Baratunde wonders what today’s labor movement looks like and how workers are responding to the unprecedented consolidation of corporate power across all industries from tech to agriculture to retail. He learns how our economy and our democracy are impacted by these extremes. Saru Jayaraman speaks to the Davida and Goliath power dynamics in the restaurant industry, the origins of the $2.13 per hour minimum wage for tipped workers, and the progress of One Fair Wage. Michelle Miller of CoWorker.org reimagines how we can be agents of our economy instead of objects in the economy. 

Show Notes + Links

We are grateful to Saru Jayaraman and Michelle Miller for joining us for this episode. 

Follow @sarujayaraman and @michelleimiller on Twitter and their organizations onefairwage.com and coworker.org

You can find this episode, a transcript, show notes and the full set of actions at https://www.baratunde.com/how-to-citizen-episodes/06-making-work-work

Please show your support for the show in the form of a review and rating. It makes a huge difference with the algorithmic overlords!

HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW. ACTIONS FOR THIS EPISODE.

INTERNAL ACTION:

Reflect on your role as a worker in the context of the larger economy and ask these questions:

• Is the value I create for people in my community, society, or the environment through my work accurately reflected in how I’m compensated?
• What are the impacts on society and our collective well-being when corporations consolidate power through the court system and our elected officials?
• As a worker, do you feel represented and protected by your HR department? Why or why not? 
• If you experienced your employer violating your rights or others, are you familiar with what resources are at your disposal and generally how the law works in order to appropriately deal with the situation?

EXTERNAL ACTION: 

As a consumer, ask questions about worker’s pay and healthcare at the restaurants you frequent to let management know you care. Enough people asked for organics, and alternative milks, which led to change! 

Download the ROC National Diners Guide to find places to dine that support and protect their workers. Encourage your own local restaurants to join the platform. The app is available for iOS and android. 

Support Organizing Efforts.

• Join as a worker or ally member of Restaurant Opportunities Coalition United in the fight for worker protections for restaurant workers. 
• Donate or volunteer with One Fair Wage COVID Relief Fund
• Apply or donate to the NEW! Coworker.org Solidarity Fund
• Start a consumer-driven campaign on SpendRise using the demands outlined by One Fair Wage as one example. 

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

We love feedback from our listeners - comments@howtocitizen.com. 

Visit Baratunde's website to sign up for his newsletter to learn about upcoming guests, live tapings, and more. Follow him on Instagram or join his Patreon. You can even text him, like right now at 202-894-8844.

How To Citizen with Baratunde is a production of I iHeart Radio Podcasts. executive produced by Miles Gray, Nick Stumpf, Elizabeth Stewart, and Baratunde Thurston. Produced by Joelle Smith, edited by Justin Smith. Powered by you.

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Look around -- how many objects in your immediate vicinity contain plastic? This malleable, durable material has become ubiquitous -- you can find in the depths of the oceans, at the summits of the highest mountains. And, if you're like most people, plastic will be here long after you're gone. Historically, manufacturers have claimed plastic pollution can be solved by recycling... but what if there's something they don't want you to know?

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For much of recorded history, humans beings have been trying to devise unbreakable codes (and break the codes of their rivals). But is there any truly unbreakable code? And what exactly is Cicada 3301? Join Ben and Matt as they decipher cryptography in this classic episode.

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A pod of Orcas is attacking ships. An 'artificial intelligence' writes an op-ed. Portland, Oregon, bans facial recognition. All this and more in this week's Strange News.

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For millennia, people in civilizations across the planet have claimed to perceive intangible energy emanating from people, animals, plants -- and even inanimate objects. And, in recent centuries, scientists and mystics alike have sought to explain this phenomenon. As you might imagine, not everyone agrees on what an aura could be -- or whether it exists -- in the modern day.

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What is life like for the actual staff of a cruise ship? Could Reiki function as physical healing? What exactly is Iron Mountain? All this and more in this week's edition of listener mail.

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Baratunde explores how, in the absence of national leadership, determined, newly-minted leaders are problem-solving and mobilizing people around them to protect and save lives during this pandemic. Danielle Allen breaks down what has ACTUALLY been happening with regional leadership and how she stays hopeful in the work of protecting all of us during this pandemic. Emergency medicine physician, Dr. Amy Aminlari, shares her experience standing up a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) operation and finding community. 

We have an abundance of wealth and resources in this country, and yet, it has come down to very local and regional cooperation based on existing networks of trust. In this episode, we continue to learn how individuals with varied backgrounds are showing up to fight, leaving their comfort zones, and using the power of their voices, knowledge, and relationships to ensure no one is left unprotected. As our guest, Danielle Allen, put it in her recent Washington Post op-ed, “There is only one real silver bullet. It’s called grit. This is a can-do country, and our determination to beat the disease is our ultimate weapon.”

Show Notes + Links

Follow Danielle @dsallentess on Twitter and Amy’s efforts at @sandiegoppe on IG and national PPE efforts at @lastmileworks and @getusppe on IG. 

Find this episode, a transcript, show notes at https://www.baratunde.com/how-to-citizen-episodes/06-fighting-covid

For this episode, here is what you can do

INTERNAL: 

Make a list of the ways you’ve helped others since March 2020. Write it down. 

Which efforts were easy and why? Which ones stretched you or were out of your comfort zone. Why did you do them if they were uncomfortable? Don’t overlook your contributions just because they seemed easy or obvious. After you’ve made the list, look at it and recognize that you’re already citizening. 

Reflect on how else you can use who and what you know to make a difference during the pandemic. 

What additional knowledge or relationships do you have that could uniquely benefit your immediate community in the fight against the pandemic? “Community” could be your friends, family, neighbors, church or civic group, or another interest group. What introductions can you make that might be beneficial? 

EXTERNAL: 

Support other “Amy’s” in your community.

Think of other examples of people around you who are practicing how to citizen during this pandemic. Whether those efforts are big or small, how can you support them? 

Start a civic circle as a way to connect purposefully with friends during this time. 

Set aside an hour on Sunday mornings or afternoons to organize an ongoing civic video call with some of your nearest and dearest to discuss ways to get involved, share notes and passions, and think collectively about the power you have to take action. Connecting with others to discuss civic actions that ensure the wellbeing of all can be a new kind of church or brunch depending on your preference. Yes, we miss brunch too!

Dig deeper by checking out the report Danielle Allen helped author. 

It lays out what we need to invest in to strengthen our democractic culture. See the 31 recommendations, and discover what you are most equipped to help with and where your passion lies. Make a commitment to get involved in that recommendation locally.

We love feedback from our listeners - comments@howtocitizen.com. 

Visit Baratunde's website to sign up for his newsletter to learn about upcoming guests, live tapings, and more. Follow him on Instagram or join his Patreon. You can even text him, like right now at 202-894-8844.

How To Citizen with Baratunde is a production of iHeart Radio Podcasts. Executive produced by Miles Gray, Nick Stumpf, Elizabeth Stewart, and Baratunde Thurston. Produced by Joelle Smith, edited by Justin Smith. Powered by you.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Flordelis dos Santos de Souza is a politician and cultural icon in Brazil. For a time, she and her husband Anderson Do Carmo were an evangelical power couple - along with their more than 50 adopted and biological children. In June of 2019, Anderson was murdered. The family said it was a robbery gone wrong. The investigators disagree.

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What was the most widespread infiltration of the US government? According to some sources, it came from within. Tune in to learn more about the story of Operation Snow White -- and why the Church of Scientology and the US government still don't agree on what actually happened. Join Ben and Matt for this startling -- and bizarre -- classic episode.

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A 'gender reveal' party in California has created a massive wildfire. Someone dumped loads of mail in the parking lot of a beauty salon. Science reveals how plants grow differently around corpses -- and how this may help us learn more about humanity's grisly past. All this and more in this week's Strange News.

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