What A Day - The Union Makes U.S. Strong with Sara Nelson

Episode Date: May 6, 2021

Tomorrow, the National Labor Relations Board is set to hold a hearing into the failed unionization vote of workers at the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, with the union that sought to represent the workers alleging foul-play. We spoke with Sara Nelson, head of the Association of Flight Attendants, about the hearing, and the state of the labor movement in the U.S. more generally. Nelson has been a lead figure in supporting Amazon workers and unions across the country.And in headlines: the Biden administration will support waiving patent protections of the COVID-19 vaccines, a judge strikes down the CDC's moratorium on evictions, and a farmer does landscaper's diplomacy on the Franco-Belgian border.Show Notes:Show some love and vote for us as Best News and Politics podcast in the 25th Annual People’s Voice Awards! – https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2021/podcasts/general-series/news-politicsFor a transcript of this show, please visit crooked.com/whataday.

It's Thursday, May 6th. I'm Akilah Hughes. And I'm Gideon Resnick. And this is What A Day, where we're looking forward to working from the office. And by office, we mean swimming pool. Yeah. And by working, we mean not working. On today's show, a look forward to the future of labor. The evidence against Amazon in this investigation and review about whether or not to order another election is extremely clear and fulsome. That's Sarah Nelson, head of the union, the Association of Flight Attendants, who has been a lead figure in supporting Amazon workers and unions across the country. Tomorrow, the National Labor Relations Board, or the NLRB, is set to hold a hearing into the failed unionization vote of the workers at the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama.

The union that sought to represent them will make the case that Amazon did several things to interfere with the final result. And if the board agrees, there could be a do-over. That's right. And before we knew this hearing would definitely happen, I spoke to Nelson a couple weeks ago about the prospect of another vote here, the future of unions more broadly in America, but also what she saw Amazon was doing on the ground before that first vote took place in Alabama. They put a mailbox on company property. I saw it myself with the tent around it saying, vote here, with cameras trained on that and supervisors talking to people at work and calling them at home and telling them they need to bring their ballots to work and vote. None of that is OK. And the idea behind union organizing, the concept behind that under the law, is that companies are not supposed to interfere. There is supposed to be a free and fair right for an employee to choose whether or not they want to organize in their workplace and collectively bargain. That's very true. So when it comes to tomorrow's

hearing with the NLRB, what should we be watching for? Yeah, so Nelson walked me through a couple of the steps, but also basically explained some of the tactics that Amazon used before the vote that were really just appalling to her as well. Some of what Nelson said will be familiar territory, given what we've heard from a pro-union employee who has been on the show before. The NLRB will conduct an investigation and they will determine all of the things that Amazon did during the course of the election. And it's possible that other things could be identified. The union did a good job of detailing all of the issues that the workers faced. And that retaliation and the threats of moving those jobs somewhere else, putting pressure not only on those workers,

but on the community around that, all of that stuff, they do it because it works. So the union will continue to organize. The union picked up a lot of momentum towards the end of this campaign. Think about this. The workers started to organize in the summer. They announced a campaign in earnest in October, well before the presidential election. And there was a real desire to have representation there. What Amazon did was they ramped up right away. The first thing they did was inflate the numbers in that warehouse. They hired almost three times as many workers as the union thought that they were originally organizing. That inflation of numbers then also was a whole new group of people that they had hired. And the company set about all the union busting tactics inside that warehouse that are just so incredibly textbook, pitting people against each other by age and trying to make people feel like they're doing something wrong if they're supporting the union. Yeah, that seems like a pretty tough place to work. And as this is happening, there's been a

push for Congress to pass the PRO Act, which would strengthen workers' ability to unionize. We talked about that a little while ago, and President Biden also mentioned it again in his address to Congress last week. So where does that stand? Well, like a lot of legislation, it passed the House, but it faces a Senate that is ruled by the filibuster and also three Democrats who don't currently support it. Those are Senators Kyrsten Sinema, Mark Kelly and Mark Warner. No, not the astronaut Mark Kelly. Yep. NASA doesn't unionize. He just went to space on his own. He doesn't believe in collective work. Yeah, that could not have been a solo mission entirely. But, you know, that's what it is.

Though the PRO Act has gained momentum, Senator Joe Manchin voiced support last month for it. And earlier this week, the players unions for the major sports leagues joined together to state that they back its passage as well. And Sarah Nelson told me that she thinks that both the coverage about the Amazon union vote and how the pandemic kind of exacerbated inequality and left many people struggling financially, those factors might be good for the push for unions overall. It's the activity in the workplaces that is growing political power. So it's the activity in the Amazon warehouse that is growing political power. There was a national discussion about that. The president of the United States spoke up about these rights and has been very clear that the PRO Act is something that needs to happen, not only to address all of the inequities in our society and our economy, but also to protect the very nature of democracy. Because when people are in unions, they're more likely to be engaged in democracy in the public square as well. So the fact that we're talking about this, the fact that the experience that we just went through with

coronavirus and really laying bare all of the problems in our economy and in our social networks have to be addressed. And the only way they're going to be addressed is if people have more power. And the way to get more power is to organize in their workplace, because when they do that, not only do they have the ability to speak in greater numbers, but they're also bargaining with capital. And in many cases, when they bargain and when they force these companies to come to the table with them and improve conditions, then what you do is you actually get those companies on your side for the political battles too. So it sounds like from her perspective, we're starting to see the resurgence of unions in America and particularly who might be in a union or just be willing to organize at all, period.

Yeah, that's the hope, at least for sure. And leading up to this point, there's been a decades long decline in union membership due in no small part to federal and state legislation and the Supreme Court. As of 2020, 14.3 million people belong to a union, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But those union members earn more than their non-union colleagues. And we've seen in the last few years that major labor movements have emerged among autoworkers, teachers, and more with some of the larger strikes that we've actually seen in years. And even when they can't formally organize, workers in sectors like grocery stores,

Silicon Valley, or in the media have found ways in recent months and years to band together for better rights and better pay. So Sarah Nelson thinks we'll be seeing more organizing efforts in the future and says that it's really important that legislation like the PRO Act gets passed to make it easier for those workers to actually flex their power together, actually get a contract, and prevent the kind of interference that we see from employers like Amazon. I think the shared experience coming out of coronavirus especially is giving that a lot of fuel, but we can't just take it for granted. We are in a different moment here where we've got politicians actually trying to learn more about labor rather than doing tired, old, decades-old applause lines about labor that they don't understand. I do see new life here. I see groups

who are making this central. I see the environmental justice groups understanding that they have got to put labor organizing central to their mission. That is a huge change. There are these growing coalitions who understand that we're not going to have a democracy. We're not going to move forward on any of the major issues of our time if we don't build our unions. Racial justice depends on building unions, and we need to make sure that we're redefining what people think union members are. They're anyone who works. And those ideas are starting to take shape, and people are starting to take ownership of the fact that unions are not a club. This is something that is available to every working person in this country.

And wow, that's a powerful thing. It is. And that is Sarah Nelson, head of the Association of Flight Attendants. We'll follow up on the results of tomorrow's hearing by the National Labor Relations Board, which could potentially invalidate the failed vote to unionize the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama. And that's the latest for now. It's Thursday, WOD Squad, and for today's temp check, we're talking about carefree days gone by. New York City's Department of Education announced this Tuesday

that instead of taking snow days off in the coming academic year, schools will respond to extreme weather by going virtual. Yuck. This will ensure students get the 180 days of school a year that are mandated by the state. Plus, now that schools have shown that remote learning can work, they have no reason not to do it. Of course, this may come across as vaguely scroogey to kids who like sledding, snowball fights,

or other forms of wintertime wonder. So Giddy, what's your reaction to this as someone who did at one point go to school? I did at one point go to school. That's very true. I've heard that you were there at a school one time. I thank you for following up with my teachers. I am like everyone else. I loved snow days.

I mean, even if you didn't actually go outside and experience the snow, the whole fun of it is the fact that you're not doing work. Oh, totally. Yeah. You're not looking at a, you wouldn't be looking at a screen and being like, ah, my algebra test.

I have to figure this out while wonderful snow is coming down. Exactly. So this seems, this is mean. I think that there's a workaround, right? Isn't it normally that you tack on a day around the summer or something like that? Yeah, you just make those times up.

Yeah, unless you're in a place where you're like, oh, there's gonna be 6,000 days off in a row from snow, then it's doable. I don't know. Right. I think that that's right. I mean, why can't we do it the way we've always done it? Yeah. Yeah.

But same question for you. You at one point did go to school as well. I understand. Yeah, that's true. Facts. What is your experience with snow days? How are you feeling about this? I'm so bummed.

I love snow days. Like my favorite thing on earth is waking up because the snow started at 2 a.m. and I didn't realize it was coming and turning on the channel nine ABC affiliate Cincinnati WCPO shout out and just watching all of the counties scroll by and being like, please Boone County, please Boone County. And when it would drop, it was always last minute. Like the bus was coming up the street. They're like, Boone County's closed.

I would just punch the sky and go back to bed. And the fact that they're like, you can just go downstairs and do your homework. I'm like, that's not right. I'm not doing that. My mom, I think, wouldn't force me to do that because she's cool. And I don't think it's cool to make kids do work on days that are gifted to them by the universe right this is what it's supposed to be for I man the flashback to that scroll where you're like waiting to see for me it was like is it gonna say Walnut Hills or is it gonna say like Cincinnati

Public yeah and so I didn't know I was like oh like do I need to wait till the end of the alphabet like before I can find out or is it gonna going to be like really, really early on? That was thrilling. Totally. I mean, I learned about all of the different counties in Kentucky. I was like, Bracken. Bracken always gets off. Where is Boone?

I just, it's just like, to me, it's such a deep bit of nostalgia. And I don't want people to watch that Nickelodeon movie from the 90s, Snow Day, if you're familiar. And think, hey, what is that? I don't know what snow days are. Like, that doesn't seem right. No more screen time for kids on days off. Let them just go outside and get in that snow. And just like that, we checked our temps. They are both cool, like a nice, cool parent who doesn't make you do homework

when you're at home on a snow day. And also very hot, like the hot chocolate. We want a drink on snow days. Give us snow days. Stay safe, and we'll be back after some ads. Let's wrap up with some headlines. Headlines. The Biden administration announced its support for waiving patent protections for COVID-19 vaccines yesterday.

Catherine Tai, a U.S. representative at the World Trade Organization, put out a statement saying the administration made the move in service of ending the pandemic. If the patents are waived, other countries would be able to manufacture their own generic vaccines without facing repercussions. How wild would that be? Meaning more global vaccine supply to go around. That would be especially beneficial for the countries that initially pushed for the waiver, South Africa and India, which is currently experiencing one of the worst COVID surges in the world. As of now, the decision doesn't guarantee that the protections will be lifted,

but it does signal much needed support from the U.S. to move towards that goal. A Trump-appointed federal judge struck down the CDC's national moratorium on evictions yesterday. That's a major setback for people who've already been struggling to pay rent throughout the pandemic. The freeze on evictions so far had a positive impact on tenants all around, with eviction filings dropping by 65 percent last year. Millions of Americans still need that help, though, with one out of every five renters falling behind on rent as of January. Biden extended the moratorium until the end of June, but this new ruling might make the program come to a screeching halt. Housing experts fear that this might lead to a wave of evictions before the government can disperse $45 million in emergency housing assistance. The Justice Department is appealing the decision. The

ruling won't go into effect until that appeal is resolved. Good. An important decision came down yesterday from Facebook's oversight board, aka.k.a. the High Council of News Feed, Phil. The panel of journalists, activists, and lawyers ruled to uphold Facebook's ban of former president and current soda influencer Donald J. Trump, who was removed from the site following the Capitol insurrection in January. The panel said that the ban was justified based on the risk of violence posed by Trump's posts. However, they added that an indefinite ban is not a penalty that is defined by Facebook's policies. So Facebook needs to decide on a punishment that's more standard and well-defined. In effect, the independent board was kicking the decision of what Trump's future will be as a poster back to Facebook and its top execs. They gave the company six months to make their final determination, meaning Trump could be back online in time to hit the thumbs up reaction on pics of problematic Halloween costumes. You know that's all he wants to do.

All right. A farmer in Belgium recently engaged in some textbook landscapers diplomacy. He moved a 200-year-old stone marker indicating the border between his country and France, effectively enlarging his own land as well as the entire nation of Belgium. The move wasn't drastic, only about seven and a half feet, according to BBC News. The stone marker had been situated in the path of the man's tractor, which historians will agree is a common cause of wars. The border between France and Belgium was established in 1820, according to a treaty. And if the farmer doesn't replace the marker to restore that border, a Franco-Belgian commission will need to be formed to settle the dispute.

Representatives from both countries consider further escalation to be unlikely. Just to be safe, I plan to visit France and Belgium and take away all the keys to their tanks and helicopters. Yeah, thank you for your diplomatic mission. It will be great. Yeah, I mean, you know, just thinking about the world. And those are the headlines. One more thing before we go. We have been nominated for a Webby for Best News and Politics podcast. And today is the last day to vote. Yeah, both of our moms have made it very clear that winning a Webby is the only thing we could do that would make them proud of us. So this is very important in well time for Mother's Day.

Yeah, we'll put a link to vote in our show notes. If your computers are in use mining Bitcoin, maybe you can reprogram them to mine Webby votes, which are actually way more valuable, at least to me. Yeah, it's true. That is all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, restore the Franco-Belgian border, and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just webby results like me, What A Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe. I'll be back on Monday because Crooked HQ is taking a break tomorrow.

And I'll be back in two weeks myself since I'm vaxxed and ready to relax. It's vacation time, baby. I'm Akilah Hughes. And I'm Gideon Resnick. And be nice to your moms this weekend. They're cool. They put vacation time, baby. I'm Akilah Hughes. And I'm Gideon Resnick. And be nice to your moms this weekend. They're cool. They put you here. Yeah. And they probably let you hang out in the

snow at least once. Hopefully. So that's rad. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Charlotte Landis. Sonia Tunn and Jazzy Marine are our associate producers. Our head writer is John Milstein and our executive producers are Leo Duran, Akilah Hughes, and me. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka.