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 yea ..read more

In this episode of Black Work Talk, hosts Bianca Cunningham and Jamilah Rogers are joined by SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West members, Rashad Pritchett and Teresa Miles. They delve into the challenges faced by black healthcare support workers, particularly during the pandemic. Issues included safe staffing, lack of respect, and inadequate benefits. The guests recount their experiences of being on the frontlines during COVID-19, struggling to perform their duties without proper PPE, and tackling fears amongst black workers. They also discuss their monumental healthcare strike in October of 2 ..read more

Bianca and Jamala take time this episode to explore the many heavy challenges and crisis facing the world and the left in this moment. With the recent demand by the United Auto Workers (UAW) and a few other national unions, for a ceasefire in Gaza, an opening has revealed itself for a worker led movement for peace.They discuss that possibility as well as how the left is positinoned for the upcoming 2024 elections. There are two popular stances within the left on national electoralism: Continue to support incumbent or mainstream Democratic candidates we ideologically disagree with, like Joe Bi ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 epi ..read more

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 th ..read more

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 auth ..read more

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 Sta ..read more

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 ..read more