, um, that's how they are.
24:47
And for them to, for us to sit in, in places, like in the space
24:53
where we have to say, you know, "Uh, what's your concerns here?"
24:59
"Oh, the mother was a victim of domestic violence." Well, she didn't hit herself in
25:03
the face, but you're taking her children.
25:06
Yeah.
25:06
You know?
25:08
And that's where we step in.
25:09
Um, unfunded.
25:11
We're not, we're not funded or anything like that, so we go in and we say, "Why
25:15
is this on the rise when we've got so many ACCOs," which is Aboriginal Community
25:20
Controlled Organizations, "out there?"
25:24
You know, isn't prevention better than cure?
25:28
Exactly.
25:29
Exactly.
25:29
Thanks for talking to us this morning, Aunty Rhea.
25:33
Hey, this is Dan Golodner from Tales from the Reuther Library.
25:36
I'm proud to be part of the Labor Radio Podcast Network with more than 200
25:40
labor radio shows and podcasts from across the country and around the world.
25:45
The Labor Radio Podcast Network, where working people speak.
25:48
Find us at laborradionetwork.org.
25:51
All right, up next, organizing in a right to work state is not easy, but
25:56
retiring Texas AFL-CIO leader Rick Levy says it can make unions stronger.
26:04
talks with the Heartland Labor Forum about building worker power In Texas.
26:09
It is so great to hear Rick Levy freed from having to be the president of the
26:15
Texas AFL-CIO and able to go around and talk about what it's like to actually
26:21
organize and run unions in Texas.
26:25
Um, I think We're gonna hear a lot more from him in the coming years
26:28
You are listening to 90.1 FM KKFI Kansas City Community Radio.
26:34
Stay tuned for the Heartland Labor Forum, radio that talks back to the boss.
26:38
All right.
26:38
It's time for the second half of the show, and the song you just heard was
26:41
Working Class, and it was by John Lennon.
26:44
And once again, I'm Tom Goepken, and I'm the president of CWA Local
26:48
6360, and Judy Morgan, president pro tem of AFT 691 Leading a
26:57
state AFL-CIO, it's a lot of work.
26:59
Traveling from city to city, organizing, working with union
27:03
partners, attending city council meetings, working at the state capitol
27:07
to make sure anti-labor bills are stopped or at least watered down.
27:11
Leading a state AFL-CIO in a labor-friendly state, uh, that
27:16
only … In a labor-unfriendly state that only meets every other year is one
27:20
of the toughest jobs in the country.
27:23
Tonight, we, uh, visit with Rick Levy.
27:26
He has recently retired as head of the AFL-CIO in Texas, widely
27:31
considered one of the most labor-unfriendly states in the nation.
27:35
He'll tell us how he navigated the state capitol and worked to grow the
27:38
labor movement and make things safer and better for union workers in Texas.
27:44
Rick, thanks for coming onto the show, and welcome.
27:47
Are you kidding?
27:48
Thank you so much.
27:49
So how, how big is your membership?
27:52
Okay, so here's the thing.
27:53
Are you ready?
27:54
I'm
27:55
ready.
27:55
Texas, Texas has the fourth highest number of union members
27:59
in the country- Wow … of any
28:00
state.
28:01
Now our density is very low.
28:03
It's like four-point something percent.
28:05
But we got a lot of people here in Texas, and so, um, we have, uh, at the
28:10
state federation, we have about 250,000 affiliated members in the state of Texas.
28:15
Yeah.
28:15
And I, I mean, I don't like to come on here and, like,
28:18
start arguments or anything.
28:20
But, um, when you were talking about, at the beginning about how
28:22
hard the job was, it's, it was the best job anybody could ever have.
28:27
I mean, if you ever get to spend time with Texas unionists and be part of,
28:31
like, weaving together people's interests and helping lift up, uh, the struggles
28:37
that people are going through and getting to fight side by side with some of the
28:41
greatest unionists in the country, I mean, that is like, that is not a hard job.
28:45
That is a dream job.
28:46
And yeah, there's hard things about it, but, um, no, it
28:50
was a, it was incredible run.
28:53
Now, you're originally from St. Louis,
28:55
and, uh- That's right.
28:56
Yeah.
28:56
What are some of the differences when you compare Texas, which we just said was a
29:00
right-to-work state, and Missouri- Yeah … which has fought off right to work, uh-
29:05
Yeah
29:05
… when it comes with, to labor issues?
29:08
Yeah.
29:08
Um, that's a very good que- I mean, the biggest difference obviously
29:12
is that the barbecue in St. Louis is much more about pork, and the
29:16
barbecue here is much more about beef.
29:18
Um, when it comes to the labor movement and right to work, um, you know, Texas
29:24
was the birthplace of right to work, and Texas, that's where it came from,
29:29
and it came from the idea that, um, we couldn't have a situation where Black
29:33
workers were allowed to be in the same organizations as white workers- Mm-hmm
29:37
and white workers would have, be stuck being in organizations that were
29:41
integrated, and that's, that was the roots of the whole right-to-work effort.
29:45
So it's deeply ingrained in, uh, the kind of establishment
29:50
Texas, um, uh, legal framework.
29:54
Uh, and there hasn't really been a serious attempt to, um, to roll it back, uh,
30:00
since the 1980s when there was an effort to put it in the state constitution, um,
30:05
which the labor movement then defeated.
30:07
Um, but, you know, it's, uh, Texas, um- It, it's just, it's just, it … I
30:15
c- I never could figure out why, um, we have so many working class people,
30:19
so many poor people in this state that people are taken in by the notion
30:23
that unions are not here to help.
30:25
And so that's been a really big effort to kind of continue to take that
30:30
message beyond our membership to educate folks about what a union really is.
30:35
And I will say that for the last four years, Texas union membership has
30:40
grown even as places in the other, uh, o- other states have declined.
30:45
Um, there's real momentum here as people are starting to understand.
30:49
You know, in Missouri you have a, you know, you have a real tradition of, you
30:54
know, you have auto plants where people have been union from the very beginning.
30:58
You have a manufacturing base where people have b- been union
31:01
from … And that's part of the culture of the state, I would say.
31:04
Right.
31:04
Um, and, um, here it hasn't been quite like that.
31:08
Here a lot of people are like, "Oh, we have unions in Texas?" P- to this day
31:13
people think that being the right to work means unions are illegal or that you
31:18
can't be a union if, if you're a teacher.
31:21
Now, teachers can't bargain in Texas.
31:23
I don't know, I can't remember about Missouri.
31:26
Uh, teachers don't have collective bargaining.
31:27
Pu- public employees generally don't have collective bargaining in Texas,
31:31
but public employee unions are our biggest union in T- we organize anyway.
31:36
We have to.
31:36
And we don't have a contract, but we have the ability to organize and
31:39
hold employers accountable that way.
31:41
So, um, so I think it's just a, a s- hi- historical kind of cultural
31:46
understanding of what being in a union is, and I think we've had to do
31:52
a lot of work to kind of, uh, bring that acknowledgement to folks here.
31:57
Even if you can't, uh, bargain a contract you can still have
32:00
influence if you have a large group.
32:02
1,000%. I mean, y- y- the, you know, I think the one, one of the really
32:06
interesting things about right to work is that, um, sometimes I
32:11
feel like we're hungrier or we're scrappier in a way because we know we
32:16
don't have that automatic membership to … And we have to organize every
32:22
day just to keep people in the union.
32:25
And I think that what we understand here is that our power doesn't come
32:29
from the written word of a contract.
32:31
It's that the written word of a contract comes from our power.
32:34
And even if we don't have that contract we still have the power to
32:37
come together to organize, to agitate, to elect people, et cetera, to kind
32:43
of make sure our voice is heard.
32:46
Well, thank you so much.
32:47
We really appreciated you being on the show tonight.
32:50
Yeah.
32:50
And, uh, we wish you a lot of good luck in your retirement, and t-
32:55
relax, take some time for yourself.
32:57
Thank you.
32:58
You know, you guys have been doing this for how long, Judy?
33:01
Well- Many years … uh, Judy Ansell's been, uh, the, the person who organized
33:05
this- Yeah … 37 years, has been- Yeah … been doing the Frontline Labor Forum.
33:09
Yeah.
33:10
I, I … Your show has always been a kind of a beacon for all of us.
33:14
I used to do a little radio show.
33:16
We called it Talking Union Labor Intensive Radio.
33:19
Oh.
33:19
And we, y'all, y'all were always who we wanted to be when we grow up.
33:22
So thank
33:22
y'all-
33:22
Oh,
33:23
thank you
33:23
… for what you guys do.
33:24
Thank you.
33:24
Thank you so much.
33:26
Hey, this is Jeanne Ancel from the Heartland Labor Forum.
33:29
We're radio that talks back to the boss, and we're proud to be part of the Labor
33:33
Radio Podcast network, with more than 200 labor radio shows and podcasts from
33:39
across the country and around the world.
33:42
The Labor Radio Podcast network, where working people speak.
33:46
Find us at laborradionetwork.org.
33:50
El Cafecito del Día explores the history of mass deportations and mixed-status
33:55
families with historian Marla Ramirez, drawing connections between past
33:59
injustices and today's immigration debates
34:02
Now, Chris, I think that, um, you actually had a part in the recording of
34:07
this, and isn't this one of those where there's some Spanish mixed in as well?
34:13
Well, two things on that.
34:15
First of all, yeah, you're absolutely right.
34:17
This is a thing that we on both the, uh, Labor Heritage Power Hour and Labor
34:22
History Today, we have been making a concerted effort over the last, I'd
34:27
say, year or so to really bring in… I, I… Harold, you've done some for us.
34:31
You know, we, when- Mm-hmm
34:32
whenever Patrick and I produce that show, and whenever we're looking at a,
34:36
at a topic, a guest or so forth, the first thing we think is, "You know, who
34:40
else could we get to come in and do this interview?" And partly that's just 'cause
34:44
we wanna get different voices on the show, but we're also looking to really, uh,
34:49
develop and, and support this whole bunch of folks out there that are doing stuff.
34:53
And, uh, the second part is that what we've discovered is among the
34:58
network, there are just a ton of tremendously talented, you know, hosts.
35:04
And so we'll often look there first.
35:07
And, and so, El Cafecito del Día was, uh, you know, Carmen there
35:11
was just a natural for this.
35:13
And she does a beautiful job of doing the interview, mixing
35:17
in some Spanish and English.
35:19
For an English listener, you're gonna totally get it.
35:22
Um, but the Spanish listeners will also get something out of it, too.
35:25
We, we could not have been more pleased to partner with them,
35:28
and we're definitely gonna have Carmen do more interviews for us
35:30
Yeah, I just love the idea of mixing in the different languages like that.
35:36
Because like you say, you may not speak the language, but you absolutely get
35:40
the impression of what's being said.
35:41
And, uh, we could probably do with more of that.
35:44
I think it's easier to learn too when, when you're hearing,
35:48
uh, you know, something that you enjoy, uh, being talked about.
35:53
So you hear the, the overlap in the, you know, uh, etymologies I should say.
35:58
Context is everything.
36:00
Uh, but, but, Thaddeus, we don't use big words like entomology on
36:03
this show, so w- we'll just…
36:08
Etymology is
36:11
the study of language.
36:11
He's taking me seriously.
36:12
Look at his face.
36:13
He's taking me totally seriously.
36:14
Honestly,
36:15
you
36:15
caught me-
36:15
Totally … off guard with that.
36:17
I was like, there was a full like twisting in my brain real quick.
36:22
You totally have to expect to be played around with on this show so- Seriously
36:27
you can say ento- you can say entomology all you want, brother.
36:30
Okay.
36:30
You, you are one of the gang now.
36:33
And just for the record, Chris, entomology is the study of bugs.
36:36
Bienvenidos al Cafecito del Día.
36:38
Brought to you by the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement.
36:42
Our conversations are inspired by the moments of togetherness that nuestra
36:45
comunidad shares over un cafecito.
36:48
Bienvenidos.
36:49
We would like to start this episodio especial with a heartfelt thank you
36:54
to the Labor Radio Podcast Network for inviting us to collaborate on the
36:58
Week of Labor History Today series.
37:01
Hoy we share a conversation with Marla Ramírez, autora del libro Banished
37:06
Citizens, A History of Mexican American Women Who Endured Repatriation We
37:11
explore the history of mass deportations, destierros, racial profiling, and
37:17
the targeting of Mexican American communities during the repatriation era.
37:21
In this conversation, we discuss how exclusionary policies shaped generations
37:26
of families, and why remembering this history remains so urgent en el presente.
37:33
Acompáñenos.
37:34
How have these cycles of exclusion and removal shaped the Mexican
37:39
American community over time?
37:41
And how do you see similar patterns affecting a las comunidades Latinas,
37:47
a las comunidades Mexicanas, a las comunidades Centroamericanas today?
37:52
I argue in my book that indeed this way of understanding mixed-status families
37:59
that erases the legality of the members who are US citizens and assumes that
38:03
the entire family is undocumented in the United States, has been used time
38:08
and time again since the period that I write about, the interwar period.
38:12
Today, we see conversations again about removing entire
38:17
mixed-status families, right?
38:19
We see US citizens being detained, being interrogated, and even finding
38:24
themselves abroad, because due process continues to be ignored, and racial
38:29
profiling continues to be used as a way to identify those who are understood
38:35
to be US citizens, and those who are imagined to be undocumented immigrants.
38:40
Under the former Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristen, Kristi Noem, she was
38:46
asked, "What do we do with- Undocumented immigrants who are in the United States
38:52
and are in mixed-status families, right?
38:53
Who have US citizen children and C- US citizen wives.
38:57
And one of the responses that the Trump administration provided was with
39:02
the poor families together, right?
39:04
Instead of creating ways to protecting mixed-status families and allow them
39:09
to remain together, the goal under this administration is not to keep
39:14
families together, but to remove them together, similarly to what
39:18
happened during the interwar period.
39:20
Krisannihom also highly publicized the self-deportation, quote-unquote,
39:25
"self-deportation" pack other program that, that she l- led,
39:31
inviting people to voluntarily remove themselves from the United States.
39:36
And if they fail to self-deport, the, the consequences will be so grave that they
39:42
will have no other way to adjust their status if they were caught and deported.
39:46
So those are echoes of what happened during the interwar period, right?
39:49
And legacies of these earlier programs of mass removals that ignore due
39:53
process and, and did not protect US citizens in mixed-status families that
39:58
now we again are hearing these ideas of self-deportation as voluntary,
40:05
as a benevolent process, that if you leave, then you are allowed to
40:08
come back eventually to go through the, quote-unquote, "right way."
40:13
The families who were banished during the interwar period that I read about
40:17
were also told that they were going to be removed for a year, and then
40:21
they could come back after a year.
40:23
Once the economic crisis had reduced, they could come back to the United States.
40:27
Obviously, they… That was a fa- a false promise.
40:29
It proved to be misguidance, and they were not allowed to come back for
40:34
decades for most of the families.
40:36
Some took 60 years for them to come back.
40:39
Some took more than 40 years, 46 years to come back.
40:43
So that's another potential consequence that we need to be worried about in the
40:47
current moment, that what happens to the families who are being targeted and
40:52
unjustly removed and whose due process, constitutional rights, and civil rights
40:56
are being ignored, will have prolonged consequences in generations to come,
41:01
similarly to how the families that I write about and work with endure these
41:06
prolonged consequences in the flesh many years after the Depression and the
41:11
post-World War I economic recession.
41:13
Thank you so much, Marla.
41:15
Ha sido un placer y un honor share this conversation with you.
41:19
Muchas gracias, Carmen.
41:20
Fue un placer platicar contigo.
41:22
Thank you for the time.
41:23
The history we explored today is not just a record of what once happened.
41:28
It's a warning.
41:29
When those in power seek to maintain control, they often do
41:33
so by dividing communities, by labeling some as outsiders, and by
41:37
pushing others out, desterrandolos, whether physically or socially.
41:43
Remembering this history is not just about looking back.
41:46
It's about recognizing these patterns as they reappear and understanding what's
41:53
at stake if we fail to challenge them.
41:56
To all LCLAA and union members and labor allies, we must continue
42:02
demanding respect for the rule of law and for the basic human rights,
42:06
especialmente cuando nuestras comunidades son atacadas, and when
42:11
our siblings are detained arbitrarily, denied due process, or treated as less
42:17
deserving of dignity and protection.
42:19
The future is not written for us.
42:22
It is written by us.
42:24
Nos escuchamos en el próximo Cafecito del Día.
42:27
Hey, this is Carmen Rodriguez from El Cafecito del Dia.
42:31
At LCLAA, we are proud to be part of the Labor Radio Podcast Network
42:36
with more than two hundred labor radio shows and podcasts from across
42:40
the country and around the world.
42:42
The Labor Radio Podcast Network, where working people speaks.
42:46
Find us at laborradionetwork.org.
42:50
And finally, Say Watt, that's W-A-T-T, because it's produced by the
42:58
Electrical Training Alliance, right?
43:01
Electricians, W-A-T-T.
43:02
What?
43:03
You get it?
43:03
You get it?
43:04
Yeah, you get it.
43:06
They mark mental health awareness month with a conversation about the
43:10
core beliefs that shape how we see ourselves react to challenges and
43:16
relate to others at work and beyond.
43:21
Say what?
43:30
Hello, and welcome back.
43:32
It's time for Say What, i'm your host, Cindy Sandifer.
43:37
We're gonna mix thing- mix things up just a little bit today.
43:40
Since May is mental health awareness month, we wanted to share an episode
43:45
of our series, It's Good To Talk, which focuses on the importance of
43:50
taking care of ourselves and each other, and it really emphasizes
43:54
that this is part of safety culture.
43:57
In this episode, we're talking about deep core beliefs that shape how
44:01
we see ourselves, how we respond to life, and it often forms early
44:08
in and through our experiences.
44:11
So let's hear more about this with Dr. Charles, and see what he has to say
44:23
So let me ask you something.
44:25
Have you ever had a thought about yourself that just wouldn't go away?
44:31
Everybody has core beliefs, deep ones, not just thoughts that pass through your
44:38
head, but beliefs about who you are.
44:42
Some are good.
44:44
"I can handle hard things. I figure stuff out. I'll get through it." But
44:51
some are crippling to your wellbeing.
44:54
"I'm not good enough.
44:56
I'm a failure.
44:58
I always mess things up.
45:00
I'll never measure up." And most of us didn't choose those.
45:06
They were built inside of us early by criticism, by comparison, by being
45:12
overlooked, by trying and not being seen, sometimes due to poor parenting
45:21
and by our community environment.
45:24
And over time, you don't just think them, you believe the negative core beliefs,
45:32
and your life is governed by them.
45:34
That's why small things can hit so hard, and a single mistake can feel so big.
45:43
Because it's not about the moment, it's about the core belief beneath the moment.
45:50
It's like an iceberg.
45:53
You only see what's above the surface, but the real weight and
45:58
girth of it is beneath the surface.
46:02
So how do you change something that is so strong and so powerful and so deeply
46:09
buried within you and within who you are?
46:14
Dr. Charles, this part probably shouldn't be on the recording, so
46:17
we'll see if this gets edited out.
46:18
I'm trying to figure out how we bill this to insurance for me.
46:22
Like, all of these, uh, It's Good to Talk episodes 'cause
46:26
I really do feel like you've-
46:27
Well, let's, let's
46:28
work
46:28
hard on that.
46:29
Yeah.
46:29
We're gonna, we're gonna work on that.
46:30
Let's work hard on that.
46:30
That's, that's for later, not for you all.
46:32
Um, all right, so you explained that our strongest reactions often come from deeply
46:40
rooted core beliefs that are formed early in life, so why do these hidden beliefs
46:46
carry so much power over present-day me?
46:51
So it's because of the power of emotion.
46:55
Aha.
46:57
The emotional brain, uh, usually fires first.
47:02
Okay.
47:03
Usually fires off first.
47:04
Uh, and then the logic is always trying to catch up to it.
47:09
You know, the, the, the emotional part of your brain, the limbic
47:13
system is where that's housed.
47:15
Uh, the i- the, the, the logical side, the, the frontal lobe,
47:20
the prefrontal cortex is always trying to catch up to that.
47:24
And, and, and, uh, core beliefs reside in the emotional part of your brain.
47:30
That's where they are.
47:32
And so when they chime in, it's usually over the top.
47:36
That's one way that you can tell.
47:38
When they, when they start to chime in, it's usually over the top.
47:43
It's, uh, "Oh, what am I? Just chopped liver?" It's over the top, you know- Right
47:48
and I, I … Something that to me that's really important as you were
47:50
talking about that is we all have this.
47:52
Mm-hmm.
47:52
These are typical human things, and I think the, you know, emotions we get into
47:57
this, "Well, I'm an emotional person."
47:58
"Well, I'm a logical person." Yeah.
47:59
And it's like we're all a little of both.
48:01
Now, we might lean or we might have grown in certain maturity,
48:05
you know, that we handle things differently, but it's like we all
48:08
jump to that emotional response first.
48:10
Oh- Is that what I'm hearing?
48:11
For sure.
48:11
Okay.
48:12
For sure.
48:12
Okay.
48:12
We all jump there.
48:14
But, but even if we- If someone's str- with straight up logic like Dr.
48:21
Spock or somebody- … you know, i- i- if that, that would be a problem.
48:26
That would be a problem.
48:26
Right.
48:26
But, but the bottom line is we have a, an emotional mind, we have a logical mind-
48:35
Mm-hmm
48:35
… and both of them are valuable and, and, and, and we need them
48:39
to move us to the wise mind.
48:41
We wanna operate in the wise mind.
48:43
Right.
48:43
That's the balance between the two.
48:45
So, so you don't let o- emotions overwhelm you.
48:47
Mm-hmm.
48:48
You don't let too much logic overwhelm you.
48:50
Yes.
48:51
You figure out what parts of the logic, what parts of the emotion are, are
48:54
prevalent, should, should I be applying here, and move to, to wise thinking.
48:58
Right.
48:59
And it, because this is my therapy session- … I was thinking how
49:01
this helps me with other people.
49:04
You know, understanding we all, okay, the emotional brain starts
49:07
working first, so when maybe someone responds or reacts to me a certain
49:12
way, it's like, "Well, I do this too.
49:15
We all deal with it." Like, it kind of maybe can help us be a little more
49:18
patient or offer a little more grace.
49:21
Ideally.
49:22
Ideally.
49:22
Ideally,
49:23
sorry.
49:25
Ideally.
49:25
I, yes.
49:26
That, that is wonderful if we can achieve that, and we should
49:30
all be striving to do that.
49:31
Yeah.
49:31
Thank you, Dr. Charles.
49:33
Huge thanks to you for all that you do for us, for our industry.
49:37
Your commitment to our mental health is a commitment to our
49:41
industry's safety, and we absolutely appreciate you and you doing that.
49:47
Big thanks to you, the listeners, for taking time to join us.
49:50
Remember that we do wanna hear from you, so if there are topics you
49:53
would like us to cover, if you'd like to be a guest, send me an
49:57
email to saywhat, S-A-Y-W-H-A-T-T, @electricaltrainingalliance.org.
50:04
Stay powered up, and we will see you next time.
50:07
Say what?
50:18
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50:21
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50:24
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50:36
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50:37
That means it is time now for our speed round shows you should know.
50:42
Kicking off with the Worker Power Hour.
50:45
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50:46
This is the other worker power hour, where, uh, Harold
50:48
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50:50
Randy talks with Rick Smith about Virginia governor Abigail Spanberger's veto of
50:56
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51:00
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51:06
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51:09
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51:14
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51:17
Over on Pipe Up, Mark examines the rapid growth of data centers with UA
51:23
International representative Chris Madelo discussing what it means for
51:27
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51:29
On the Valley Labor Report, Alabama State Senator Sam Given discusses
51:34
redistricting, while labor researcher Chris Brooks explains how workers
51:38
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51:40
The Flight Deck features members of United Airlines Pilot Strategic Preparedness and
51:46
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51:51
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51:54
Breaking Ground is back.
51:56
It's been a while since we heard anything from this show.
52:00
Operating Engineers Local 3 senior organizer Steve Kubler explains what union
52:06
organizing really is, why it matters, and how members can help grow their union.
52:13
And in a special Labor History Month bonus episode.
52:16
Labor Exchange explores the history of the United Mine Workers in Colorado and the
52:20
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52:23
All right, folks, that's a wrap for this week's Labor Radio Podcast Weekly,
52:28
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52:33
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52:41
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52:59
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53:01
That's, that's way too much work, Chris.
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53:10
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53:47
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53:52
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53:57
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53:58
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54:01
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54:04
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54:06
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54:10
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54:13
Yeah, way to bring it home.
54:15
Nicely done, guys.
54:16
Nicely done.
54:18
Woo-hoo.
54:19
First one ever.
54:21
And not the last.