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On Belabored’s twenty-fifth episode, Sarah is joined by guest host Bryce Covert, economics editor at ThinkProgress and contributor to The Nation and Dissent. Bryce and Sarah round up the news this week and chat about work-family policy on the federal, state, and local level. They also address the biggest news of the week—the government shutdown. For that, they’re joined by Mariya Strauss, a labor journalist whose partner is a federal employee currently locked out of his job by the shutdown. The three of them discuss the reasons to call the shutdown a lockout, what “essential” workers and work mean, and how the left can use this opportunity to present its own list of demands.

Links for Those Following Along at Home 

Mariya Strauss at In These Times: “First they came for the federal workers…”

Bryce Covert on paid sick days heading to Newark

Bryce Covert on leave for workers who are victims of domestic violence

Bryce Covert on the other shutdown: Congress lets welfare lapse

Bryce Covert and Alan Pyke talk to federal workers about shutdown

Aaron Bady on who the shutdown will hurt—and why

Sarah on NYC’s Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

Bryce on NYC’s Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

The Pieces We Wish We’d Written

Bryce: Sharon Lerner at the American Prospect on fathers taking advantage of paid parental leave

Sarah: Lynn Parramore at AlterNet on professional cheerleaders’ hard work and low pay

The post Belabored Podcast #25: Shutdown appeared first on Dissent Magazine.