UFCW 3000 union shop steward Michaela is always ready to answer fellow members’ questions about their union. She’s also a devoted murder podcast listener. Put those interests together, and she decided to start a union podcast to get all her coworkers’ questions and her own questions answered, and to meet as many people as possible who could share what it means to be a part of UFCW 3000. (No murder on this po ...
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When we last talked about Unfair Labor Practice Strikes it involved nurses at a hospital. Unfair Labor Practice Strikes in other industries often look very different. Machaela talks with Macy’s retail workers who went on strike in Black Friday in 2023 and again on MLK Day 2024 about the unfair labor practices and reasons that they went on strike during their contract negotiations. She also interviews community members about why they joined the Macy’s picket lines, and reviews the differences and similarities between Macy’s and her career in healthcare. Please note that this episode has parts where both English and Spanish are spoken.
How and why does a union engage with politics? What's the "people power" we talk about in "people-powered politics"? Michaela talks with UFCW 3000 political organizer Derrick about the power of union members taking an active role in local and state elections and in politics beyond elections. Washington State legislature is now in session, and while this was recorded before the recent elections, it's also about all the work that UFCW 3000 members will now be doing to hold those elected lawmakers accountable! They discuss the potential corporate grocery mega-merger that our local is fighting against, and at the end of the episode you'll hear from longtime grocery worker and UFCW 3000 member Naomi speaking out at a press conference about that merger. Learn more about our political advocacy work, our 2024 legislative agenda, how to register to vote, and more at our website: https://ufcw3000.org/people-powered-politics Our Winter General Membership Meetings, also discussed here, are also coming up! Find your local quarterly meeting at: https://ufcw3000.org/gmmcall
It's our first STRIKE EPISODE!!! UFCW 3000 member and self-taught podcast host Michaela (plus Episode 1 guest Kristina) drove out to both picket lines at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, where nurses have been out on an unfair labor practice strike since 6AM on Tuesday 11/14. Hear directly from these striking nurses about what's at stake in their fight for a fair contract that respects their dedication and supports safe patient care for their community. To hear more from Providence Everett nurses, check out Episode 7: “It’s your hospital, it’s your health care, it’s your community” for Michaela's interviews with nurse bargaining team members.
What happens when you realize you could run for local office? How can the union, and the labor movement as a whole, help union members do that? And wait, how does being a mom prepare you for being a meat cutter? Host Michaela sits down with Amber Wise, a UFCW 3000 member, apprentice meat cutter at Kirkland PCC, mom of 2, and current candidate for the board of Commissioners for Public Hospital District #2, which governs Evergreen Kirkland hospital. || Learn more about the meatcutter apprenticeship in Episode 4 of our podcast, "Apprenticeships—or, WeTrain You on How to Pick Your Steak and Advance Your Career," and at ufcw3000.org/meat. Learn more about Amber's campaign for hospital commissioner at www.voteamberwise.com
I know I have a Union Rep, but who are they? What do they do? And what are my "Weingarten Rights" again? Michaela sits down with her Union Rep, Brandan, to hear more about his role and discuss rights on the job, meetings with management, and the many ways members can be involved in enforcing their contract and supporting each other. || UFCW 3000 members: you can look up your union contract and your Union Rep at https://ufcw3000.org/find-a-contract