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