Working People

On Monday, Nov. 24, after more than 1,100 days on strike, Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh members were cheered on by supporters at a rally in downtown Pittsburgh before returning to work at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Even though strikers have returned to work, however, many issues at the center of the strike are still in legal limbo—and their fight for a fair contract is not over. In this episode of Working People, we speak with three Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh members—Bob Batz. Jr, Natalie Duleba, and Steve Mellon—about where things stand now, how their lives have changed since returning to work, and what it takes to hold the picket line for over three years. Additional links/info: Pittsburgh Union Progress website Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh website, Facebook page, and Instagram Bob Batz Jr. & Steve Mellon, Pittsburgh Union Progress, "Pittsburgh journalists vote to end country's longest strike and notify the PG they are returning to work" Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, "Post-Gazette strikers send company return to work offer" Sara Scire, Nieman Lab, "What newsroom organizers learned from the years-long strike at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette" Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: Audio Post-Production: Alina Nehlich

Making ends meet in today's economy is difficult enough, but with so many societal crises affecting working people's lives on and off the shop floor—from mass layoffs to untenable costs of living, from an authoritarian federal government to AI and the climate crisis—it can feel all but impossible. What does it mean to have a union job, to be a union member, and to be part of the labor movement in these overwhelming times? What role do unions and other labor organizations have to play, not just in the fight for economic justice, but in the fight for democracy, civil rights, the rule of law, and a livable planet? We posed these questions to a range of emerging labor leaders from different unions and worker centers enrolled in the 2025-26 Minnesota Union Leadership Program (MULP). Here's what they told us… Additional links/info: Minnesota Union Leadership Program website Workday Magazine website Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / The Real News Network, "What good is a union in Hell?" Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: Audio Post-Production: Alina Nehlich

Four years after the first Starbucks store in the US unionized in 2021, workers across the country are still facing rampant union busting and still fighting for a first contract with the coffee giant. That is why a supermajority of unionized baristas with Starbucks Workers United recently voted to authorize an Unfair Labor Practice strike, which is set to begin on Thursday, Nov. 13, on "Red Cup Day," in over 25 cities around the US. "Union baristas mean business and are ready to do whatever it takes to win a fair contract and end Starbucks' unfair labor practices," says Michelle Eisen, Starbucks Workers United spokesperson and 15-year veteran barista. "If Starbucks keeps stonewalling, they should expect to see their business grind to a halt. The ball is in Starbucks' court." In this urgent episode, we speak with Eisen about the impending strike and the state of the yearslong union struggle at Starbucks. Additional links/info: "No Contract, No Coffee!" website Starbucks Workers United website, Facebook page, Bluesky page, Instagram, and TikTok Starbucks Workers United press release: "With 92% 'Yes' vote, union Starbucks baristas overwhelmingly authorize ULP strike" Dee-Ann Durbin, Associated Press, "Starbucks' union workers plan strike next week unless company agrees to a contract" Alina Selyukh, NPR, "Starbucks is closing more stores and laying off 900 workers" Michael Sainato, The Guardian, "A year under CEO Niccol: Starbucks workers' long fight for a union contract" Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

Life on college campuses has changed dramatically in the last 10 months. While institutions of higher education continue to reel from the Trump administration's top-down attacks and scramble to adjust, workers on campus say that their universities are simultaneously expanding their own internal repression and surveillance apparatuses to squash dissent. In this episode, we speak with a panel of graduate student workers and union members from Columbia University and the University of Michigan about the chilling new reality on their campuses and what it's like to live, learn, and work there today. Panelists include; Vayne, a PhD candidate in history at Columbia University and a member of the bargaining committee for Student Workers of Columbia; Conlan Olson, a PhD student in computer science at Columbia University and a member of the bargaining committee for Student Workers of Columbia; Jared Eno, a grad worker in sociology and public policy at the University of Michigan and a rank-and-file member of the Graduate Employees Organization. Additional links/info: Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) website, Instagram, Facebook page, and X page Student Workers of Columbia-UAW Local 2710 website, Instagram, Facebook page, and X page Email zap info: "Reject UMPD's attack on anti-genocide activists!" Glenn Hedin & Barrett Dolata, The Michigan Daily, "Three pro-Palestine activists arrested for protesting speech given by former Israeli soldiers" Student Workers of Columbia press release: "Columbia threatens discipline for union picket, extends repression to labor action" Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / The Real News Network, "'The raids happened Wednesday, finals started Thursday': FBI agents raid homes of pro-Palestine students at University of Michigan" Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, "'Worse' than McCarthyism: Trump's war on higher education, free speech, and political dissent" Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / The Real News Network, "'A tremendous chilling effect': Columbia students describe dystopian reality on campus amid Trump attacks" Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / The Real News Network, "'People are hiding in their apartments': Inside Trump's assault on universities" Credits: Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

In September, before the current ceasefire deal was announced, we spoke with two Palestinians in Gaza—Mohamed Abu Tawila (a former English teacher) and his nephew Abdul Rahman (a would-be college student)—about surviving 700 days of genocidal destruction at the hands of Israel's military and with the full backing of the United States. In this critical follow-up episode, we speak once again with Mohamed Abu Tawila from Gaza to get an on-the-ground account of life for Palestinians after the shaky implementation of the ceasefire began on Oct. 10. Additional links/info: Mohamed's Instagram account Living Water Mutual Aid in Gaza Chuffed fundraiser page and Instagram account GoFundMe campaign to support Mohamed's water delivery operation and his family Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / The Real News Network, "'Hearts are crying and bodies are bleeding': Gazans describe their daily struggle to survive" Tareq S. Hajjaj, Mondoweiss, "Israel's repeated ceasefire violations are part of its strategy to keep waging war on Gaza" DropSite News, "Israel kills over 100 Palestinians in overnight bombardment of Gaza; thousands killed in Sudan's El-Fasher" Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: Audio Post-Production: Alina Nehlich