Working People

In this special episode, we chat with the one and only Rick Perlstein. Rick is an internationally acclaimed and bestselling author and historian who has published perhaps the most singularly definitive series of books on late twentieth-century American politics, culture, and the rise of the modern conservative movement. In past interviews, Rick has discussed the origins of his books and the influe...

HAVE WE GOT A TREAT FOR YOU... Working People will be taking a much-needed break next week, but never fear—we've got something special to hold you over. Last week, Max drove 14 hours from Baltimore to Bessemer, Alabama, to report on the historic Amazon union drive for The Real News Network . While he was down there, Max was fortunate enough to snag an interview with world-renowned actor, activist,...

At this very moment, one of the most historic union drives of our era is taking place at the Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, Alabama. Around 5,800 workers at the facility, the majority of whom are Black, are currently voting on whether or not to unionize with the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU). If they are successful, the workers in Bessemer would become the first uni...

In this episode, we talk to Rev. Lindsey Joyce of the United Church of Rogers Park in Chicago and the Institute for Christian Socialism. We talk about Pastor Joyce's life and path to being a full-time pastor and about the community she serves. We also discuss the work of ministry: What is it like to be a worker who works in the church? What is the relationship between the higher calling—the vocati...

***This is a Patreon Exclusive episode*** Subscribe to our Patreon:  www.patreon.com/workingpeople Thank you to all the Patreon subscribers for their love, support, and generosity. 

We're back with Part II of our special mini-series on work and politics in the sex industry, guest-hosted by friend of the show Jessie Sage. Jessie is a writer, podcaster, phone sex operator, clip artist, and co-owner of Peepshow Media . In this rich and expansive two-part series, Jessie interviews sex worker, activist, writer, undocumented migrant, and DACA recipient from Honduras, Maya Morena. I...

We're excited to share Part I of a special mini-series guest-hosted by friend of the show Jessie Sage! Jessie is a writer, podcaster, phone sex operator, clip artist, and co-owner of Peepshow Media  (which everyone should check out). In this rich and expansive two-part series, Jessie interviews sex worker, activist, writer, undocumented migrant, and DACA recipient from Honduras, Maya Morena, about...

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed many serious and dangerous challenges for workers everywhere—not just for workers on the job, but for workers trying to exercise their right to organize. But there have also been unexpected bright spots on this front over the past year, including a boom in union drives at nonprofits around the United States. One of those nonprofits is the American Civil Liberties Un...

Working People is excited to announce that, along with our ongoing partnership with the amazing In These Times magazine, we are now partnered with The Real News Network in Baltimore!   In this episode, we sit down with Justin Whittaker for the first part of an ongoing series of interviews where we'll be talking to workers on all sides of the marijuana industry—in states where that work is legal an...

Production workers at Cargill Turkey were unfairly dismissed on April 17, 2018, while trying to unionize. Listeners will probably recognize the name Cargill: based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Cargill is the largest privately held corporation in the United States. And Cargill's reach is truly global, with operations around the world focusing on the trading, purchasing, distributing, and producing of...

This week, the first wave of children, teachers, and clinicians in the Chicago Public Schools system were required to appear at their schools for the first time in nearly a year. While COVID-19 cases and deaths have only increased (and increased dramatically) across the country since last spring, CPS officials and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot insist on reopening schools. What's worse, teachers who...

Well, that was ... quite a year. From the COVID-19 pandemic and the presidential election to mass protests against police violence and worker actions around the country, it's hard to even remember all that we went through in 2020. Luckily, right before New Year's Eve, we got together with four of the best young labor journalists around—Edward Ongweso Jr., Juliana Feliciano Reyes, Lauren Kaori Gurl...

In this special episode, we talk with three representatives of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades —Jim Williams (General Vice President), Kellie Morgan (Political Director & Community Organizer, District Council 77), and Salvador Herrera (Director of Organizing, District Council 88)—about labor's fight to pass the PRO Act. We break down what the PRO Act is, why passing it would...

This is Part II of our special two-part episode with Tacoma longshore workers Zack Pattin and Brian "Skiff" Skiffington. Zack and Skiff are both members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 23 and organizing leaders with the ILWU Young Workers Committee. In Part I of our conversation with Zack and Skiff, we talked about their winding paths to working on the waterfront an...

We've got a Working People first! In this special two-part episode, we sit down to chat with not one but two  longshore workers: Zack Pattin and Brian Skiffington from Tacoma, WA. Zack and Brian are both members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 23, and organizing leaders with the ILWU Young Workers Committee. In Part I of our expansive, multi-hour conversation with Z...

We chat with Erek Slater, a bus operator for the Chicago Transit Authority, where he's been working for the past 15 years. Erek is a family man, a father, and a three-term elected shop steward and executive board member of the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 241. We talk about his working life and all that goes into being a bus operator, all the things that passengers never see—even though we dep...

We chat with Michele, a clinical social worker in the Bronx with years of experience working in psychiatric emergency and crisis settings. We talk about Michele's life and the road that led her to being a social worker—we also discuss the history of social work itself, and we dive into the very real struggles and often harsh circumstances that are a daily reality for social workers and the people...

We're back with Season Four of Working People ! In this urgent episode, we talk with Dr. Amir Atabeygi, a physician at MultiCare Indigo Urgent Care in Thurston County, Washington. On Monday, November 23, amid a terrifying surge in COVID-19 cases around the country, Dr. Atabeygi will join his fellow physicians, physician assistants, and advanced registered nurse practitioners on the picket line as...

The next time you see us, it will be the premier of Season Four of Working People ! Until then, we wanted to share this interview Max did with Evan Matthew Papp of Empathy Media Lab about why Max started the show and how it's developed over the years. They also talk about why Working People is a proud member of the Labor Radio / Podcast Network , and about the importance of making labor- and human...

We'll be back with Season Four of Working People very soon, but in the meantime, here's an interview Max did with Our Calgary , a great new Canadian podcast. Max talks with Lucas about the 2020 election and his hopes and fears for the country, the left, and for alternative media. Check it out (and give Our Calgary a follow!).    Additional links/info below... Our Calgary 's Twitter page, link tree...

We talk to Hamilton Nolan, labor reporter for In These Times , about reporting on the Trump  re-election campaign during a pandemic and seeing up close the rotting core of America.   Additional links/info below... Hamilton's author page and Twitter page Hamilton Nolan, In These Times , " Risking Your Life For a Trump Rally Means There's Nothing Left to Lose "   Featured Music (all songs sourced fr...

We're back with another installment of our ongoing series Working-Class Politics , where we talk to working-class folks and advocates who are running for office. We sit down with two members of California's Labor Slate, Eduardo Torres (running for Ambrose Recreation and Parks Board) and Gaelan Ash (communications director for Labor Slate).   Additional links/info below... Labor Slate's website , F...

Everyone who is a worker or who cares about workers should pay attention to Prop 22 in California and understand the potentially devastating impact it could have. Professor Veena Dubal joins us on the show to talk about why.    Additional links/info below... Veena's faculty page and Twitter page Sarah Ashley O'Brien, CNN Business , " The $185 Million Campaign to Keep Uber and Lyft Drivers as Contr...

We talk with Amanda Yee for this urgent mini-cast on the deliberate and terrifying persecution of leftist organizers and activists by the state, including members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) in Denver.     Additional links/info below... Amanda's Twitter page PSL website , Twitter page, and Facebook page  PSL Legal Fund: Donate to the legal and political support campaign for arr...

We've remastered our Labor Day special from Season One and are re-releasing it for all our new listeners. In this episode, we talk to LaDonna Brave Bull Allard of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. We talk about LaDonna's life, the #NoDAPL movement and the erasure of Native peoples, and about learning ways of living with the land.    Additional links/info below... Sacred Stone Village Facebook page  ...