Throughout this season of Black Work Talk, we've explored how black workers have shown up in many of the big labor wins that happened in 2023. This season finale brings the full picture into perspective as Carlos Jimenez, head of the special projects division of the AFL-CIO, joins host Jamala Rogers to analyze the longer history of labor organizing and movements that got us to this moment; as well as how organized black workers have shown up throughout that history. The conversation delves into the encouraging and growing trend of action we have seen in the labor movement over the past few years. They also discuss the complexities of influencing institutions while preserving personal self-interest to bring about positive changes within large organizations like the AFL-CIO.If you enjoyed any portion of this season of Black Work Talk, we'd ask that you take a few moments to rate and review the show wherever you listen. Or you can help the show continue to grow by becoming a Patreon member at Patreon.com/blackworktalk

Rashaad Pritchett and Theresa Mtles of SEIU United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) join hosts Bianca Cunningham and Jamala Rogers for this episode of Black Work Talk. They delve into the challenges faced by Black healthcare support workers, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rashaad and Theresa recount their experiences of being on the frontlines during the pandemic, tackling fears amongst Black workers as they struggled to perform their duties without proper PPE or safe staffing, lacking proper respect and benefits. They also discuss SEIU-UHW's monumental healthcare strike in October 2023, which saw participation from 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers across four states. After the strike, the union won a historic contract ratified by over 90% of the membership. This conversation focuses on union organizing for healthcare workers, highlighting the importance of establishing connections with workers and dissecting the tactics which they can use to navigate the landscape of fighting for basic safety in the workplace during the pandemic. Support the show by becoming a patron at Patreon.com/blackworktalk

In this episode, United Teachers Los Angeles President Cecily Myart-Cruz joins Bianca and Jamala to discuss the challenges she has faced as the first woman of color to head this powerhouse union, and a leader who took over during the COVID-19 pandemic. When she advocated for educators and students in 2020, she faced immediate backlash. The interview explores how she found the resolve to continue to stand up for LA's teachers, students, and their families amidst such hostility.Cecily's experience as a strong union leader on the Left makes her consideration of a general strike unique. She, Bianca and Jamala discuss the possibility of such an action and what it would take to make one a reality.Black Work Talk will be on a winter hiatus for the next few weeks. Be sure to subscibe in your podcast feed to be alerted when new episodes appear in early January.Support Black Work Talk at patreon.com/blackworktalk

BWT co-hosts Bianca Cunningham and Jamala Rogers take time this episode to explore a few of the crises and challenges shaking the world and the Left in this moment. The recent demands by the United Auto Workers (UAW) and a few other national unions for a ceasefire in Gaza suggest an opening for a worker-led movement for peace. Bianca and Jamala discuss that possibility as well as how the Left is positioned for the upcoming 2024 elections.Opinions on national electoral work vary among those identified with the US Left, but two perspectives stand out in this moment: We should continue to support incumbent or mainstream Democratic candidates we ideologically disagree with, like Joe Biden, in the short term. This "harm reduction" strategy focuses on the need to block the authoritarian MAGA Right from creating untenable conditions for future organizing.We should take big chances on more ideologically aligned candidates in hopes of building a new party structure from the bottom up. Severing ties with Democrats emphasizes the importance of gaining traction and excitement around a more representative populist movement.The Biden administration's response to the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas in Israel has been unequivocal and unending support for the aggressive military action against Palestinians by Israel and its far-Right Netanyahu administration. This has complicated the question of Left support for mainstream Democrats over the past few months. Bianca and Jamala explore the pros and cons of both of these strategies in the short and long term.

Fifty-six percent of people in the US who self-identify as Black call the South home. Today's guest, Shafeah M'Balia, explains why and how we need to focus organizing strategies on Black workers in southern states. Shafeah is a lifelong activist and organizer with Black Workers for Justice and Muslims for Social Change.In this episode Shafeah talks with host Jamala Rogers to help listeners understand why they need to move through lingering, harmful stereotypes of the South and understand the interconnectedness of all workers in the region's supply chains. She'll review her past and present efforts to organize southern workers, and explore why international solidarity with movements like that for a free Palestine matter to US workers.

After the second-longest strike in Hollywood history, members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) voted to ratify a new contract in October 2023. Their 146-day walkout brought wins on some of the most pressing issues they were fighting for. These included new standards governing the use of AI for producing content and the distribution of residuals in the age of streaming.Joining host Bianca Cunningham to discuss the strike, the contract, and these shifts in the entertainment industry are WGA member and Think Tank for Inclusion & Equity (TTIE) co-chair Angela Harvey, whose writing credits include MTV’s Teen Wolf, Station 19, and American Horror Stories, and one of TTIE's other co-chairs,  Tawal Panyacosit Jr., a WGA member and activist whose has writing credits on Vampire Academy and other shows.Bianca also talks with Angela and Tawal about TTIE and the importance of bringing more diverse stories to audiences who are hungry for them. TTIE is an intersectional group of working TV writers comprised of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, and women writers, from emerging voices to showrunners. Angela and Tawal reflect on the openness to diversity in TV and film writers' spaces today and their hopes for the industry's future.

There is a lot of momentum in the organized labor movement right now and the National Black Worker Center is an organization which ensures black workers are strongly advocated for as we move through these moments. NBWC is a Black worker power building and worker’s rights advocacy organization that leads with militant joyfulness and Black movement culture. There are several local Black Worker Centers across the country serving the needs of workers and addressing the struggles that naturally arise when "working while black" and nine more are in incubation periods.In this episode, host Jamala Rogers is joined by Tanya Wallace Gobern, the current executive director of the NBWC to discuss the work and importance of the NBWC; as well as how workers can access their resources provided. Along with how Black Workers Centers can serve the needs of workers around the country, they also discuss the organization's Black Workers' Bill of Rights – a simple set of ten demands for laws to protect black workers and serve the fight for an anti-racist economy.Support this show and others like it by becoming a Patreon supporter at Patreon.com/convergencemag

Around 340,000 members of the Teamsters Union who work for UPS came within days of walking off the job in July 2023 in what would have been the one of the largest strikes in US history. In August, they voted 86.3% in favor of ratification of a new five-year contract with the company. The contract provides provisions like a $21 per hour minimum wage for new part-time hires, increased wages for full-time UPS workers with an average top rate of $49 per hour, and safety provisions such as in-cab air conditioning for vehicles added to fleets after January 1, 2024. Joining Bianca and Jamala this episode to discuss their experience in these negotiations and more about the relationship of UPS and the Teamsters are Chris Williamson, vice president and bargaining team member of Queens Local 804, and Philadelphia Teamsters Local 623 President Richard Hooker Jr.Support this show and others like it by becoming a Patreon supporter at Patreon.com/convergencemag

Black Work Talk’s third season explores where the energy for this current wave of labor activism comes from, how it impacts Black workers, and a fresh vision for what’s next. Listeners will hear conversations with rank and file workers from unions including the UAW, Teamsters, and the Writers Guild of America. New hosts Bianca Cunningham and Jamala Rogers offer educational tools and compelling strategies for the 90% of American workers who have yet to organize — and have an opportunity to seize the moment.To get started they are joined this launch episode by author, international trade union activist, and long time friend of the show, Bill Fletcher Jr. In the episode, Bill interviews the new hosts to learn more about who they are as well as what they bring to the black worker movement.

In this episode of Black Work Talk, Steven Pitts speaks with Bill Fletcher, long-time racial justice and labor activist.This is the last episode of this iteration of Black Work Talk, and we discuss many of the themes running through the two seasons of the podcast, including:Black worker organizing within a union context. The limitations of the just fights for greater representation. Neoliberalism and the challenges facing Black mayors.  The complexities of fighting rightwing authoritarianism. The impact of the growing Black immigrant population in the United States on Black politics.We closed with some thoughts and suggestions for folks struggling for justice today who came of age–politically–during the last 15 years.

In this episode of Black Work Talk, Steven Pitts and his co-host Lauren Jacobs talk with Carroll Fife. Carroll Fife is a Councilmember at the City of Oakland. Carroll was formerly director of the Oakland chapter of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE). Given Carroll’s previous position with ACCE, we started the episode discussing what it meant to bring a Movement perspective to an elected position. We continued to discuss the distinction between the power that Carroll and her colleagues have as policy makers and the power that certain elites have to dictate the terrain upon which policies are decided. We concluded by talking about what democratic governance looks like and the step Carroll is taking to ensure that voices that are not usual heard have an impact.Here are links to Carroll Fife’s official city website and her campaign website.

In this episode of Black Work Talk, Steven Pitts and his co-host, Lauren Jacobs, talk with Kyra Greene and Branden Snyder. Kyra is Executive Director of the Center on Policy Initiatives, and is based in San Diego. Branden is Executive Director of Detroit Action. The Center on Policy Initiatives and Detroit Action are affiliates of PowerSwitch Action, a network of local organizations dedicated to building a multiracial feminist democracy and economies in cities and regions around the county. They had an expansive conversation on the challenges and opportunities facing their organizations; the use of mutual aid efforts as a strategy to address the immediate needs of poor communities and build long-term power; and the distinction between winning elections and actual governance.To read more about these organizations, see these links:PowerSwitch ActionCenter on Policy InitiativesDetroit Action

In this episode of Black Work Talk’s Season Two, Steven Pitts launches the power-building mini-series with his co-host, Lauren Jacobs.  Steven and Lauren talk with Linda Burnham – long-time social justice organizer, writer, and theoretician. Linda is co-editor of a phenomenal book entitled: Power Concedes Nothing: How Grassroots Organizing Wins Elections – a collection of essays and interviews about the on-the-ground efforts that mobilized voters in 2020 across the United States. Linda has a nuanced understanding of power, history, and the path forward to a better world and we talked about the complex path to building more power in this country. Linda stressed that elections are not the only arena where we build and contest for power, but it is an important one and she helped us understand how we can successfully build electoral majorities and build the thick relationships with working people that allow for successful action beyond elections.  To read more about the book Linda co-edited, see Power Concedes Nothing: How Grassroots Organizing Wins .

In this episode of Black Work Talk’s Season Two, Steven Pitts and his co-host, Sheri Davis, talk with Stacy Davis Gates, President of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU). Stacy was one of the founding members of the caucus that formed in 2008 to revitalize the union and fight for a quality education for the youth of Chicago. After 2 years of organizing, caucus leaders won elective offices in the union and began to forge stronger ties with parent groups and other community organizations to battle school administrators and city politicians.Several times, Stacy mentioned the notion of the CTU working hand-in-hand with parents and community organizers in order to use the power of the union to promote the needs and interests of community residents. This philosophy is captured by the concept of “bargaining for the common good”. Stacy is on the Advisory Committee of Bargaining for the Common Good – a network of labor and community organizations around the country who believe that when union and community groups work together their joint power can enhance the possibilities of what can be achieved at the negotiating table and in the streets.To read more about Stacy’s work, see the Chicago Teachers Union website.

This episode of Black Work Talk is the second of two covering the discussion held at the Labor Notes conference on June 17, 2022 titled “Black Labor Struggles Over Time: An Intergenerational Panel.” The panel moderators were Toussaint Losier of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Bianca Cunningham of the Action Center on Race and the Economy.Panelists included Jerome Scott, a long time organizer in the struggle for Black freedom and worker rights; Susan DeCarava of the NewsGuild of New York; Chris Smalls of the Amazon Labor Union; and Stacy Davis Gates of the Chicago Teachers Union. This episode focuses on the second question for the panelists: What does it mean to support Black worker organizing at this moment in time? In addition, the episode covers the Q & A with the audience.

This episode of Black Work Talk is the first of two covering the discussion held at the Labor Notes conference on June 17, 2022 titled “Black Labor Struggles Over Time: An Intergenerational Panel.” The panel moderators were Toussaint Losier of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Bianca Cunningham of the Action Center on Race and the Economy. Panelists included Jerome Scott, a long time organizer in the struggle for Black freedom and worker rights; Susan DeCarava of the NewsGuild of New York; Chris Smalls of the Amazon Labor Union; and Stacy Davis Gates of the Chicago Teachers Union. This episode focuses on the opening question for the panelists: What are the key challenges facing Black workers today and what should we do about it?The second episode will feature the Q & A with the audience and cover the question: What does it mean to support Black worker organizing at this moment in time?

In this episode of Black Work Talk, Steven Pitts and his co-host, Sheri Davis, talk with Erica Iheme, the Deputy Director for Jobs to Move America, an organization dedicated to ensuring that government uses the power of public funds to create a just, clean, and worker-centered economy. The conversation focuses on Erica’s critique of traditional organizing models and the need to shift to organizing practices that sustain organizers and facilitate a stronger relationship with communities. To read more about Erica Iheme’s work, see:Jobs to Move AmericaAlabama Coalition for Community BenefitsDuring the episode, Sheri Davis mentioned her post at the Crunk Feminist Collective’s blog. You can access that post (and others) at:The Crunk Feminist Collective new blog - The RemixIn his introduction to this episode, Steven Pitts mentioned an article about the success of Latin American activists in turning the region into a region that supports a woman’s right to choose. Here is the link to that article:Foreign Affairs - "Latin America's Lessons for a Post-Roe United States

In this episode of Black Work Talk, Steven Pitts and his co-host, Sheri Davis, talk with Danielle Phillips-Cunningham, Associate Professor of Women's and Gender Studies at Texas Woman’s University. Danielle has been at the forefront of recent scholarship highlighting the efforts of Black working-class women to control their lives. Her book, “Putting Their Hands on Race: Irish Immigrant and Southern Black Domestic Workers,” builds upon the work of Tera W. Hunter ("To ’Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women’s Lives and Labors after the Civil War") to tell the story of the organizing efforts of Black domestic workers. Her newest research focuses on the activities of Nannie Helen Burroughs through organizations such as the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs and the National Association of Wage Earners. Her work has important implications for today’s organizing as well. We spoke about this work on the show.For further information, see:Putting Their Hands on Race: Irish Immigrant and Southern Black Domestic WorkersThe Washington Post - On Labor Day, we remember the Black women who helped win labor rightsThe Washington Post - The long history of Black women organizing in Georgia might decide Senate control

This episode launches Black Work Talk’s mini-series on Black feminism. Steven Pitts’ co-host for this mini-series is Sheri Davis, Associate Director, Center for Innovation in Worker Organization (CIWO) at Rutgers University. We talk with Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Professor of Women's Studies and English at Spelman College. Beverly has been at the center of most developments of Black feminist thought since the mid-1970s and her anthology, Words of Fire: An Anthology of African-American Feminist Thought, is a foundational collection. During this episode, the three of us discussed the interconnection of oppressions (around race, gender, class, sexual identity) which is at the core of Black feminism. We also talked about the power of Black feminist approach to increase the quality of worker organizing.

In this episode of Black Work Talk, Steven Pitts and his co-host, Toussaint Losier, talk with Mariame Kaba. Mariame is one of this country’s leading abolitionist thinkers and practitioners. She has founded several projects organizing around abolitionist principles including Project NIA. Many of her writings on abolition are collected in a recent book, “We Do This ‘Til We Free Us”. We talk about Mariame’s definition of abolition and what might account for the increased interest in abolition. Later, we move to talk about various abolition campaigns from around the country and close by examining political strategies needed to build a world without various forms of organized state violence.