Was 2021 labor's year? Plus, 'Like a Virgin'

It's Been a Minute

NPR

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🗓️ 3 December 2021

⏱️ 39 minutes

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Summary

Was 2021 the labor movement's year? It certainly felt like it — thousands of workers went on strike this year, at numbers considerably higher than in 2020. But in the context of American labor history, this year's organized strikes are small in comparison. Sam chats with author and labor historian at Georgetown University Lane Windham about why labor activism might be on the rise again. Plus, Rose Dommu and Fran Tirado chat about their new podcast, Like a Virgin, and how they bring their different cultural backgrounds and pop culture sensibilities together. They also play Who Said That?

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey y'all, this is Sam's Aunt Betty.
0:03.0	This week, looking back at this year in labor.
0:07.0	Alright, let's start the show.
0:12.0	Hey y'all, you're listening to It's Been a Minute from NPR.
0:14.0	I'm Sam Sanders.
0:16.0	Somehow, it is already December.
0:19.0	This year is almost done.
0:21.0	And a lot has happened in 2021.
0:23.0	And we're going to spend a few episodes between now and the new year
0:27.0	recapping some stuff.
0:28.0	Today on this episode, we're going to look back on one of the biggest business stories of 2021.
0:34.0	Labor.
0:35.0	And it might have been one of the biggest stories of this year, period.
0:39.0	You know, 2021 saw millions of people quit their jobs across the country.
0:44.0	And there were strikes all across America and walkouts and efforts to unionize and union bust.
0:52.0	Amazon workers in Alabama will get a second chance to unionize.
0:56.0	Workers at all of the Kellogg companies, US serial plants, walked off the job this week.
1:02.0	Workers at the Nabisco Bakery in Northeast Portland held a rally today to support their strike against the company.
1:08.0	You can see behind me a group of miners protesting right now.
1:11.0	They're chanting no fear contract, no call.
1:14.0	And take a look at some of their sites.
1:15.0	Thousands of John Deere workers have been on strike for a month now.
	...

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