Ep. 31: Michigan Workers Unite!- From the Nurses to the Rail, Queerphobic Terrorism, and More

We begin our show with brief run-down of the individuals who may be replacing Clyde Robinson as the head attorney for the City of Kalamazoo.

 

We then spend most of the program on workers' struggles- from a potential repeal of "Right to Work" laws in Michigan that have impeded unions and worker organizing in our state, to a strike vote from nurses at a Kalamazoo hospital, to a long discussion about the (maybe upcoming) rail strike. We read between the lines of what happened in congress, highlight the anti-worker propaganda from both national and local outlets, and present some important historical context about congress' interference in the dispute between the rail workers and their bosses. We read an excerpt from Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States" about the historic Pullman rail strike of 1894.

 

We then pivot to some fascist terrorism that occurred over the weekend- in Moore County in North Carolina unknown individuals shot at a power station knocking out power to 40,000 people in the area for several days. While people in the community scrambled to deal with the disaster, right-wing activists openly gloated on social media about knocking out the power to stop a local drag show. We close out the show with another big picture analysis about the rise of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric from the far-right, reading excerpts from Keegan O' Brien's article at LeftVoice "Understanding the Carnage at Colorado Springs."

04:10- 9:00 Kzoo Picks New City Attorney

10:50- 19:00 "Right to Work" Laws May Be Repealed in Michigan

19:50- 23:00 Borgess Nurses to Take Strike Vote

26:40- 1:03:25 Rail Strike: Congress, Capitalist Media Collusion, and Historical Context

1:04:50- 1:27:20 Fascist Terrorists Disable Power Grid in North Carolina Over Drag Show

 

SOURCES

 

"Kalamazoo prepares for public meet-and-greet, interviews with city attorney finalists"

https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2022/11/kalamazoo-city-attorney-finalists-to-meet-with-residents-before-public-interviews.html

 

"What's Wrong With the 'Right to Work'?"

https://truthout.org/articles/whats-wrong-with-the-right-to-work/

 

"Ascension Borgess nurses will soon vote on whether to authorize a strike"

https://www.wmuk.org/wmuk-news/2022-12-02/ascension-borgess-nurses-will-soon-vote-on-whether-to-authorize-a-strike

 

"A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn

 

" 'Intentional Vandalism' Leaves Thousands Without Power in North Carolina"

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/12/04/intentional-vandalism-leaves-thousands-without-power-north-carolina

 

"Understanding the Carnage at Colorado Springs"

https://www.leftvoice.org/understanding-the-carnage-at-colorado-springs/

 

Recorded live on 89.1 WIDR on December 6th, 2022

 

Background music by Quantum Fleek