On this edition of Your Call, we’re discussing ongoing worker uprisings across the country.
In Alabama, more than 1,000 coal miners have been striking for better pay and benefits for the last five months. After three weeks on strike, Frito-Lay workers in Topeka, Kansas recently won a new contract guaranteeing pay raises and at least one day off per week. We’ll also get an update from garment workers in Los Angeles who are still fighting to abolish the piece-rate in favor of a minimum wage.
Guests:
Kim Kelly, labor columnist at Teen Vogue and freelance contributor whose work has appeared in the the Washington Post, the New Republic, The Nation and more. Her forthcoming book, FIGHT LIKE HELL: The Untold History of American Labor, will be out next April
Maximillian Alvarez, editor-in-chief of The Real News Network and host of the Working People podcast
Samuel Huntsman, Frito-Lay plant worker in Topeka, Kansas who helped organize the recent strike
Daisy Gonzalez, organizing director with the Garment Worker Center in Los Angeles, which introduced The Garment Worker Protection Act (SB62)
Web Resources:
The Nation, Kim Kelly: Alabama’s Coal Miners Are Striking for Their Lives
Al, William Thorton: Striking Alabama miners planning rally Wednesday as strike enters fifth month
VICE, Mark McCarter: I'm a Frito-Lay Factory Worker. I Work 12-Hour Days, 7 Days a Week
In These Times Magazine, Maximillian Alvarez: Striking Frito Lay Workers Say They Deserve More Than Crumbs
The Topeka Capital-Journal, India Yarborough: 'Strike over': Union Local 218 members approve Frito-Lay's latest contract offer, bringing Topeka strike to an end
Frito-Lay Statements Regarding Topeka Strike