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Belabored

A podcast about labor organizing, hosted by Sarah Jaffe and Michelle Chen. Presented by Dissent magazine since 2013.
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Episodes

Belabored: How Workers Escape, with Saket Soni

In The Great Escape , Saket Soni recounts how he organized a group of Indian migrant workers to free themselves from a human trafficking scam and hold their captors accountable. The post Belabored: How Workers Escape, with Saket Soni appeared first on Dissent Magazine .

Jun 02, 20231 hr 29 minEp. 267

Belabored: Los Angeles, 1992, Revisited with Tobias Higbie and Kent Wong

On working-class Los Angeles before and after the civil unrest of 1992—and how structural inequities continue to shape the city's labor struggles from the classrooms to the docks. The post Belabored: Los Angeles, 1992, Revisited with Tobias Higbie and Kent Wong appeared first on Dissent Magazine .

May 05, 20231 hr 27 minEp. 265

Belabored: How to Bargain for Power, with Jane McAlevey

The longtime organizer and theorist discusses tactics that unions can use to win major gains at the table and in the contract. The post Belabored: How to Bargain for Power, with Jane McAlevey appeared first on Dissent Magazine .

Apr 21, 20231 hr 24 minEp. 264

Belabored: Child Labor, Child Strikes, with Jack Hodgson

Recent news reports have revealed that child labor is not just a historical relic in the United States—and some politicians want to undermine existing regulations, claiming that less oversight is good for business. The post Belabored: Child Labor, Child Strikes, with Jack Hodgson appeared first on Dissent Magazine .

Apr 10, 20231 hr 13 minEp. 263

Belabored: Essential Workers in Crisis, with Elizabeth Lalasz and Jia Lee

Healthcare and education have been at the center of pandemic labor struggles. Two rank-and-file leaders from these fields join the podcast for a live episode. The post Belabored: Essential Workers in Crisis, with Elizabeth Lalasz and Jia Lee appeared first on Dissent Magazine .

Dec 23, 20221 hr 22 minEp. 262

Belabored: When COVID Never Ends

Long COVID is a labor rights issue. The post Belabored: When COVID Never Ends appeared first on Dissent Magazine .

Dec 09, 20221 hr 45 minEp. 261

Belabored: Courier Class War

Delivery workers from New York and London join the podcast to talk about organizing during the pandemic. The post Belabored: Courier Class War appeared first on Dissent Magazine .

Nov 11, 20221 hr 22 minEp. 259

Belabored: The Death and Life of Labor Journalism

Labor journalists discuss media coverage of the recent strike wave in Britain. The post Belabored: The Death and Life of Labor Journalism appeared first on Dissent Magazine .

Oct 14, 20221 hr 24 minEp. 257

Belabored: Strippers Seek Justice at Work, with Velveeta

A group of strippers at the Star Garden Topless Dive Bar in North Hollywood hopes to break new ground in organizing their field nationwide as part of the Actors’ Equity Association. The post Belabored: Strippers Seek Justice at Work, with Velveeta appeared first on Dissent Magazine .

Sep 02, 20221 hr 9 minEp. 254

Belabored: Wildcat Oil Strikes and the Energy Crisis, with Ewan Gibbs

In Scotland, Grangemouth oil refinery workers are just the latest to realize their power after two years of pandemic, when they were deemed essential—and watched industry profits spike—while they accepted pay freezes. The post Belabored: Wildcat Oil Strikes and the Energy Crisis, with Ewan Gibbs appeared first on Dissent Magazine .

Aug 19, 20221 hr 23 minEp. 253

Belabored: Delivery Workers Stuck in Searing Heat

UPS workers are sharing photographs of triple-digit temperature readings inside their trucks. The Teamsters say drivers are suffering from heat-related illnesses at an alarming rate. The post Belabored: Delivery Workers Stuck in Searing Heat appeared first on Dissent Magazine .

Aug 05, 20221 hrEp. 252

Belabored: Train Strikes Revive British Unions, with Alex Gordon

The president of the RMT joins the podcast to talk about the union's recent strike and what's next for rail workers. The post Belabored: Train Strikes Revive British Unions, with Alex Gordon appeared first on Dissent Magazine .

Jul 22, 20221 hr 14 minEp. 251

Belabored: Working Time Struggles, Live from Labor Notes

Donna Jo Marks, Carlos Perez, and Jessica Wender-Shubow join Belabored for a live discussion about the politics of time spent at work. The post Belabored: Working Time Struggles, Live from Labor Notes appeared first on Dissent Magazine .

Jun 24, 20221 hr 16 minEp. 249

Belabored: Game Workers Unite and Win, with Emma Kinema

Workers at a division of games conglomerate Activision Blizzard shocked the industry by becoming one of the first collective bargaining units in U.S. gaming. The post Belabored: Game Workers Unite and Win, with Emma Kinema appeared first on Dissent Magazine .

Jun 03, 20221 hr 38 minEp. 248

Belabored: Women Leading the Labor Movement

Organizers of unionization efforts at Amazon, Starbucks, and the New York Times discuss how their experiences as women shape their work. The post Belabored: Women Leading the Labor Movement appeared first on Dissent Magazine .

May 20, 20221 hr 33 minEp. 247

Belabored: What’s Up With Inflation, with J.W. Mason

Economist J.W. Mason joins the podcast to talk about inflation and how to organize around price increases. The post Belabored: What’s Up With Inflation, with J.W. Mason appeared first on Dissent Magazine .

May 06, 20221 hr 42 minEp. 246

Belabored: Abolish Student Debt, with the Debt Collective

With a pandemic pause on student loan repayments set to expire this year, debt abolitionists have stepped up their campaign to get Washington to cancel education debt entirely. The post Belabored: Abolish Student Debt, with the Debt Collective appeared first on Dissent Magazine .

Apr 22, 20221 hr 34 minEp. 245

Belabored: Retail Organizing at REI

Retail has historically been one of the hardest sectors to organize, but workers at REI are bucking that trend. The post Belabored: Retail Organizing at REI appeared first on Dissent Magazine .

Mar 25, 20221 hr 35 minEp. 243

Belabored: Teacher Strikes in the Age of COVID-19

This week teachers and education workers went on strike in Minneapolis for the the first time in fifty years. The post Belabored: Teacher Strikes in the Age of COVID-19 appeared first on Dissent Magazine .

Mar 11, 20221 hr 26 minEp. 242

Belabored: Public Goods, Private Harms with Donald Cohen

Over the past several decades, the shift of public goods and services into the control of corporations has taken a toll on their quality, increased inequality, undermined labor and civil rights, and made government less accountable. How can we restore our ownership of the commons? The post Belabored: Public Goods, Private Harms with Donald Cohen appeared first on Dissent Magazine ....

Feb 11, 20221 hr 35 minEp. 240

Belabored: Trucker Supply Crisis? With Steve Viscelli

Long-haul trucking went from being one of the best blue-collar jobs to one of the toughest in America. What does this transformation mean for the ongoing supply chain crisis? The post Belabored: Trucker Supply Crisis? With Steve Viscelli appeared first on Dissent Magazine .

Jan 28, 20221 hr 15 minEp. 239

Belabored: Dangerous Work, with Debbie Berkowitz and Xian Barrett

Workers are being asked, once again, to keep working despite a surge in COVID-19 infections. As employers push for a return to "normal," how should we deal with the risks of returning to work? The post Belabored: Dangerous Work, with Debbie Berkowitz and Xian Barrett appeared first on Dissent Magazine .

Jan 14, 20221 hr 44 minEp. 238
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