Working to Live in Southwest Washington

#LaborRadioPod Residents in the Evergreen School District ( https://www.evergreenps.org/ ) are being asked to vote on a replacement levy by April 26th (find out more about the levy at https://www.evergreenps.org/levy .) The tactics being used by the opposition to the Levy are surprising, and they look disturbingly similar to what people are seeing in other school elections around the country! Shan...

#LaborRadioPod #Striketober... #Strikesgiving... #Strikesmas... 2021 has been a year unlike any in recent memory, filled with worker energy and power.  Some have even called this moment we're living in a "strike wave..." but will all this worker activism continue into the new year? The Stand's ( https://www.thestand.org/ ) David Groves and the Northwest Labor Press' ( https://nwlaborpress.org/ ) D...

#LaborRadioPod Something is happening right now in Washington state (and around the country) that is going to change the political landscape for the next decade. It's called "redistricting," and it might have a major impact on working people's lives - but they may not be aware it's happening, or even know what it is. Thankfully, Washington State Labor Council ( https://www.wslc.org/ ) Secretary Tr...

#LaborRadioPod About 60,000 members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, or IATSE ( https://iatse.net/ ) - including some here in the Pacific Northwest - are voting on whether or not to authorize a strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers or AMPTP ( https://www.amptp.org/ .) A strike, if it happens, would severely impact movie and TV production...

#LaborRadioPod The Nabisco Strike is over - https://bctgm.org/2021/09/18/nabisco-strike-ends-bctgm-members-overwhelmingly-accept-new-contract/   Why did Nabisco workers go on strike in the first place, though, and what were they fighting for? Shannon and Harold sit down with Mike Burlingham and Jesus Martinez, two BCTGM Local 364 ( https://www.facebook.com/BCTGM-Local-364-Portland-Oregon-621776167...

#LaborRadioPod Happy Labor Day, working people! Unfortunately, we aren't able to gather at our annual Labor Day picnic this year (though we ARE holding a virtual #LaborDay celebration - find out more about it at https://tinyurl.com/eudbbdwj .)  A few local working people are still getting together and talk about what they do and how they do it, though. A stage hand  (IATSE Local 28 - https://www.i...

#LaborRadioPod The unexpected death of AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka sent shockwaves through the American Labor movement. Three Washington Labor leaders - IBEW Local 48 ( https://www.ibew48.com/ ) Business Rep. and Southwest Washington Central Council Vice President Bob Carroll,  UA Local 290 ( https://ua290.org/ ) member and Southwest Washington Central Labor Council Secretary Treasurer Randal...

#LaborRadioPod It's been a year since the death of George Floyd, and working people in Southwest Washington and across America are having hard conversations about how members of marginalized groups are treated here in the United States.   Thankfully, the Washington State Labor Council ( https://wslc.org/ ) is here to help with those conversations.  WSLC Director of Racial and Gender Justice ( http...

#LaborRadioPod Far too many people feel mistreated at work, but when is that mistreatment because of a "bad boss," and when is it actually a violation of the law? Shannon and Harold talk to two Labor attorneys to find out where that line is drawn, and what recourse working people have under the law. First they talk with Diana Winther ( https://www.ibew48.com/leadership/diana-winther ) General Coun...

#LaborRadioPod Washington's 2021 Legislative session closed on April 25th, and it was called "historic" by a lot of people, for a lot of reasons.  The most obvious reason is that the Legislature couldn't meet in person at the state capitol in Olympia because of the Covid 19 pandemic. The session was also historic because of the groundbreaking laws and policies the legislators passed to help workin...

#LaborRadioPod It's May Day, or International Workers Day! Shannon and Harold couldn't think of a better time to talk about how working people can come together and work towards fair treatment in their workplaces... and about the PRO Act, which will make it easier for them to do that when it passes the Senate! One of the authors of the Protecting The Right To Organize Act, Washington's own Senator...

#LaborRadioPod It's been a while, huh? Now that she's back and ready to podcast, Shannon takes charge and focuses on all the great things happening for working people right now - including: The American Rescue Plan - https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/11/biden-1point9-trillion-covid-relief-package-thursday-afternoon.html   The PROAct - https://passtheproact.org/   The American Jobs Plan - https://www.wh...

#LaborRadioPod It's always difficult for working people to get their finances in order, but it's especially difficult in this COVID-19 era we've all been living through. Shannon and Harold talk to two financial experts - Ross Wolf, President of Pacific Financial Advisors ( https://www.pacificfa.com/ ) and Patrick Town, founder and Executive Director of Union Home Plus ( https://www.unionhomeplus.o...

#LaborRadioPod Washington's 2021 Legislative session opened this week against the backdrop of political violence at the nation's Capitol, and new restrictions because of the COVID 19 pandemic. Washington has a lot of very important issues to be dealt with during this session, and it's crucial that working people engage with their legislators... but between increased security and legislators' absen...

#LaborRadioPod You don't need us to tell you that 2020 has been a ROUGH year... and you don't need us to tell you why! With everything that's happened, though, there have been some major victories for working people! Rather than dwell on the bad things that have happened this year, Shannon and Harold decided to talk to the people involved with some of those victories, including - Clark College Ass...

#LaborRadioPod Organized Labor is always there for working people in our region - but particularly during the holiday season when so many people impacted by employment issues aren't able to provide a happy holiday for their families!  With that in mind, Shannon and Harold talk to several people in our local Labor community about what they're doing to support working families this season. First, th...

#LaborRadioPod Vancouver School District classified employees have been furloughed for months, and they're struggling. Barb Plymate, president of the Vancouver Association of Educational Support Professionals ( http://www.vaespwa.org/ ) joins Shannon and Harold to talk about the district's justification for these furloughs... and the fact that it has the money to put these people back to work! Fin...

#LaborRadioPod We're doing something a little different this week! Shannon and Harold recorded their intro on November 6, before the US election had been called for Joe Biden, and they thought you working people out there might need to take a break from being glued to the news and "Doom Scrolling" - so, this week's guests are... Shannon and Harold! You know we're a proud member of the Labor Radio...

#LaborRadioPod After what seems like a political season that's lasted for years... election day is almost here! It's FINALLY TIME TO VOTE! Because Washington is a 100% Vote By Mail State, you can still drop your ballot in the mail - or drop it off in an official ballot drop box ( https://www.sos.wa.gov/_assets/elections/Drop%20Boxes%20and%20Voting%20Centers%20PDF.pdf ) - by 8:00 PM on Tuesday, Nov...

#LaborRadioPod Daniel Smith ( https://www.smithforsenate.org ) and Tanisha Harris ( https://www.electtanisha.com/ ) aren't just running for the Washington State Legislature in the 17th Legislative district... they're also social service providers who work on the ground in Clark County. Daniel and Tanisha sit down to talk about the struggles working people are facing during this very difficult year...

#LaborRadioPod Shannon and Harold have said it plenty of times: "it's getting crazy out there!" This week that "crazy" hit close to home when a woman right here in Vancouver, Washington was accosted on the street while canvassing for her preferred political candidate.  The six minute video she shot spread rapidly across the internet, and made national news. Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle and A...

#LaborRadioPod As the election gets closer, the misinformation - and DISINFORMATION - getting passed around through social media seems to be at an all time high.  How is a working person supposed to tell when something is true... or false? Three media professionals - KGW ( https://www.kgw.com/ ) reporter and SAG-AFTRA Shop Steward Tim Gordon; former Columbian ( https://www.columbian.com/ ) reporte...

#LaborRadioPod It's not news that between Covid-19 and the recent wildfires, 2020 has been full of challenges for working people.  Thankfully, there are resources available to help in times of need like these. Washington State Labor Council ( http://www.wslc.org ) Secretary Treasurer April Sims tells Shannon and Harold about the Foundation For Working Families, and what the WSLC is doing to help w...

#LaborRadioPod Three essential workers - nurse Dawn Marick, bus driver Jim Bennett, and IT Customer Support Specialist Tracy Stanley - talk with Shannon and Harold about what life has been like since the beginning of the pandemic, and what people can do to help them as we move forward together into "the new normal." Then, state representative Sharon Wylie ( https://www.electsharon.com/ ) stops by...

Now that Labor Day has passed, we're fully into election season.  There's an important election taking place in Clark County, though, that you might not be paying attention to - the race for the Charter Review Commission.  What is the Charter Review Commission, and what affect does it have on YOUR daily life? Six candidates join Shannon and Harold to talk about it: Terri Niles - https://www.facebo...