Belabored Podcast #168: Victory in L.A., with Arlene Inouye

Belabored Podcast #168: Victory in L.A., with Arlene Inouye

What did the L.A. teachers win? UTLA bargaining committee chair Arlene Inouye joins us to talk about the contract.

[contentblock id=belabored-info]

After six strike days, the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) won a sweeping new contract that included changes not just in wages and class sizes but in policing in schools, green space, charter school colocations, and much more. Arlene Inouye was on the bargaining team, and she joins us to explain what they got, how they did it, and what’s next.

We also check in with West Virginia educators voting for another walkout, the end of the government shutdown, Trump’s proposed changes to apprenticeships, and the T-Mobile merger. For argh, we consider why we pretend to love our jobs, and why Starbucks workers don’t love Howard Schultz’s run for president.

This week’s show was supported by our monthly sustaining members. If you think our work is worth supporting as we soldier on through Trumplandia, please consider becoming a member today. If you’re interested in advertising on the show, please email ads@dissentmagazine.org. And as always, if you have any questions, comments, or tips, email us at belabored@dissentmagazine.org.

General Strike: The Fierce Urgency of Now (AFA-CWA)

Only one Republican has signed on to a bill guaranteeing back pay for federal contractors (Vox)

Deregulating Apprenticeship (Inside Higher Ed)

West Virginia United: A Rank-and-File Caucus

Michelle: How Corporate Monopolies Are Dragging Down Your Paycheck (The Nation)

Sarah: ‘This Is Much Bigger Than Us, Than Our Union, Even Than Our City’ (The Nation)

Michelle: Erin Griffith, Why Are Young People Pretending to Love Work? (New York Times)

Sarah: Maxwell Strachan, Here’s What Starbucks Is Telling Employees To Say About Howard Schultz (HuffPost US)