Three L.A. comedians are quarantined in a podcast studio during a global pandemic. There is literally nothing to be done EXCEPT make content. These are "The Corona Diaries" and this is Episode 142.  Sitting in with us today is our friend, comedian Joe Raines! Follow Joe on all forms of social media @JoeMFRaines. Also joining us is Lee Bains III! Lee is the frontman of Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires, an INCREDIBLE band from Birmingham, AL! Lee is here to talk about Strikefest as well as to talk about some good ol' times in the Alabama music scene. This was SUCH a fun chat!  For more information about the strike at Warrior Met Coal in Brookwood, AL, check out our friends at The Valley Labor Report. They can be found here. Music at the end is a cover of Swamp Dogg's "Total Destruction to Your Mind" by, who else? Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires!

Racism, exclusion, and unchecked corporate growth have trapped an entire class of people in poverty, no matter how hard they work. We call them the “working poor.” This week, workers’ rights advocate Ai-jen Poo shows Baratunde how it’s possible to work several jobs and still struggle to make ends meet — and how domestic workers are fighting for a future where all workers receive the dignity and fairness they deserve.

Guest: Ai-jen Poo - Co-Founder and Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance

Twitter: @aijenpoo

Bio: Ai-jen Poo is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, a non-profit organization working to bring quality work, dignity, and fairness to the growing numbers of workers who care and clean in our homes, the majority of whom are immigrants and women of color.

SHOW NOTES + LINKS

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We are grateful to Ai-jen Poo for joining us! Follow her at @aijenpoo on Twitter, or find more of her work at domesticworkers.org.

ACTIONS

PERSONALLY REFLECT 

Who’s cared for you?

Think about someone in your life who's cared for you. Think about the value of that relationship. It could be a family member, a neighbor, a childcare provider, or some other caregiver in your life. What role did they play in your life? Bonus points: Give them a shout out, call them, and just let them know that you appreciate them.

BECOME INFORMED

Be an Ethical Employer, even at home.

The National Domestic Workers Alliance’s sister organization, Hand in Hand, offers support to employers of domestic workers (housekeepers, nannies, care givers). Also, their new app Alia allows you to provide insurance and time-off for people you employ in your home. Check out the resources on their website, domesticemployers.org, to learn how you can ethically employ someone in your home.

PUBLICLY PARTICIPATE

Benefits for all, no matter the job.

New platforms are working to address the need for portable benefits. Two that we found promising are: Opolis, a new membership-owned digital employment platform, and the Portable Benefit Network, another new platform focused on attaching healthcare to the worker no matter their job. Share these options with others in your network, so many more people can vote with their dollars and push for portable benefits as a part of a more equitable working future. 

Support the National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. 

After winning Domestic Workers Bills of Rights in nine states and two cities, the National Domestic Workers Alliance is leading an effort to pass a National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. Follow the link below to add your name in support! https://actionnetwork.org/forms/domestic-workers-make-all-other-work-possible

If you take any of these actions, share that with us - action@howtocitizen.com. Mention Working 5 to 9 in the subject line. And share about your citizening on social media using #howtocitizen. 

Visit the show's homepage - www.howtocitizen.com - to sign up for news about the show, to learn about upcoming guests, live tapings, and more for your citizen journey.

Also sign up for Baratunde's weekly Recommentunde Newsletter and follow him on Instagram or join his Patreon. You can even text him, like right now at 202-894-8844.

CREDITS

How To Citizen with Baratunde is a production of iHeartRadio Podcasts and Dustlight Productions. Our Executive Producers are Baratunde Thurston, Elizabeth Stewart and Misha Euceph. Stephanie Cohn is our Senior Producer and Alie Kilts is our Producer. Kelly Prime is our Editor. Original Music by Andrew Eapen. Valentino Rivera is our Engineer. Sam Paulson is our Apprentice. This episode was produced and sound designed by Sam Paulson. Special thanks to Joelle Smith from iHeartRadio.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The CDC recently made a surprise announcement that vaccinated people don't need to wear masks, with only a few exceptions. This was greeted with some excitement, but also with vigorous pushback by people on the left. So what's the science behind this decision, and what are the practical concerns? We break it down! Then, we talk about a very premature victory lap taken by Bret Weinstein over the lab-leak hypothesis being confir... I mean not quite technically disproven. ***FACTUAL CORRECTION*** I said that 27 states never had mask mandates. I misread that. 27 didn't have them in place at the time of the CDC's announcement. 11 states never had mandates. Links: CDC Updates To Recommendations, CDC Science Brief, KFF Report on Vaccine Hesitancy/Enthusiasm, Science Letter, "Investigate the origins of COVID-19", NYT Article on Science Letter