Working People
Episodes
The 2020 Election & Building Working-Class Power
03 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
By popular demand, we teamed up with Protean Magazine and brought a panel of amazing people together—Ash (Horror Vanguard), Mel (Protean), Bryan (St...
Working-Class Politics: Nabilah Islam
27 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We're excited to launch our new, ongoing series, Working-Class Politics. In this series, we'll talk with working-class candidates who are running for ...
Mini-cast: Break the Chains, Pt III (w/ Shirley Lung)
24 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Part III of our mini-cast series on undocumented workers and the fight to repeal the employers' sanctions provision of the Immigration Reform and Cont...
Left Anchor/Working People: The Problem with Economics
19 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We needed to take a break this week after all the work we did to put together our special episode on the French general strike, but here is a crossove...
The French General Strike (2019-2020)
12 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this very special episode, we talk with eight workers from France about the ongoing general strike that began on December 5th. Please donate to...
Mini-cast: #HealthDignityJustice
02 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We talk with former nail salon worker and organizer Glenda Sefla about the NY Nail Salon Workers Association and their fight to secure #HealthDignityJ...
Bridget Huff
27 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this first installment of our new series on unpaid labor, we chat with Bridget Huff, a stay-at-home mom and political organizer. We talk about Br...
Mini-cast: UCSC Strike
20 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's mini-cast, we talk with Veronica, Marcelo, and Justin, three grad student workers involved in the ongoing wildcat strike at the Univers...
The Winnipeg General Strike (w/ Srsly Wrong)
14 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We've got a super special crossover with the Wrong Boys themselves, Aaron and Shawn from the Srsly Wrong podcast! We teamed up to take a deep dive int...
Clarke
13 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Working People is back and we are excited to announce our official partnership with In These Times magazine! In this episode, we chat with new father ...
Mini-cast: Break the Chains, Pt II (w/ David Tieu)
11 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Part II of our mini-cast series on undocumented workers and the fight to repeal the employers' sanctions provision of the Immigration Reform and Contr...
Vanessa Bain
04 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Instacart shoppers walked off the job this Sunday in protest of the company's rampant wage/tip theft and dishonest, exploitative practices. We chat wi...
Dana Gardner
03 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In Part II of our two-part episode on workers in the Maine logging industry, we chat with Dana Garner, a veteran trucker and wood hauler from St. Fran...
SpoOoOoky Special (w/ The Horror Vanguard)
27 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Our Working People Halloween special! We talk with Jon and Ash from The Horror Vanguard podcast about horror, the working class, and how there's noth...
Mini-cast: Break the Chains, Pt I (w/ Josephine Lee & Tosh Anderson)
24 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Part I of our mini-cast series on undocumented workers and the fight to repeal the employers' sanctions provision of the Immigration Reform and Contro...
Mark Hardison
22 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In Part I of our two-part episode on workers in the Maine logging industry, we chat with Mark Hardison, a longtime woodcutter from Eastern Maine, near...
Mini-cast: Update from the UAW Picket Line (w/ John Jayne)
17 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We talk with John Jayne, a GM worker in Philadelphia and member of UAW Local 2177, about the month-long UAW strike and the new tentative contract agre...
Darrow Omar
13 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We talk with Darrow, office coordinator for Portland State University's Women, Sexuality, & Gender Studies Department and member organizer for SEIU Lo...
Homecoming (w/ Sarah Smarsh)
27 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
SPECIAL EPISODE: We chat with the one and only Sarah Smarsh, author of Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard & Being Broke in the Richest Country on Ear...
Going to the Mat
23 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In Part II of our season-opening special on indie professional wrestlers, we talk with Noah (The Sorceress), Chris Hutton (Rob Matter), and Joella (In...
Angel Blue
08 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We kick off Season 3 with news from Andy O'Brien (AFL-CIO) about a unionization push in the Maine logging industry and we talk with indie professional...
Mini-cast: (ACTION NOW) Say No to IRAPs
24 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Directed by the Trump administration, the US Department of Labor (DOL) has proposed changes to apprenticeship programs that could spell disaster for u...
Mini-cast: Pay KY Coal Miners Now! (w/ Josh Holbrook)
04 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We talk with Josh Holbrook, one of the Kentucky coal miners currently protesting coal companies Black Jewel, Black Hawk, and Revelation for stiffing h...
Mini-cast: Show Me What Democracy Looks Like (w/ Astra Taylor)
26 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A section from our chat with Astra Taylor, writer, filmmaker, organizer, and co-founder of the Debt Collective. We talk about Astra's new documentary,...
Mini-cast: On the Clock (w/ Emily Guendelsberger)
12 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We chat with journalist Emily Guendelsberger about her new book, On the Clock: What Low-Wage Work Did to Me and How It Drives America Insane. Addit...
"You Are Not A Loan" (w/ Ami Schneider & Sanders Fabares)
30 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Last Monday, Representatives Ilhan Omar, Pramila Jayapal, and Senator Bernie Sanders unveiled the Student Debt Cancellation Act of 2019, which include...
What to Do if ICE Raids Your Workplace (w/ Diana Marin & Bill Lopez)
22 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this urgent special episode, we talk with Diana Marin, Supervising Attorney at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, and Professor Bill Lopez abou...
Mini-cast: Mad about Class (w/ Lyta Gold)
12 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We chat with Current Affairs Amusements and Managing Editor, Lyta Gold, about her latest viral tweet and about why upper-middle-class liberals get so ...
Erin Fristad
07 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We wrap up Season Two by chatting with Erin Fristad. Erin is currently an adjunct professor at a community college and she works with combat veterans ...
Mini-cast: A People's History (w/ David Parsons)
03 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Our friend David Parsons from The Nostalgia Trap podcast comes back on the show to talk about their exciting new video project, left media, and about...
ORGANIZE! - Democratic Socialists of America, Part I - Jen
01 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We are excited to launch our new ORGANIZE! series. In this ongoing series, we'll be talking to working people who have had enough of this rigged syste...
Mini-cast: This Is Not a Rescue (w/ Kaytlin Bailey)
27 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Friend of the show Kaytlin Bailey is back to tell us about the work she's doing at Decriminalize Sex Work and about the hysterical, disastrous push by...
Care for One Another & Fight Like Hell (w/ Arielle Cohen)
25 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Activist Arielle Cohen shares her abortion story and some words of wisdom to guide us through these dark times. Additional links/info below... A...
Walter Vicente
19 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We chat with Walter Vicente, a Guatemalan immigrant and textile worker in North Carolina. But Walter isn't just a worker … he is also a proud co-own...
Workers' Book Club: Reconsidering Southern Labor History (w/ Keri Leigh Merritt)
14 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We are kicking off our new series: Workers' Book Club! In this ongoing series, we will record workers chatting with authors about books that relate to...
Mini-cast: Known Assailants (w/ John Tormey)
13 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We chat with John Tormey, writer and track laborer for the commuter rail in Massachusetts, about his essay for The Baffler, "Known Assailants," Boston...
#StrikeUberLyft, Part II (w/ Alexandra Carbone)
07 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We chat with Alexandra Carbone, gig worker and organizer with Rideshare Drivers United, about the #StrikeUberLyft strike tomorrow and how you can show...
#StrikeUberLyft, Part I (w/ Stefanie Mezigian)
07 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We talk to disability and health activist Stefanie Mezigian about ride-sharing company Lyft's violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and ho...
Mini-cast: Whitewashing the Working Class (w/ Luke Savage)
06 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We chat with writer and podcaster Luke Savage about his recent Jacobin piece on how the media and politicians alike either reduce the working class to...
Drew Edmonds
03 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We talk to Drew Edmonds, a Burgerville worker in Portland, Oregon, and an organizer with the Burgerville Workers Union. We talk about the fight Drew a...
Mini-cast: May Day, Our Day (w/ Raechel Anne Jolie)
01 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We chat with writer, organizer, witch, and educator Raechel Anne Jolie about the spirit of May Day--a day of international worker solidarity. Add...
Jennifer Gates
26 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We chat with Jennifer Gates, a Grocery Steward at Ralphs in Southern California and a member of UFCW 770. Jennifer is a singer, a single mom, and she'...
Reese Piper
24 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We talk with Reese Piper, a professional stripper, writer, and journalist reporting on sex work, labor rights, and autistic culture. We talk about Ree...
Mini-cast: Mexican Labor Reawakens (w/ Martha Pskowski)
22 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We chat with Mexico-City-based journalist Martha Pskowski about her reporting on the maquila worker strikes just south of the U.S.-Mexico border, and ...
Mini-cast: Who Cares for Care Workers? (w/ Dave G.)
17 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We chat with Dave G, cohost of the Mandatory OT podcast, member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), and longtime State Tested Nursing Assist...
Don't Shop, Don't Stop!
13 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
At 1:00pm on Thursday, April 11, over 31,000 Stop & Shop workers across New England walked off the job. The strike is going on at this very moment and...
Mini-cast: In the Dish Pit (w/ Christina Clark & Jon Deitcher)
10 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We chat with Christina Clark and John Deitcher from Endorphin Films about their viral short documentary, Dish Pigs, which tracks the lives and jobs of...
Mini-cast: Smooth Operator (w/ Miriam Posner)
08 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We chat with Professor Miriam Posner about her recent articles in The New Yorker and LOGIC magazine on the global supply chain software that shapes wo...
Lucy Lloyd
06 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We talk with Lucy Lloyd, a self-taught Apple product repair and support technician living in Sedan, Minnesota, a town with a population of less than...
Mini-cast: Kingdom Came (w/ Tarence Ray)
03 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We chat with Tarence Ray, writer and 1/3 of the Trillbilly Workers Party, about his recent article in The Baffler about what liberal pundits like Paul...
Mini-cast: Suicide Squeeze (w/ Nate Kalman-Lamb)
01 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We chat with with author and scholar Nate Kalman-Lamb about his extensive work on the labor politics of professional sports, and about his and Dirk Ha...
After the Academy
28 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this special compilation episode, we talk to eight working-class scholars about loving, leaving, and being left behind by academia. Additional...
Mi familia
24 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A special Alvarez family sequel to the very first episode of Working People. Additional links/info below... Working People, Season 1, Episode 1,...
Mini-cast: You Don't Know the Half of It, Part 2 (w/ Torrey Wilson)
19 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
While all eyes have been on a high-profile #CollegeAdmissionScam involving super-rich people buying and bribing their kids' way into elite universitie...
Mini-cast: You Don't Know the Half of It, Part 1 (w/ Lauren Schandevel)
18 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We brought friend of the show Lauren Schandevel back on to vent about and break down last week's college admissions scandal. Lauren (whom we interview...
Katelyn O'Brien
15 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We chat with Katelyn O'Brien, a pipefitter working for a shipbuilding company in Virginia. Katelyn is a trans woman with a degree in History and an ...
Mini-cast: Worked to Death at FedEx (w/ Joe Allen)
11 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We talk with labor writer and activist Joe Allen about his recent Jacobin article on the death of FedEx freight driver William L. Murphy. Additi...
Mini-cast: TV for the Working Class (w/ Naomi & Nick from Means TV)
04 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We talk with Naomi Burton and Nick Hayes, the young socialist brains behind Means Media, the Detroit-based leftist media cooperative that produced the...
Rick Sturgill
28 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We chat with Rick Sturgill, a retired coal miner and electrician from Letcher County in South East Kentucky. Rick is a straight shooter, he calls thin...
Mini-cast: Alienated Labor (w/ Katy Slininger)
25 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We talk with Katy Slininger about her latest piece for Popula magazine, "Alienated Labor," in which she explains--in heartbreaking detail--why it bec...
Mini-cast: Graduate Workers & Open Bargaining (w/ Jared Sacks & Buka Okoye)
20 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We talk with Jared Sacks and Buka Okoye, two members of the Columbia grad union (GWC-UAW Local 2110 Graduate Workers of Columbia) about graduate stude...
Evan Montgomery
20 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We chat with Evan Montgomery, a third-generation grain farmer on the North Dakota side of the Red River Valley. Evan is also a trained musician--he ha...
Mini-cast: Every Little Bit Counts (w/ Carl Slone)
13 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Carl Slone is a coal miner who lives in Whitesburg, Kentucky, a town of about 1,200 people. He's never protested before. But when he saw a local estab...
Mini-cast: The "Skills Gap" Is Bullshit (w/ Meagan Day)
12 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We talk with DSA member and Jacobin staff writer Meagan Day about her recent article "The 'Skills Gap' Was a Lie" Additional links/info below... ...
Wright State Strike
08 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Faculty have been on strike at Wright State University for over two weeks now, and things are coming to a head. In this special episode, we check in w...
Mini-cast: Amazon, Trump, & the NY Prison Boom (w/ Ross Barkan)
06 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We talk to journalist Ross Barkan about his recent article in Gothamist, "Amazon's NYC Campus, Donald Trump's Rise, & NY's Prison Boom All Share A Com...
OC Sheraton/Hilton Workers
31 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Represented by UNITE HERE Local 11, workers at hotels in Southern California have been taking bold and necessary actions to secure a contract that add...
#RedForEd - UTLA Strike
22 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Working People is back for Season Two! In this #RedForEd special, we talk to Trevor, Jesenia, and Danielle, three teachers and members of United Teach...
GM Layoffs - Solidarity
15 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
2018: On the Monday after Thanksgiving, General Motors workers in the U.S. and Canada learned of the company's announcement that it would be idling fi...
GM Layoffs - Oshawa
12 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
2018: On the Monday after Thanksgiving, General Motors workers in the U.S. and Canada learned of the company's announcement that it would be idling fi...
GM Layoffs - Hamtramck/Pontiac
06 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
2018: On the Monday after Thanksgiving, General Motors workers in the U.S. and Canada learned of the company's announcement that it would be idling fi...
GM Layoffs - Lordstown
05 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
2018: On the Monday after Thanksgiving, General Motors workers in the U.S. and Canada learned of the company's announcement that it would be idling fi...
Em
22 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Em, an Alaskan native who is now living and working in Jackson, Wyoming. Em is a fellow Millennial, and we talk about some...
Kai
13 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we round off our special two-week series on sex work by talking to Kai, a sex worker and DJ in Atlanta, Georgia. Kai is a wonderful, ...
BONUS EPISODE #3B - Alex Andrews
09 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In Part II of our bonus episode in this special Working People series on sex work, we chat to the amazing Alex Andrews, an organizer, former sex worke...
BONUS EPISODE #3A - Kaytlin Bailey
04 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In Part I of our two-part bonus episode on sex work, we chat to the wonderful Kaytlin Bailey, comedian, writer, activist, sex worker, and host of The ...
Ceyenne Doroshow
30 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we begin our special two-week series on sex work by talking to the fabulous Ceyenne Doroshow. No description can really do Ceyenne ju...
BONUS EPISODE #2A - Trevor Griffey
18 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In Part I of our special two-part BONUS EPISODE on labor, class, and higher education, we chat to Trevor Griffey, writer, historian, and Labor Studies...
John Buckley
18 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to John Buckley, a lecturer in the English Department at the University of Michigan. John is a member of the lecturer's union...
Vickie Shannon Allen
09 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, which is a little longer than our typical episodes, we talk to Vickie Shannon Allen, a native Texan and a warehouse worker at an Amaz...
BONUS EPISODE - Rob Larson
21 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In our first BONUS EPISODE of the season, we chat to Rob Larson, writer and professor of economics at Tacoma Community College, and take a deep dive i...
Sara
10 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we chat with Sara, a DACA recipient and telemarketer in Las Vegas. Sara is not the kind of person you can put labels on—you definit...
LaDonna Brave Bull Allard
03 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this special Labor Day episode, we talk to LaDonna Brave Bull Allard, an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota, and one ...
Tom Madden
27 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Tom Madden, a native Missourian, a professional plumber, and member of the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union Local 562. We ta...
Angela Prigge
20 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Angela Prigge, who has been a hospitality worker in Hawaii, on the island of Kauai, for 18 years. Angela has lived in Hawa...
Lauren Schandevel
13 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Lauren Schandevel, a low-income student at the University of Michigan who grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Warre...
Adrienne
06 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk to Adrienne, a teacher in Michigan, single mother of three, and a grievance officer in her local union. Adrienne is an incred...
Glynndana Shevlin
06 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I have the great pleasure of talking with Glynndana Shevlin, a Disney Resort worker and member of UNITE HERE Local 11. We talk about...
Jesus Alvarez
06 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this inaugural episode of Working People, we talk to Jesus Alvarez: a Mexican immigrant who became a US citizen in 1980; a shy kid who met his wife...