1 00:00:01,760 --> 00:00:06,000 Speaker 1: All Zone Media. 2 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:07,320 Speaker 2: It could happen here. 3 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:10,280 Speaker 3: It's the podcast where things happen and you do something 4 00:00:10,320 --> 00:00:13,960 Speaker 3: about it. I'm your host, Via Wong, and we have 5 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:16,640 Speaker 3: done you know, okay, over the course of this, we 6 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:18,759 Speaker 3: have done so many union episodes that I lost count 7 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:20,800 Speaker 3: a year ago, two years ago, I don't even know. 8 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:22,720 Speaker 3: I lost count at the dawn of time of how 9 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:25,920 Speaker 3: many of these we've done. But something I think some 10 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:29,040 Speaker 3: of you probably know this, but a lot of you don't, 11 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:32,559 Speaker 3: is that many unions have their own unions for the 12 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:34,760 Speaker 3: people who to do staff work and to do sort 13 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:38,280 Speaker 3: of a number of other things, and sometimes unions bust 14 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:42,360 Speaker 3: their own unions and this unbelievably sucks. And to talk 15 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:45,560 Speaker 3: about an instance of this happening that is happening right now, 16 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 3: I am talking with Alex Chan, who is an organizer 17 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:51,400 Speaker 3: for the UAW, who is I don't know what. 18 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 2: Technical term is. 19 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 3: I'm going to describe it non legally bindingly as being 20 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 3: purged for doing organizing. 21 00:00:57,560 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 2: But yeah, Alex, welcome to the show. 22 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: Hi, it's nice to be here. I think being purged 23 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: is a great way to describe it. 24 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:09,399 Speaker 3: Yeah, the tentative title for this is the UAW Staff purge. 25 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 3: So it's not great. So why don't we start off. 26 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 3: I've given a very very brief sort of description of 27 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:19,480 Speaker 3: what a staff union is, but can you talk a 28 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 3: bit more broadly about what a staff union is, what 29 00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 3: it does, and why you all are sort of trying 30 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 3: to organize one. 31 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:30,400 Speaker 1: Of course, So in terms of staff unions, yeah, it's 32 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:33,520 Speaker 1: definitely an interesting phenomenon for people who are less familiar 33 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:36,640 Speaker 1: with the labor movement. But when unions have a lot 34 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:40,200 Speaker 1: of staff, sometimes those staff also need a union to 35 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:43,600 Speaker 1: make sure that they are treated fairly in the workplace. Coincidentally, 36 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 1: this year there have been a lot of incidents that 37 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 1: have shown why staff unions are happening in the first place. 38 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 1: And so with my union, we are called UAW Staff United. 39 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 1: We are part of Region nine A of the us 40 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:04,000 Speaker 1: UAW is split into a lot of geographic regions, and 41 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 1: nine A covers New York and New England, including Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, 42 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:15,840 Speaker 1: New Hampshire, Vermont, not New York State. New York State 43 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:19,840 Speaker 1: is covered by Region nine. So we are a bunch 44 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:24,960 Speaker 1: of temporary organizers and local staff that are organizing for 45 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:32,160 Speaker 1: a lot of things, among them wages, workload, job security, healthcare, 46 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 1: and so on so forth, very normal things that you 47 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:36,919 Speaker 1: would actually see in a lot of the contracts that 48 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:41,280 Speaker 1: we helped fight for in the shops that we work 49 00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:43,920 Speaker 1: for and organize and the units that we help support. 50 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:48,280 Speaker 1: So uaw Staff United otherwise known as Yuzoo like the fruit. 51 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:51,359 Speaker 2: Oh that's fun, No, it's cute, right. 52 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 1: We really love the USU imagery a lot. We were 53 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:59,600 Speaker 1: formed in twenty twenty three, first went public in the spring. 54 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:03,600 Speaker 1: I joined the unit in the summer, but I was 55 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: just kind of peripherally around and organizing with a lot 56 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:09,520 Speaker 1: of these folks before they went public in the spring. 57 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:13,640 Speaker 1: God recognized slowly and then slowly came to the bargaining 58 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:16,639 Speaker 1: table in August. And so at this point we have 59 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:19,520 Speaker 1: been at the bargaining table for over a year and 60 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 1: we still do not have a contract. Normally, in most 61 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: shops that you would see organizing, that would be cause 62 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:28,880 Speaker 1: for escalation, and so that is actually part of what 63 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:32,240 Speaker 1: we are doing here. After hitting one full year bargaining, 64 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 1: we are still very stuck on items such as wages, 65 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:39,560 Speaker 1: job security, yep, all the very normal things that we 66 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:42,320 Speaker 1: can see in units that we help support and bargain 67 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 1: for and so the situation that we're facing is slightly 68 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: more complicated because of many other internal things that For example, 69 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:56,560 Speaker 1: UAW has another staff union. It is called Staff Council, 70 00:03:56,840 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 1: and that covers more regions of UAW rather than nine A. 71 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:07,080 Speaker 1: It also includes people who are our direct supervisors. On paper, 72 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 1: those people are called lead organizers and they do make 73 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:15,400 Speaker 1: low six figures. Yeah, and yes they are our direct supervisors. 74 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:19,039 Speaker 1: So they are a managerial union, and they are what 75 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:22,159 Speaker 1: some people may call a business union, you know, works 76 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:25,320 Speaker 1: closely with management to secure a good deal, that kind 77 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:28,640 Speaker 1: of thing. It's never really been known to agitate in 78 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:32,080 Speaker 1: a contract, and that is partially one reason why Yuzu 79 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:36,359 Speaker 1: was formed, because we knew that some agitation needed to 80 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:39,599 Speaker 1: happen in order to secure actually good treatment for people 81 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:43,599 Speaker 1: in our position. Our position meaning temp and local staff. 82 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:46,840 Speaker 1: Now I keep saying temp staff, right, is that the 83 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:47,800 Speaker 1: next question? 84 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:48,599 Speaker 3: Yeah? 85 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:49,719 Speaker 2: Yeah, I am so good. 86 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:50,640 Speaker 1: I'm one step ahead. 87 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:51,360 Speaker 2: Yeah. 88 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:53,760 Speaker 3: I want to talk about both a the way your 89 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:57,159 Speaker 3: contracts work and be what the thing you're actually doing is, 90 00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:00,240 Speaker 3: because I'm not sure, I'm not sure people are one 91 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:05,159 Speaker 3: familiar with what specifically you do and what a what 92 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:07,359 Speaker 3: a sort of like staff union organizer does, and the 93 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:09,360 Speaker 3: difference between you and the. 94 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:12,480 Speaker 2: People that are sort of the organizer layer above you is. 95 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:17,279 Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, So that has to go a little bit 96 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:20,520 Speaker 1: into how we are hired, and that's why I kept 97 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:25,000 Speaker 1: seeing temp staff and local staff. Our unit is formed 98 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:29,280 Speaker 1: somewhat on our pay structure, and so temp organizers are 99 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:33,719 Speaker 1: hired by the international or the region, and local staff 100 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 1: are hired by the locals, which is kind of a 101 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 1: sub unit of the regions and how different unions are organized. 102 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:43,719 Speaker 1: There could be multiple units in one local, a local 103 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 1: may hire a staffer, but that staffer could be subsidized 104 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:50,960 Speaker 1: by the international, and that is kind of what our 105 00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:55,839 Speaker 1: unitformation is like, where funding comes from the international, and 106 00:05:56,400 --> 00:06:01,440 Speaker 1: this layer of people does the most in new organizing, 107 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:06,320 Speaker 1: so supporting new shops that form new campaigns, that are 108 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:10,080 Speaker 1: organizing new unions that are just forming and need to 109 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:14,800 Speaker 1: secure an election or a first contract. Some of our 110 00:06:14,839 --> 00:06:17,599 Speaker 1: colleagues go a little bit further into the stage because 111 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:22,760 Speaker 1: of their local staff status where they're supporting contract renewals 112 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:26,000 Speaker 1: or bargaining around the second stage. But a lot of 113 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:29,320 Speaker 1: these has to do with on the ground, worker to worker, 114 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:33,480 Speaker 1: peer to peer organizing, supporting them and many different ways, 115 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:38,440 Speaker 1: including data work, including just resources. Like when you think 116 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:43,760 Speaker 1: of how the parent union might be supporting a new shop, 117 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:47,200 Speaker 1: we are kind of the resources that are supporting the 118 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:50,320 Speaker 1: new shop that can help direct institutional knowledge, that can 119 00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:54,840 Speaker 1: help direct logistical or legal information like how or what 120 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:58,640 Speaker 1: is necessary for an election or a petition, that kind 121 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:01,919 Speaker 1: of stuff. And yeah, it's a lot of different tasks, 122 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:03,440 Speaker 1: and that's why for a lot of us, our job 123 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:06,920 Speaker 1: description is I'm doing air quotes here a flexible forty. 124 00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:09,280 Speaker 2: Hour work week, Jess Christ. 125 00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:13,200 Speaker 1: And of course that usually means a lot more than 126 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:17,920 Speaker 1: that when campaigns ramp up, and so you know, there 127 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:19,960 Speaker 1: are a lot of different models on how to combat that. 128 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:23,760 Speaker 1: But I'll get into that a bit later. So going 129 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:28,080 Speaker 1: back to the difference between us and perhaps our direct supervisors, 130 00:07:28,080 --> 00:07:32,320 Speaker 1: our direct supervisors may be tasked with monitoring the status 131 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:34,400 Speaker 1: of a lot of different campaigns at the same time, 132 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:39,600 Speaker 1: and we might be assigned to one or two or 133 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:44,480 Speaker 1: three at a time to work very very directly with 134 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:48,800 Speaker 1: the organizers and the new workers. Of course, this looks 135 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:52,760 Speaker 1: slightly different across different locals. Our different campaigns can be 136 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:56,960 Speaker 1: adjusted depending on the shop's needs, but our supervisors who 137 00:07:56,960 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 1: are the leads will be handling a lot of different 138 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 1: campaigns at the same time, and just like kind of 139 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:05,960 Speaker 1: overseeing that progress and giving the okay for the next 140 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:10,080 Speaker 1: stage or or whats whatsoever. So I wanted to go 141 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:14,000 Speaker 1: back a little bit to why we are called temp organizers. 142 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:18,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, this is nuts. Well, I was so angry when 143 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:20,040 Speaker 2: I forgat about this. 144 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: So do you know what a temp organizer is? 145 00:08:24,320 --> 00:08:26,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, this is actually weird. So I have friends who 146 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:29,160 Speaker 3: are staff organizers for other unions that it doesn't work 147 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:32,760 Speaker 3: like this. So yeah, I'm going to let you explain it, 148 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:33,560 Speaker 3: because I. 149 00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:36,840 Speaker 1: Mean, do let me know about those in another Yeah, 150 00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:41,360 Speaker 1: but for temp organizers in UAW, this is a holdover 151 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:46,560 Speaker 1: from the kind of older model of organizing, where theoretically 152 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:49,400 Speaker 1: a worker might come off the shop floor for six 153 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:51,920 Speaker 1: months nine months to do union work and then go 154 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:54,920 Speaker 1: back to the shop floor when that concludes, so that 155 00:08:54,960 --> 00:08:58,320 Speaker 1: the job would remain open for them. So temporary, like 156 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:00,800 Speaker 1: the nature is temporary. Someone is coming off to do 157 00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:04,679 Speaker 1: union work and then you know, sometimes it's even part time, right, 158 00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:07,080 Speaker 1: sometimes it's even part time, and the worker never stops 159 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:10,559 Speaker 1: working at their original job. But nowadays the model doesn't 160 00:09:10,559 --> 00:09:14,160 Speaker 1: look like that anymore, right because, especially in say higher 161 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:18,240 Speaker 1: ed shops, people graduate out of their graduate union jobs. 162 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:22,360 Speaker 1: People may not have their reappointment if they are an 163 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:26,560 Speaker 1: adjunct or contract faculty. And then a lot of our 164 00:09:26,679 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: unit members u zoom, meaning a lot of our uzoom 165 00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:32,559 Speaker 1: members come out of a shop that is UAW whether 166 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:35,679 Speaker 1: that means they're legal services or museum workers or higher ed, 167 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:39,520 Speaker 1: but it is less common nowadays to have a job 168 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:44,800 Speaker 1: to return to. However, the model remains the same in 169 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:48,920 Speaker 1: that the temper organizer job has three month renewals and 170 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:52,600 Speaker 1: a three year cap. Every three months our contract is renewed, 171 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:55,920 Speaker 1: and if we hit three years on this job, we 172 00:09:55,960 --> 00:10:01,360 Speaker 1: are no longer hired. Theoretically, you be hired to another 173 00:10:01,480 --> 00:10:06,880 Speaker 1: job internally, but there's no pipeline, there is no internal 174 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:09,440 Speaker 1: movement that way. You would have to apply to the 175 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:13,040 Speaker 1: job like a regular other job that is a more 176 00:10:13,080 --> 00:10:17,000 Speaker 1: full term job, or you just kind of like quote 177 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:19,920 Speaker 1: unquote like age out the system and you're just no 178 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:23,120 Speaker 1: longer an organizer. You no longer have a job. And 179 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:26,920 Speaker 1: so this has manifested in a lot of different ways. 180 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:30,120 Speaker 1: There are a lot of my colleagues that have gotten 181 00:10:30,559 --> 00:10:33,000 Speaker 1: tired or burnt out and have decided to leave before 182 00:10:33,040 --> 00:10:35,000 Speaker 1: their three years or leave at their three years of 183 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:40,200 Speaker 1: their own will. There are folks that have left way 184 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:43,359 Speaker 1: earlier than their three years as well to pursue other opportunities. 185 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:47,960 Speaker 1: Yuzu at any given time has about forty to fifty 186 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:52,280 Speaker 1: members and that is our nine a unit. Again, one 187 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:55,840 Speaker 1: thing that we have come to find out is that 188 00:10:56,520 --> 00:11:00,480 Speaker 1: in the last five years of this temp organizer model, 189 00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:05,360 Speaker 1: only three people who have hit their three year cap 190 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:10,480 Speaker 1: have managed to attain full term jobs in the UAW 191 00:11:10,559 --> 00:11:15,840 Speaker 1: afterward Geese. And then there is me, who, again within 192 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:20,360 Speaker 1: the last five years, is the only person to have 193 00:11:20,520 --> 00:11:24,280 Speaker 1: been not renewed before their three year term, very unceremoniously 194 00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:28,600 Speaker 1: as well as in the middle of very active campaigns. 195 00:11:29,520 --> 00:11:32,080 Speaker 1: That brings us to another piece of context, and the 196 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:35,120 Speaker 1: reason why I keep saying five years is because in 197 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:38,120 Speaker 1: twenty eighteen there was a first iteration of the Yuzoo. 198 00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:42,400 Speaker 1: There was a first attempt to forming this staff union 199 00:11:42,440 --> 00:11:45,360 Speaker 1: of temp and local staff. Of course it was created 200 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:49,440 Speaker 1: by different people. But what happened then, especially under the 201 00:11:49,440 --> 00:11:52,920 Speaker 1: Administrative Caucus when it was before the reform leadership septed 202 00:11:52,920 --> 00:11:56,679 Speaker 1: in is that everyone was just fired Jesus. Yeah, everyone 203 00:11:56,840 --> 00:11:59,480 Speaker 1: was just let go. And there are people still around 204 00:11:59,559 --> 00:12:02,679 Speaker 1: organizing these days in other positions or in other workplaces 205 00:12:02,679 --> 00:12:05,800 Speaker 1: that you have talked to us about it. And there 206 00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:08,800 Speaker 1: are people that are working in user now that had 207 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:12,040 Speaker 1: friends or were peripheral to that happening. So we are 208 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:15,760 Speaker 1: all very familiar with how non renewal is a very 209 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:20,760 Speaker 1: retaliatory practice used in UAW in the past, or we 210 00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:23,960 Speaker 1: thought was in the past, because we were so excited 211 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:26,720 Speaker 1: to have this reform leadership come in and now we 212 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:29,520 Speaker 1: are finding out that it is still a tool that 213 00:12:29,679 --> 00:12:34,640 Speaker 1: is consistent. And so when we are excited that there 214 00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:38,680 Speaker 1: is democratic reform, especially with one member, one vote, which 215 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:44,319 Speaker 1: was extremely extremely exciting to see, we also need to 216 00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:46,520 Speaker 1: point out that there are a lot of different places 217 00:12:46,559 --> 00:12:50,880 Speaker 1: here that still need to change, especially in how the 218 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:52,360 Speaker 1: union treats its own staff. 219 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:55,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, and unfortunately we need to go to ads. We'll 220 00:12:55,400 --> 00:12:57,400 Speaker 3: we come back. I want to circle back around and 221 00:12:57,400 --> 00:12:59,840 Speaker 3: talk a bit more about the ways of the UAW 222 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:04,960 Speaker 3: is acting like a fairly conventional boss trying to break 223 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:05,400 Speaker 3: a union. 224 00:13:16,640 --> 00:13:18,600 Speaker 2: And we are back. 225 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:22,839 Speaker 3: So there's something really interesting, I mean I say interesting, 226 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:25,560 Speaker 3: it's something sort of terrible about the way that the 227 00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:30,720 Speaker 3: UAW is relying on effectively a casualized workforce, because because 228 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:33,840 Speaker 3: you're dealing with these constant renewals, which are an incredible 229 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:36,000 Speaker 3: sort of pressure leverage because it means you don't have 230 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:39,839 Speaker 3: job security. It honestly feels like the way Amazon works, 231 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:42,280 Speaker 3: where they're just like trying intentionally instead of trying to 232 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:45,120 Speaker 3: retain people, they're just trying to churn through as many 233 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:48,200 Speaker 3: organized as possible because like the more seniority people have 234 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:50,679 Speaker 3: and the more experience they have, the harder it is 235 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:53,000 Speaker 3: to like just completely underpay them. 236 00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:55,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, the keyword in here is flexibility. 237 00:13:55,880 --> 00:13:58,880 Speaker 3: Yeah, And it seems like, also on an institutional level, 238 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:02,400 Speaker 3: a terrible idea because you know, you're training a bunch 239 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:06,720 Speaker 3: of organizers and then the moment that they're you know, 240 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:08,640 Speaker 3: the moment they have a bunch of experience, you're just 241 00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:10,680 Speaker 3: casting it into the wind and then hiring the less 242 00:14:10,679 --> 00:14:14,000 Speaker 3: experienced person. It's like, you bring up a great point. Actually, 243 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:15,920 Speaker 3: something that I want to touch on is end bargaining. 244 00:14:15,960 --> 00:14:19,280 Speaker 3: We have asked for training and we have not been 245 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:21,480 Speaker 3: met with a satisfactory answer. People are not trained. 246 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:21,960 Speaker 2: Oh my god. 247 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:24,560 Speaker 1: Before they take on this position. But yes, you're absolutely 248 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:27,800 Speaker 1: correct with the institutional knowledge aspect. The campaigns that I'm 249 00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:30,640 Speaker 1: working on, the organizing committees are real pissed that I 250 00:14:30,680 --> 00:14:33,160 Speaker 1: have been suddenly disappeared. And I want to highlight something 251 00:14:33,280 --> 00:14:36,560 Speaker 1: that one organizer brought up is that for all the 252 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:39,520 Speaker 1: talk of us being one big union, how we are 253 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:42,280 Speaker 1: the union, how we have a democratic saying this process, 254 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:44,920 Speaker 1: it's very weird that someone higher up in the union 255 00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:47,880 Speaker 1: can just make one of our members disappear. Yeah, and 256 00:14:48,080 --> 00:14:51,840 Speaker 1: that is in reference to my unceremonious departure, of course. 257 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:55,560 Speaker 1: And the points that we, as you you really want 258 00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:58,840 Speaker 1: to highlight and emphasize is that we really want to 259 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:02,320 Speaker 1: just hold UAW to the values that it has espoused, 260 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:08,480 Speaker 1: ending tiers, job security for workers, fair wages. Like I said, 261 00:15:08,480 --> 00:15:11,680 Speaker 1: in bargaining, we had asked for training, and that has 262 00:15:11,720 --> 00:15:15,080 Speaker 1: not gone very well. UW is refusing to bargain over 263 00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:19,359 Speaker 1: free speech and continuity representation, which refers to the hypothetical 264 00:15:19,400 --> 00:15:22,200 Speaker 1: scenario if Region nine A were to be absorbed somewhere 265 00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:25,000 Speaker 1: else the right for user to still exist, and they've 266 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:29,239 Speaker 1: refused to bargain over that we are stuck in wages 267 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:35,000 Speaker 1: at somewhere around three percent per year of four years. Yeah, 268 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:39,680 Speaker 1: it's not great, and there's been a lot of chaos 269 00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:42,400 Speaker 1: behind the scenes that it is implied to be a 270 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:45,680 Speaker 1: bad thing to let the members know about the members 271 00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:48,560 Speaker 1: that we work with and organize with. But to a 272 00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:51,840 Speaker 1: certain point things boil over, and especially in the case 273 00:15:51,840 --> 00:15:56,400 Speaker 1: where I am suddenly not renewed, it is really important 274 00:15:56,480 --> 00:16:00,920 Speaker 1: in our view that our members know what is happening. Yeah, 275 00:16:00,920 --> 00:16:03,640 Speaker 1: that the members know what this is about, because they 276 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:07,760 Speaker 1: get the news landed on them after our social media 277 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:10,440 Speaker 1: posts come out, because I am told not to inform 278 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:16,000 Speaker 1: the organizers myself, and so the organizers had to hear 279 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:18,480 Speaker 1: about it from my supervisors about a week later with 280 00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:23,640 Speaker 1: no details. Mine non renewal was without cause, without justification, 281 00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:25,840 Speaker 1: without reason. They did not give me an answer to 282 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:30,160 Speaker 1: my face. And then as Yuzu kept pushing higher ups 283 00:16:30,320 --> 00:16:33,800 Speaker 1: kept flip flopping on who to blame and what the 284 00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:37,200 Speaker 1: actual cause was. And what I'm getting is a sense 285 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:41,960 Speaker 1: of surprise that people are angry about this in the 286 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:45,760 Speaker 1: first place, as if this was a normal situation, that 287 00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:48,760 Speaker 1: people were just getting fired any other day with a 288 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:52,040 Speaker 1: month's notice, and they're like, we gave her a month's notice. 289 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:54,200 Speaker 3: Which also like I feel like, like, what was the last 290 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:55,560 Speaker 3: a bit of these people were on a shop floor? 291 00:16:55,600 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 3: Like do you know how disruptive it Like if someone 292 00:16:57,480 --> 00:17:00,240 Speaker 3: had pulled like so we had when we we were 293 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:03,680 Speaker 3: organizing our union, we had we've had a number of great, writer, 294 00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:05,720 Speaker 3: skilled staffers, and it's like if someone had just pulled 295 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:07,840 Speaker 3: our staffer out in the middle of the drive, like 296 00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:09,720 Speaker 3: all of use would have been unbelievably pissed and it 297 00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:12,080 Speaker 3: would have done incredible about it damage to the organizing 298 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:15,200 Speaker 3: because union organizing, as you are well aware, and I 299 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:17,920 Speaker 3: think as the audience should be increasingly aware, is built 300 00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:20,959 Speaker 3: on personal relations. You can't just yank someone out and 301 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:24,080 Speaker 3: then not allow them to even know what's happening. Like, 302 00:17:24,119 --> 00:17:26,840 Speaker 3: that's incredibly disruptive. It pisces people off. 303 00:17:27,840 --> 00:17:30,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's been very enraging for a lot of our members, 304 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:33,320 Speaker 1: and so I've been extremely grateful for the support that 305 00:17:33,359 --> 00:17:36,280 Speaker 1: I received, whether it be on social media or by 306 00:17:36,359 --> 00:17:40,920 Speaker 1: our email campaign to management. And what I've seen from 307 00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:44,600 Speaker 1: this is that management was really taken by surprise that 308 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:48,640 Speaker 1: there was a reaction at all, kind of unfortunately for them. 309 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:51,439 Speaker 1: There are a lot of shops and a lot of 310 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:54,960 Speaker 1: units that I have supported and organized with and have 311 00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:59,160 Speaker 1: relationships with, and even for the shops that I don't 312 00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:03,000 Speaker 1: have relationships with, Yuzu members are working in those shops, 313 00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:06,240 Speaker 1: and there is a common understanding that it'd be really 314 00:18:06,280 --> 00:18:09,520 Speaker 1: weird for a stafford to be randomly pulled out during 315 00:18:09,560 --> 00:18:14,800 Speaker 1: a very active campaign. I've had a rough couple months 316 00:18:14,880 --> 00:18:17,320 Speaker 1: of going at it because I think there have been 317 00:18:17,359 --> 00:18:22,159 Speaker 1: some really unhealthy dynamics in the workplace with supervision that 318 00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:29,240 Speaker 1: was unjust and punishment that was unjust for my attempt 319 00:18:29,359 --> 00:18:33,960 Speaker 1: to advocate for different units and attempt to advocate for organizing, 320 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:36,320 Speaker 1: and I think that is why we have reached the 321 00:18:36,359 --> 00:18:41,800 Speaker 1: conclusion that retaliation retribution must be involved somehow. On paper, 322 00:18:41,840 --> 00:18:47,000 Speaker 1: this was a very oddly handled situation. I was notified 323 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:49,560 Speaker 1: by email on three thirty PM on a Friday before 324 00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:50,359 Speaker 1: Labor Day weekend. 325 00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:51,400 Speaker 2: Jesus Christ. 326 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:53,960 Speaker 1: I was not informed by a meeting, not informed by 327 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:56,639 Speaker 1: a call. My supervisor didn't pick up my calls until 328 00:18:56,640 --> 00:18:57,760 Speaker 1: two and a half hours later. 329 00:18:57,960 --> 00:18:59,119 Speaker 2: Oh my God. 330 00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:01,879 Speaker 1: In the meantime and where they were actually informing my 331 00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:05,080 Speaker 1: co workers that I had been terminated and then came 332 00:19:05,119 --> 00:19:07,440 Speaker 1: back to me saying that they were busy Jesus, which 333 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:11,200 Speaker 1: no firing happens like that. I'm sorry, but there was 334 00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:16,560 Speaker 1: no conceivable way where the HR email happens. And then 335 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:20,640 Speaker 1: my supervisor is busy telling my co workers that I've 336 00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:23,600 Speaker 1: been let go, which you know, we are interpreting as 337 00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:28,120 Speaker 1: intimidation because why else would this be happening. 338 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:31,040 Speaker 3: Yeah, even corporate best layoffs don't work like that, Like 339 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:32,000 Speaker 3: you at least get a meeting. 340 00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:38,359 Speaker 1: No, I didn't get a meeting until the Tuesday after 341 00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:41,080 Speaker 1: to talk about transitioning my work, and they had no 342 00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:45,199 Speaker 1: plan to transition my work. So currently no one is 343 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:48,920 Speaker 1: handling the work that I was responsible for, which is they. 344 00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:49,840 Speaker 2: Just screw your units. 345 00:19:50,440 --> 00:19:54,359 Speaker 1: That's quite dangerous for campaign and higher ed as the 346 00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:55,600 Speaker 1: semester ramps up. 347 00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:58,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, oh yeah. 348 00:19:58,640 --> 00:20:01,200 Speaker 1: And of course the HR email was signed in solidarity 349 00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:06,919 Speaker 1: and had no name. I didn't want to bring up 350 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:13,400 Speaker 1: that point. There is evidence. Yes, it's extraordinarily funny if 351 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:17,439 Speaker 1: you actually look at it. But yeah, just even if 352 00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:20,119 Speaker 1: we didn't have the context of what has happened to 353 00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:23,119 Speaker 1: me in the workplace in the last six months, even 354 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:27,160 Speaker 1: just on paper, looking at how this non renewal was handled, 355 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:30,359 Speaker 1: it was handled atrociously. Yeah, and so there is not 356 00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:32,600 Speaker 1: much else we can draw from it other than the 357 00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:35,520 Speaker 1: fact that I was someone they wanted to get rid 358 00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:38,960 Speaker 1: of expeditiously, but just didn't anticipate that people would be 359 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:42,080 Speaker 1: mad about it, which is, you know, to me a 360 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:45,200 Speaker 1: sense that people up there handling it are a little 361 00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:48,960 Speaker 1: out of touch, like they haven't experienced what it's like 362 00:20:49,119 --> 00:20:52,120 Speaker 1: to have this happen, to have a staff a randomly 363 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:55,600 Speaker 1: yanked out during the middle of a really active campaign. 364 00:20:56,160 --> 00:20:58,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, we need to go to ads again, but we will. 365 00:20:58,880 --> 00:20:59,879 Speaker 2: We will be back soon. 366 00:21:00,200 --> 00:21:03,840 Speaker 3: And what our product services, we're about to have unionize 367 00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:05,679 Speaker 3: them and then also ugnize your staff. 368 00:21:16,520 --> 00:21:17,800 Speaker 2: We are back. 369 00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:20,600 Speaker 3: So it's something we've been talking about in terms of 370 00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:24,080 Speaker 3: sort of your specific situation and how it's the terrible 371 00:21:24,119 --> 00:21:26,919 Speaker 3: impact and it's had on both you personally and the 372 00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:31,359 Speaker 3: organizing that's going on. And I wanted to come around 373 00:21:31,480 --> 00:21:34,639 Speaker 3: to talking a bit about the impact that this structure 374 00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:37,880 Speaker 3: and the impact that getting denied benefits and stuff like that, 375 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:42,240 Speaker 3: the impact that this has in general on the way 376 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:44,880 Speaker 3: that organizing new shops works. 377 00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:49,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that the impact this has very concretely 378 00:21:50,080 --> 00:21:52,840 Speaker 1: is that it does not let us do good work. 379 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:56,440 Speaker 1: It makes us as organizers scared every three months that 380 00:21:56,520 --> 00:21:59,439 Speaker 1: we have to have another plan. It makes us have 381 00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:03,679 Speaker 1: to prepare a plan every time that rolls around, and 382 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:05,399 Speaker 1: then you know that takes our focus off of the 383 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:08,880 Speaker 1: organizing that we could be doing. I mentioned earlier about workload. 384 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:12,600 Speaker 1: Organizers get burnt out extremely easily because there are no 385 00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:17,719 Speaker 1: guardrails in place. And then there are plenty plenty of 386 00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:21,840 Speaker 1: other circumstances that make it very difficult within this workplace too. 387 00:22:22,119 --> 00:22:25,080 Speaker 1: For example, we don't have just cause we don't have 388 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:30,720 Speaker 1: grievance procedures Jesus Christ. And it makes a very damaging environment, 389 00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:34,960 Speaker 1: especially when you consider that the members have to bargain 390 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:37,080 Speaker 1: for their own contracts, and then they look at us 391 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:39,080 Speaker 1: and they're like, wait a minute, why are your contracts 392 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:43,800 Speaker 1: that bad? Yeah, it doesn't inspire trust. It doesn't inspire 393 00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:47,480 Speaker 1: faith in how this union would organize for its workers 394 00:22:47,560 --> 00:22:51,800 Speaker 1: if the staff are insecure constantly. And we are not 395 00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:55,160 Speaker 1: asking for the moon and the stars in Mars, which 396 00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:57,880 Speaker 1: is unfortunately what the UW lawyer accused us of doing 397 00:22:57,880 --> 00:23:02,080 Speaker 1: so in a bargaining session. We're asking for very simple 398 00:23:02,119 --> 00:23:07,000 Speaker 1: guardrails on job security, on workload, on healthcare that could 399 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:11,399 Speaker 1: help cover our dependence on wages that are not stagnant. 400 00:23:11,920 --> 00:23:14,800 Speaker 1: You know, they're not even giving us COLA, which is 401 00:23:14,920 --> 00:23:18,960 Speaker 1: the phrase for cost of living adjustment, and christ a 402 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:20,520 Speaker 1: lot of us live in New York City, and then 403 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:26,240 Speaker 1: there's folks in Boston and hell, even the transport costs 404 00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:29,199 Speaker 1: have been a bit of a sticking point where we're like, 405 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:35,280 Speaker 1: can we please just get an MTA card or the equivalent. 406 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:41,679 Speaker 1: But overall, this structure does not inspire faith in terms 407 00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:45,320 Speaker 1: of how our contracts are actually negotiated and who is 408 00:23:45,359 --> 00:23:48,760 Speaker 1: responsible for these contracts. It is very difficult to hear 409 00:23:48,800 --> 00:23:51,639 Speaker 1: from the UAW lawyer that we are reaching for MARS 410 00:23:52,359 --> 00:23:55,199 Speaker 1: when we are asking for things that are very present 411 00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:58,760 Speaker 1: in our standard contracts that our members receive. You know, 412 00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:01,960 Speaker 1: we have taken language from the contracts that our members 413 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:04,320 Speaker 1: have and tried to apply them for our own situation, 414 00:24:04,440 --> 00:24:08,800 Speaker 1: and we've been told that they're too extra. And then, 415 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:12,480 Speaker 1: you know, this has been kind of an odd year 416 00:24:12,680 --> 00:24:17,080 Speaker 1: for union staff. I wanted to highlight that anya earlier 417 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:20,760 Speaker 1: this year, National Education Association their staff were locked out 418 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:24,879 Speaker 1: during bargaining eleven ninety nine. SCIU also just formed their 419 00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:27,800 Speaker 1: staff union and during the drive they had one of 420 00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:33,040 Speaker 1: the organizers fired. Thirty two BJSCIU just announced their union 421 00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:36,720 Speaker 1: and again during their drive one of their organizers. They've 422 00:24:36,720 --> 00:24:40,200 Speaker 1: posted this on social media. One of the organizers had 423 00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:44,840 Speaker 1: a miscarriage and then asked for help, was put on 424 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:48,080 Speaker 1: a performance improvement plan, and then fired after a month. 425 00:24:48,800 --> 00:24:53,440 Speaker 1: And you know, there are these really uncomfortable trends of 426 00:24:53,480 --> 00:24:59,760 Speaker 1: this mistreatment happening because priorities might be elsewhere, or there 427 00:24:59,800 --> 00:25:03,359 Speaker 1: is assumption that we are more expendable, maybe we are 428 00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:09,320 Speaker 1: Kennon fodder, but that really really is not what is 429 00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:14,399 Speaker 1: supposed to happen in places that are advocating for fair 430 00:25:14,480 --> 00:25:19,000 Speaker 1: labor standards. And I am glad that we're hearing more 431 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:21,720 Speaker 1: stories about this. I'm horrified at the stories that are 432 00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:24,560 Speaker 1: coming out about this, but you know, I hope there 433 00:25:24,600 --> 00:25:27,920 Speaker 1: are more that are formed because a lot of these 434 00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:29,440 Speaker 1: things are very extreme. 435 00:25:30,119 --> 00:25:32,399 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's and it's you know, it's impacting not just 436 00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:35,800 Speaker 3: the organizers. I think one of the reasons why unions 437 00:25:35,840 --> 00:25:37,960 Speaker 3: issue RIGHTSIL declining is like, well, yeah, okay, you guys 438 00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:40,160 Speaker 3: keep firing all of your organizers, Like yeah, of course 439 00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:41,200 Speaker 3: we're not getting shops for it. 440 00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:43,600 Speaker 2: And I want to say what I think about just specifically, 441 00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:44,200 Speaker 2: like the mood and. 442 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:46,600 Speaker 3: The stars thing is this like okay, this is not 443 00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:48,400 Speaker 3: to say that this kind of stuff will be okay 444 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:51,040 Speaker 3: at a smaller union, but like, this is not Like 445 00:25:51,080 --> 00:25:53,120 Speaker 3: we've had a lot of independent unions on this show, 446 00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:55,119 Speaker 3: and those are people you know, who have formed their 447 00:25:55,119 --> 00:25:57,719 Speaker 3: own using completely independently. In the money they've collected is 448 00:25:57,880 --> 00:26:00,000 Speaker 3: stuff that's come from them, like putting out their head 449 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:00,960 Speaker 3: on the street, right. 450 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:02,240 Speaker 2: I mean, you know some of these unions have like 451 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:04,600 Speaker 2: a thousand dollars of assets. This is the UAW. The 452 00:26:04,680 --> 00:26:08,440 Speaker 2: UAW has hundreds of millions of dollars. They have unbelievable 453 00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:09,240 Speaker 2: amounts of money. 454 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:12,440 Speaker 1: And earlier this year they were just bragging about how 455 00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:15,800 Speaker 1: they are putting so many more millions into new organizing. 456 00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:18,280 Speaker 3: Yeah, and it's like, well, okay, if you're gonna put 457 00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:20,399 Speaker 3: if you're gonna put all this money into organizing, and 458 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:22,760 Speaker 3: again they probably should. They should be doing more, because 459 00:26:23,280 --> 00:26:26,000 Speaker 3: what is the point of sitting on this much money? Right, 460 00:26:26,080 --> 00:26:28,760 Speaker 3: It's like you're behaving like a financial institution and not 461 00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:31,919 Speaker 3: a and not a union, but like you have the 462 00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:37,040 Speaker 3: money to actually like cultivate and develop effective union organizers, 463 00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:39,600 Speaker 3: and you have the money to meet like pretty mild 464 00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:42,760 Speaker 3: contract contracts that are like that your contract is probably 465 00:26:42,760 --> 00:26:46,560 Speaker 3: significantly cheaper than like the contract that they're negotiating, right, Like, 466 00:26:46,680 --> 00:26:48,919 Speaker 3: this is just this is nonsense, Like we know you 467 00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:51,440 Speaker 3: have this kind of money also because you're paying your 468 00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:54,920 Speaker 3: like managerial staff for six figures, so clearly you can 469 00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:57,359 Speaker 3: do this and you're simply not. And I think that 470 00:26:57,400 --> 00:26:58,879 Speaker 3: should outrage everyone. 471 00:26:59,680 --> 00:27:02,040 Speaker 1: I think that's exactly the response of a lot of 472 00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:05,520 Speaker 1: our members because knowing that a lot of our temp 473 00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:09,840 Speaker 1: organizers and staff organizers are people that are most passionately 474 00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:13,680 Speaker 1: devoting themselves to the labor movement and you are met 475 00:27:13,680 --> 00:27:19,280 Speaker 1: with such unstable job conditions is truly horrifying, because this 476 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:23,879 Speaker 1: is not this is not a path to careerism. Like 477 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:27,280 Speaker 1: as a temp organizer, there is not much upward mobility here. 478 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:30,119 Speaker 1: Let me be very clear, there's not much upward mobility. 479 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:32,800 Speaker 1: It's not like this is a cushy job. There's no 480 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:35,200 Speaker 1: real way for me to just sit back and relax 481 00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:38,680 Speaker 1: on piles of bureaucratic money or something like that. And 482 00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:42,560 Speaker 1: that reminds me of how I shout out to our 483 00:27:42,680 --> 00:27:47,040 Speaker 1: Korean comrades that I've met at labor notes, where I 484 00:27:47,080 --> 00:27:50,879 Speaker 1: explained to them what a temporary organizer's job is like 485 00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:55,280 Speaker 1: and how many people we handle and how temporary our 486 00:27:55,800 --> 00:27:59,240 Speaker 1: status is. I was talking to some of our equivalents 487 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:03,160 Speaker 1: in the auto industry as well, the union workers there, 488 00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:08,360 Speaker 1: and they were pretty horrified at the workload, at the insecurity, 489 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:13,960 Speaker 1: at the just again lack of EQUIVALENCYE. And again I'm 490 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:18,640 Speaker 1: not trying to claim that Korea's labor organizing world is perfect, 491 00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:23,080 Speaker 1: like absolutely nobody is. But the chocker to them is like, well, 492 00:28:23,760 --> 00:28:27,240 Speaker 1: why are you doing this? Why do you Why are 493 00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:29,760 Speaker 1: you working in this job? They have asked me this 494 00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:31,720 Speaker 1: to my face, Why are you working in this job? 495 00:28:32,280 --> 00:28:35,640 Speaker 1: What is possibly good enough for that for you? And unfortunately, 496 00:28:35,760 --> 00:28:38,600 Speaker 1: a lot of it is optimism of the will, and 497 00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:41,040 Speaker 1: I think that's a lot of what's keeping us going. 498 00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:45,560 Speaker 1: And so my last day is supposedly September twenty eighth, 499 00:28:45,640 --> 00:28:50,000 Speaker 1: but hopefully this month there have been fantastic outpourings of support, 500 00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:55,040 Speaker 1: and we are also picketing the political leadership conference on 501 00:28:55,120 --> 00:28:59,720 Speaker 1: the Friday the thirteenth, Scary, and I think that is 502 00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:03,760 Speaker 1: going to really align with how YUSUS needed to escalate. 503 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:07,400 Speaker 1: I think this is again just a boiling point, and 504 00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:09,600 Speaker 1: it has shown how all of this culminates in a 505 00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:13,360 Speaker 1: very unfair labor standard and practice of which we have 506 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:16,920 Speaker 1: filed a few charges. But there's a lot more that 507 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:19,160 Speaker 1: needs to be done. And even if I don't get reinstated, 508 00:29:19,240 --> 00:29:22,680 Speaker 1: I think that USEU is a great example of how 509 00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:25,800 Speaker 1: there's still more change that needs to happen within UAW. 510 00:29:26,360 --> 00:29:30,760 Speaker 3: Yeah, I want to close by talking about through line. 511 00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:32,720 Speaker 3: Through a lot of these episodes that we've done, We've 512 00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:34,600 Speaker 3: talked with a lot of people who work for Planned Parenthood, 513 00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:36,480 Speaker 3: We've talked for a lot of people who work for NGOs, 514 00:29:37,360 --> 00:29:40,800 Speaker 3: and this is this is the same behavior that they 515 00:29:40,840 --> 00:29:43,840 Speaker 3: do where you know, quite frankly, what they are doing 516 00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:46,400 Speaker 3: is exploiting, exploiting the labor of people who believe in 517 00:29:46,440 --> 00:29:50,000 Speaker 3: the cause, and because people are willing to you know, 518 00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:52,080 Speaker 3: because because people believe in what they're doing, because the 519 00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:55,400 Speaker 3: work that they're doing is vital and necessary, These NGOs 520 00:29:55,400 --> 00:29:58,080 Speaker 3: and these unions think that they can just continuously exploit 521 00:29:58,160 --> 00:30:01,560 Speaker 3: the people who work for them, and this damages the workers, 522 00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:04,880 Speaker 3: This damages the people who they're nominally trying to help, 523 00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:08,720 Speaker 3: and this damage is the entire left because when you're 524 00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:11,120 Speaker 3: sort of charting through organizers and when you're sort of 525 00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:15,440 Speaker 3: fundamentally betraying the missions that you're supposed to be doing 526 00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:19,680 Speaker 3: in order to just do more exploitation, this significantly damages 527 00:30:20,560 --> 00:30:23,160 Speaker 3: literally the entire organizing project that we're all fighting for. 528 00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:26,520 Speaker 3: So Alex, thank you so much for coming and talking 529 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:29,480 Speaker 3: and talking to us about this. And I where can 530 00:30:29,480 --> 00:30:31,680 Speaker 3: people go to support you and support Uzoo? 531 00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:36,840 Speaker 1: Our accounts are UAW staff United on Instagram and Twitter. 532 00:30:37,240 --> 00:30:41,520 Speaker 1: Please follow for more. Check out the adorable Yuzo Lemon 533 00:30:41,560 --> 00:30:44,480 Speaker 1: logos that we have everywhere. If you're in New York 534 00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:47,239 Speaker 1: or Boston, those are our major hubs we keep an 535 00:30:47,240 --> 00:30:49,560 Speaker 1: eye off for a future Actions awesome. 536 00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:52,600 Speaker 3: Thank you again for coming on the show. And yeah, 537 00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:55,800 Speaker 3: if you are a union staffer, because I know I 538 00:30:55,840 --> 00:30:57,280 Speaker 3: know a number of you are listening to this. 539 00:30:57,520 --> 00:30:59,320 Speaker 2: If you're in the UAW, raise hell. 540 00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:02,120 Speaker 3: And if you're not and the UAW and you don't 541 00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:04,240 Speaker 3: have your own staff union, consider it. 542 00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:05,920 Speaker 1: Thank you for having me. 543 00:31:06,360 --> 00:31:12,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, thank you. It could happen. Here is a production 544 00:31:12,680 --> 00:31:13,640 Speaker 2: of Cool Zone Media. 545 00:31:13,840 --> 00:31:16,840 Speaker 1: From More podcasts from Cool Zone Media, visit our website 546 00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:19,520 Speaker 1: cool zonemedia dot com, or check us out from the 547 00:31:19,560 --> 00:31:23,520 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 548 00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:25,880 Speaker 3: You can now find sources for it could happen here, 549 00:31:25,880 --> 00:31:27,720 Speaker 3: listed directly in episode descriptions. 550 00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:28,880 Speaker 2: Thanks for listening.