Talkin' Shop

In the labor movement, and perhaps even more so outside of it, we talk a lot about contract negotiations and strikes. These two things make headlines, change lives, and define a lot of our experience in our unions. But that leaves a lot of acreage for your boss to control. What about the things that don’t violate your contract? What if a strike doesn’t have the support it needs to succeed?

On today’s episode, I talk with Ashton Cummings, a graduate worker at Oregon State University. Ashton and her fellow organizers are making sure that the acreage between contracts and strikes is ruled by workers. She talks us through her ongoing campaign to win back control of wages and hours worked from her bosses. I think there’s a lot of nuggets of wisdom here that can help you organize effectively for day-in, day-out workplace democracy and control of your shop floor. 

Today I talk with Liam Maher. Liam is an organizer with TUGSA, the Temple University Graduate Student Workers Association. TUGSA recently went on strike for six weeks and won major victories for themselves, including nearly $5000 raises on average, increased dependent healthcare coverage, increased parental leave from five business days to 21 calendar days, and an improved grievance procedure. Their strike also set in motion an ongoing change in leadership process at Temple by providing a crystal clear critique of the administration’s commitment to privatizing Temple. This critique has helped lead to the resignation of privatized higher ed mascot and former university president Jason Wingard, and, on April 24th, a landslide vote of no confidence in the board chair and provost. 

Liam is one of the founders of the so-hot-right-now instagram account TUGSA Strike Crush, dedicated to the idea that the revolution will be memed and full of light hearted romance. What started as a fun strike activity has grown and improved to become a key organizing tool and strategy at Temple. Our conversation hopefully demystifies strikes for folks who haven’t participated or organized one; offers an anti-capitalist and anti-racist critique of higher ed today; and will inspire your own organizing efforts, especially for folks who want to become more involved but don’t quite know where or how to start.

So you wanna organize your workplace, but don't quite know where to start and what to expect? Today's episode might be helpful.

Today's show is a conversation with Andrea Tirrell, Nik Brocchini, and Eric Brown about their efforts to unionize graduate workers in the University of Maine System. All three are graduate workers at UMaine and key organizers of the recently public union drive at UMaine. We talk about early stage organizing conversations, partnering with the UAW, how state legislators can be leveraged in public sector unionization, and the positive impact they're already seeing on campus. I kept trying to trim this episode, but they were spittin' wisdom, so I just let the track run. I hope you enjoy.

Please throw us a rating and tell your friends so we can continue to connect great organizers to one another.

As always, you can get in touch at talkinshopod@gmail.com.

On April 6th, months of organizing draws to a close in Eugene, Oregon. The UOSW's card campaign will conclude -- and then the real work will begin. What do organizers have their sights on? What drew them to organize the first undergrad union at a public university in the U.S.? And what's it take to win a union at your university? Let's talk shop.

You can get in touch with UOSW on Instagram: @UOstudentworkers

As always, you can email me at talkinshopod@gmail.com