A Work(place) in Progress

From the introduction of new farm tools to factory machines to AI automation has been changing jobs, and it remains so essential to a discussion about work. This episode highlights various angles of automation through to the contemporary AI technological revolution. Cover Photo by  ⁠Tanner Boriack⁠  on  ⁠Unsplash⁠ .

This episode showcases the importance of healthcare/insurance access, addressing the ways employer-based insurance coverage shapes the daily lives and choices of women in the U.S.Cover Photo by  ⁠National Cancer Institute⁠  on  ⁠Unsplash⁠ .

This episode brings together our artifacts and articles to show how gender inequality isn’t random or isolated; it’s patterned and deeply rooted. We start with Virginia Valian’s Sex, Schemas, and Success which helps explain how small, unconscious biases quietly shape how men and women are judged over time. We also draw on Jean H. Block’s work on gender socialization to show how these expectations...

This episode focuses on the decline in the number of teachers, mainly due to intricate work environments, lack of resources, and unfair compensation. Using archives and personal anecdotes to explore the contrast of working conditions then and now, Christina and Naomi will discuss the downsides and upsides of working in education.  Cover Photo: "Demonstrators with signs, 'Save Our Best Teachers': A...

In this episode, “More Than the Classroom: Teachers and the Fight to Be Heard,” Kayla and Amari talk about the court case “Conrad v. Atlanta Board of Education” and the importance of a teacher’s voice within our society. They look further into the importance of teachers in history and how they used their voices to bring about societal reform, covering topics such as gender and race. Additionally,...

Alex and Treni'D take you on a journey through nursing history from the 1940s to now using artifacts from the Southern Labor Archives at Georgia State University. Our big question is simple but heavy. How did biomedical innovation reshape nursing labor? Spoiler, the answer involves shifting workloads, expanding responsibilities, uneven wages, racial inequality, and the emotional weight that nurses...

In this episode of a “Work Place in Progress”, Gabrielle Dodd and Milton Cervantes take the listener into a journey through time, comparing the past and present working conditions of welders and demonstrating how Unions can, and do make a drastic difference in the workplace. Gaining access to an exclusive interview with a present day, un-unionized welder, who shares his personal experience, they l...

This episode brings to light the hidden history of worker-run healthcare, community care, and solidarity in the plumbing industry and the plumbers who built it. Cover Photo by  ⁠Unseen Histories⁠  on  ⁠Unsplash⁠ .

This episode covers the struggles of U.S. domestic workers and the fleeting recognition that they received after advocating for themselves. It also examines the legacy of Dorothy Bolden and her work as an activist and advocate for domestic workers. Cover Photo: Jimmy Carter with Bolden. Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University.

This episode of A Work(place) in Progress shows us the struggles and ongoing reality of child labor. We were able to explain and utilize archival photographs and historical records that demonstrate how children worked long and tiring hours throughout dangerous industries, such as mills, factories, and farms. They often are exposed to toxins, deteriorating their health and education to support thei...

In this episode, Angel and India dive into the Savannah Garbage Incinerator, a place that didn't just pollute the environment but put workers and nearby communities at real risk. They bring together historical documents, a Sierra Club report, news clips, and civil rights history to show how labor, environmental, and racial justice all connect. Through the voices of workers, the community, and mode...

This episode sheds light on the origins of PATCO, the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (1968), specifically the working conditions controllers faced. Listeners will gain an understanding of how the PATCO strike of 1981 developed, experience an event associated with the strike, and how the strike relates to the current struggles of air-traffic controllers in the aviation industry w...

In episode six of this podcast, Sarah and Chanell take their time to explore the telecommunication industry. In their episode they dive into the history of this industry and the birth of Communications Workers of America. This is the union for this industry that advocates for the employees. The story is told by going back in time by looking at a grievance filed by Nancy Telly and the issues that s...

This episode of A Work(place) in Progress explores the economic contradiction of the "Essential Worker" through a 1966 document from the Southern Labor Archives. It dissects a Marietta Fire Fighters proposal that exposed the "Lockheed Gap," where public servants earned 40% less than factory workers. Hosts Nouman and Kennedi analyze how this salary inadequacy, combined with anti-union laws and phys...

In this episode of A Work(place) in progress, Bhargavi and Asia dissect an archive from the Southern Labor Archives at GSU from 1955 which summarized the current outlook on legislation regarding both migrant and nonimmigrant farm work in the U.S. They describe the historical context behind the archive including the Bracero Program and explain what the program was, how it started, why it started, a...

This podcast opens with Imari and Mayson asking the audience if they know what the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is, how it affects their lives, and introducing our main argument on how it should be expanded or revised. They go on to share heartbreaking stories that highlight the law's inadequacies and shortcomings. Then, they break down the law itself and the eligibility requirements incorp...

On this episode of A Work(place) in progress, Jamel and Timothy discuss the story of Technical Sergeant Leonard Matlovich, a decorated Vietnam veteran who bravely challenged the U.S military's anti-gay ban on service members in the 1970s. His courage exposed the contradictions of the Military, honoring soldiers for their service while punishing them for their identity. This episode traces the evol...

"Behind the Desk: The Toll on Women" was inspired by the 1985 US Department of Labor Office of Secretary, Women's Bureau of Publication, titled "Women and Office Automation Issues for the Decade Ahead." This episode talks about clerical work for women, and how not much has changed between the release of the publication, and today. The episode talks about automation of the workplace and what that m...

This final episode will take a deeper dive into labor unions by uncovering some common myths, considering examples of failed and successful unions, and examining whether it’s possible to achieve a perfect workplace. Observing court cases, conflicts, collective bargaining, and contract agreements involving unions relating to trade, retail, and entertainment, Aaryan and Chaseton offer their conclusi...

In this episode, Angie, Nataly, and a special guest shed light on the urgent need for reform in the k-12 education sector and beyond. Despite being the foundation of our educational system, teachers frequently endure working conditions that would be intolerable in any other occupation. This episode examines the many forms of exploitation, such as the demands of emotional labor, a lack of professio...

This episode analyzes two case studies from the Southern Labor Archives that illustrate the heightened risks women face in certain medical-professional contexts: first, a grievance filed by a woman working in psychiatric care, and second, a news article about abuse targeting women working in abortion clinics. Neveah and Nebyou explore how a lack of support and respect for care workers in general,...

This episode examines the complications and hazards that Hazmat workers and first responders face regularly. Beginning with an analysis of the Chernobyl disaster, based on the Joan O. King Papers, and moving on to discuss more recent and more local stories of Hazmat workers’ exposure to unnecessary risk, Andrii and Broderick discuss how low pay and company negligence often leads to the worsening o...

This episode discusses the working conditions of air traffic controllers and the long history of mental health and chronic stress associated with this sector of the aviation industry. Using stories from the archives to illustrate common (and some uncommon) mental health issues that air traffic controllers experience as a result of overwork, isolation, and company negligence, Adhyamithra and Anaga...

This episode exposes the history of meatpacking in the United States and the specific labor issues associated with meatpackers. The industry has been synonymous with labor issues dating as far back as Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle (1906), but the issues depicted in Sinclair’s work—grueling work, undercompensated labor, and risk of injury—continue well into the present day. Juanita and Jay follow two...

Manufacturing and factory workers are supporting pillars of our economy, yet they face serious job-related health risks and hazards, such as exposure to harmful chemicals, injuries from heavy machines, and loss of hearing due to loud noises. This episode is about occupational safety issues faced by these workers, particularly the unseen threat of workplace carcinogens. Jayesh and Sean discuss thes...