The last few years have seen a wave of labor organizing as it becomes more and more clear to workers that what they do is not expendable, but actually the heart of every business. From walkouts to unionization, workers from Starbucks to Amazon to your local coffee shop have come together to build and exercise their power. In this episode we explore the issues that led people to organize their workplaces, the ins and outs and ups and downs of the process, and the backlash.

On the forefront of the next labor revolution, we visit a coffee shop in Maine called Little Dog whose staff starts a union. Then we talk to Robert Chlala from the UCLA Labor Center about the rise in unionization efforts among service workers and the social and cultural ethos in a post lockdown country that have led to this new wave of the labor movement.

Featuring:

• Robert Chlala – Assistant Professor, CSU Long Beach & Visiting Researcher at UCLA Labor Center
• Jessica Czarnecki, Sydney, Sophie, Kira – Workers at Little Dog Cafe

Making Contact Team:

• Host: Salima Hamirani
• Reporter: Jules Bradley
• Executive Director: Jina Chung
• Staff Producers: Anita Johnson, Lucy Kang, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum
• Engineer: Jeff Emtman
• Editor: Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong

Music:

• “Industrial Zone” by Bio Unit
• “Stay Quiet” by Monplaisir
• “Bleu” by Komiku
• “Leap Second” by Doctor Turtle
• “Which Side Are You On” by Pete Seeger

Learn More:

• UCLA Labor Center
• Little Dog Employees Lawsuit
• Brunswick coffee shop strike ends with potential change in ownership

We need affordable housing now! On today's episode, we look more closely at two stories that underscore the importance of affordable housing.

First, we'll examine what the recent Supreme Court ruling in Grants Pass v. Johnson means for unhoused people who are living on the streets and how historical disinvestment in affordable and public housing has created our current homelessness wave.

Then, we'll hear about the fight to legalize and preserve one important type of affordable housing units in New York City – basement apartments – and how the escalating impacts of climate change are making that campaign more urgent than ever.

Paul Boden, executive director of the Western Regional Advocacy Project Annetta Seecharran, executive director of Chhaya Community Development Corporation

Making Contact Staff:

Episode Host: Lucy Kang

Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang

Executive Director: Jina Chung

Editor: Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong

Engineer: Jeff Emtman

Music credit:

Pending (Relaxing Acoustic Ballad Nylon Guitar) by William_King via Pixabay

Credits for "Invisible Homeless" by the Queens Memory Podcast

Episode produced by Stella Gu in conjunction with Melody Cao, Anna Williams, and Natalie Milbrodt
Podcast hosted by J. Faye Yuan
Mixing and editing by Cory Choy
Music composed by Elias Ravin
Voiceover work by Xia Liangjie and Chen Xiaojun

Learn More:

Making Contact homepage: www.focmedia.org

Western Regional Advocacy Project: https://wraphome.org/

Queens Memory Podcast: www.queensmemory.org

Chhaya CDC: BASE Campaign: https://chhayacdc.org/campaigns/base-campaign/

On this week's episode, we speak with Bay Area based comedian Karinda Dobbins about the release of her debut comedy album, Black & Blue. In Black & Blue, Karinda shares personal stories, finding humor in the most ordinary moments of her daily life, including her girlfriend’s arbitrary policy on household pests, the changes hipsters have brought to Oakland, and a Black woman’s unique packing list for hiking.

Featuring: Karinda Dobbins, standup comedian, writer, and actor

Episode Credits:

• Host: Anita Johnson
• Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang
• Executive Director: Jina Chung
• Engineer: Jeff Emtman
• Editor: Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong
• Music Credits: Dee Yan-Key "Hold on"; Audiobinger "The Garden State"

Learn More:

• Karinda Dobbins - https://karindadobbins.com/