Union Strong

Sen. Gillibrand on Protecting Working People

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand discusses the next stimulus package, the Every Worker Protection Act and shares her thoughts on rebuilding our state and country post COVID-19.

Learn about our priorities at nysaflcio.org/cares2 

Nurses Trade Home for a Hotel to Stay Safe During the Coronavirus

Nurses and other front-line workers are so desperate to protect their families from exposure to the coronavirus, they are opting to live in hotel rooms near their hospitals instead of going home. For one nurse the trade-off means screen time and phone calls replace hugs and kisses with her young daughter - all in the name of safety.

The New York State Public Employees Federation took the extraordinary step of providing the hotel rooms and their nurses and other healthcare professionals couldn’t be more grateful. Now they need your generosity to keep the program running. PEF President Wayne Spence joins us along with a PEF nurse to talk about the respite program. 

https://www.pef.org/disaster-relief/  

TWU Hit Hard by COVID-19

Members of the Transport Workers Union are dying at an alarming rate. TWU members deemed essential throughout this pandemic are transporting nurses, doctors and others needed on the front lines. Members continue working on and around airplanes and on Amtrak and are at risk of getting the coronavirus daily. In this podcast, we hear from a flight attendant, an Amtrak service worker, a local leader of the subway division in New York City – and John Samuelsen, the international president of the Transport Workers Union representing more than 150,000 members.

 

COVID-19 Heroes

The crucial jobs of workers in supermarkets, pharmacies and food processing plants during a health crisis. RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum talks about the many challenges his members face and his fight to help workers at Amazon during the Coronavirus pandemic. 

Sen. Schumer on The CARES Act. Plus; the latest on the Postmates case and COVID-19 Workers’ Comp

In this episode: It's the largest stimulus package in American history. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer joins us to talk about what's in the economic recovery package. And, NYS AFL-CIO Special Counsel Joe Canovas discusses the Postmates case and Workers' Compensation during COVID-19.

Learn more nysaflcio.org/covid19

A Day in History that Changed Workplace Safety

Today marks the 109^th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York City. Normally on this day, large crowds of union members and others would gather at Washington Place and Greene Street to pay tribute to the 146 lives lost on that fateful day. It was one of the deadliest industrial disasters in U.S. history.

COVID-19 has canceled those plans as gatherings continue to be off-limits. So, as more of us continue to be confined to our homes, we thought it would be fitting to remind you of this podcast – A Day in History that Changed Workplace Safety. It is a look-back at how a single tragedy changed workplace safety and strengthened the labor movement.

COVID-19 Relief for Workers

On this episode we hear from NYS AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento and learn about COVID-19 relief available to workers both at the state and federal level.

More info at unionstrongny.com

AI, Deepfakes, Sexual Harassment and Intimacy Coordinators

SAG-AFTRA is the union representing members who are the faces and voices that entertain and inform us. New technology and new attitudes are changing their workspace. Our guest is Rebecca Damon, the national Executive VP of SAG-AFTRA and President of SAG-AFTRA’s New York Local. 

 

Welcome to the Labor Movement, Kickstarter United

Join the celebration! It has already been one year since the New York State AFL-CIO launched the Union Strong podcast. President Mario Cilento stops in the studio to help us mark our one-year anniversary.

But first; employees at the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter are making history. They are the first employees at a major technology company in the U.S. to unionize. A Kickstarter employee and spokesperson for the newly unionized Kickstarter United explains why and how it happened and what’s next. 

Revenue Options for a More Equitable NY

On the latest episode of the Union Strong podcast, we talk to the executive director and chief economist of the Fiscal Policy Institute about New York State's financial plan and our revenue system which is proving to be unfair and unreliable. Ron Deutsch and Jonas Shaende run down some revenue options, discuss the states spending cap, income inequality and the results of a recent poll on how New Yorkers feel about taxing the wealthy.