#1324 State of the Unions and the 2020 Elections
Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
Jay Tomlinson
4.5 • 3.4K Ratings
🗓️ 10 December 2019
⏱️ 79 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Air Date 12/10/2019
Today we take a look at the labor movement as energy and power continue to build and more workers continue to strike to demand better conditions for themselves and all of society in an intersectional movement for social justice. Though not much thanks can be given to either political party.
Be part of the show! Leave us a message at 202-999-3991
EPISODE SPONSORS: Madison-Reed.com (Promo Code: LEFT) | Clean Choice Energy
SHOP AMAZON: Amazon USA | Amazon CA | Amazon UK
MEMBERSHIP ON PATREON (Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content!)
SHOW NOTES
Steve Greenhouse discusses the history of union organizing and the current state of unions in the GM strike.
Ch. 2: Past and Present of Collective Action with Jane McAlevey - On The Media - Air Date 9-20-19
Jane McAlevey discusses the power of labor in reshaping inequality.
Mary Kay Henry discusses the possibilities of a strong labor force in shaping society.
Ch. 4: State of Labor with Kate Bronfenbrenner - Counterspin - Air Date 9-6-19
Kate Bronfenbrenner discusses the possibilities of the power of labor and the role of the gig economy.
Amy Walter talks with several experts about the history of labor resistance and their ties to the Democratic Party
Mary Kay Henry discusses the possibilities of a strong labor force in shaping society.
VOICEMAILS
Ch. 7: Share in the profits by lowering costs - Bud from Boise
Ch. 8: Pulling people to the left - Corey from New Jersey
Ch. 9: Thanks for important conversations - Jake from the UK
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 10: Final comments on how Republicans have become what they defend
Limerick of the day from @Limerick_News
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions):
- Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr
- PolyCoat - The Cabinetmaker
- Streamer - Arc and Crecent
- When We Set Out - Arc and Crecent
- Milkwood - The Cabinetmaker
- Parade Shoes - Arc and Crecent
- Voicemail Music: Low Key Lost Feeling Electro by Alex Stinnent
- Closing Music: Upbeat Laid Back Indie Rock by Alex Stinnent
SHOW IMAGE
SEIU Protest by Spot Us, Flickr | License | Changes: Cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Thanks for listening!
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Support the show via Patreon
Listen on iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Alexa Devices | +more
Check out the BotL iOS/Android App in the App Stores!
Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft
Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft
Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Welcome to this episode of the award winning best left podcast in which we shall learn |
| 0:07.8 | about the labor movement as energy and power continues to build and more workers continue |
| 0:13.8 | to strike to demand better conditions for themselves and all of society, with unfortunately |
| 0:20.5 | not much thanks to be given to either political party. |
| 0:24.4 | Today come from democracy now on the media, the weeds, counter spin and the takeaway. |
| 0:37.1 | But what about the history of the UAW, explain the seminal moments in UAW history? |
| 0:43.6 | So in my book I have chapters on two of the most important strikes in American history, |
| 0:49.9 | the Flint sit down strike which was against General Motors, 1936-37. GM was then the nation's |
| 0:56.3 | largest company. It was ferociously anti-union. It had like 200 company spies, whenever |
| 1:02.0 | there is an effort to form a union local, its company spies would infiltrate, you know, |
| 1:08.0 | it got the cops to beat up, you know, strikers and beat up protestors. And the workers, |
| 1:14.2 | you know, so this is after naturally relations act as passed under FDR workers are feeling |
| 1:18.7 | a little more hope, a little more support. And they tried to figure out how do we bring |
| 1:22.8 | the most powerful company in the nation, maybe on earth to its knees to recognize a union. |
| 1:28.3 | And they figured let's hold a sit down in a key plant that made, you know, that stamp |
| 1:34.3 | the bodies that GM needed to produce cars. And for almost two months they sat down again |
| 1:42.8 | in the middle of winter in Flint, Michigan. And they really shut down GM and FDR and |
| 1:49.7 | his great labor secretary, Francis Perkins also placed real pressure on GM to recognize |
| 1:54.0 | the union that this strike was really hurting GM and hurting the whole nation's economy. |
| 1:59.5 | I just was in Washington DC and so the Francis Perkins Department of Labor, I wonder if |
| 2:05.4 | President Trump will be changing the name of that building, but she was the first woman |
| 2:10.5 | secretary of labor. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Jay Tomlinson, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Jay Tomlinson and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.