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Your Call

What have workers won through strikes and efforts to unionize in 2018?

Charles Edward Miller
Unite Here Local 1 Hotel Workers on Strike in Chicago in September 2018

On this edition of Your Call, we discuss this year's labor strikes.

Over 20,000 teachers and school employees went on strike in West Virginia earlier this year, followed by a wave of educators in other states. In September, McDonald's workers went on strike over sexual harassment and low wages. A month later, fast food workers walked off the job to demand union rights and a $15 minimum wage. Marriott hotel workers in eight cities recently signed new contracts after striking for raises and affordable healthcare. Last week, Kaiser mental health workers in California went on a five-day strike to protest how long their patients have to wait for appointments. What have workers won through strikes this year?

Guests:

Erik Loomis, associate professor of history at the University of Rhode Island, and author of the forthcoming book, A History of America in Ten Strikes

Clem Papazian, licensed social worker at Kaiser in Oakland

Larrilou Carumba, Marriott housekeeper

Web Resources:

Rethinking Schools: The 2018 Wave Of Teacher Strikes: A Turning Point for Our Schools?

San Diego Tribune: Marriott strike yields 40 percent pay hike for Westin housekeepers

Gizmodo: Amazon's Aggressive Anti-Union Tactics Revealed in Leaked 45-Minute Video

The Guardian: Why a historic strike by Chicago charter school teachers matters

Rose Aguilar has been the host of Your Call since 2006. She became a regular media roundtable guest in 2001. In 2019, the San Francisco Press Club named Your Call the best public affairs program. In 2017, The Nation named it the most valuable local radio show.