Building Bridges: A Labor Podcast

Teri Dewalt from Audubon Washington details the years-long struggle in getting a fair union contract with the National Audubon Society, the power of the strike, and the need for non-profit workers to get organized!

Content warning: Mentions of domestic violence and police brutality.

Member of the Renton City Council and Seattle University Assistant Teaching Professor, Carmen Rivera discusses the Renton Raise the Wage campaign, her journey to becoming a councilmember, and the racial equity lens that she carries throughout her work.

In this episode, we speak with Rachel Ybarra, a worker-organizer who has worked at Starbucks for over 4 years. Rachel tells us about the importance of community in organizing and the need for good-faith bargaining as workers continue to fight for a fair contract.

Happy (almost) Filipino American History Month!

In this episode, we're joined by Velma Veloria, Filipina organizer, current UW lecturer, and former Washington state Representative. We discuss with Velma her beginnings in organizing and the role of Filipino labor activism in Seattle and Washington.

In this summer special, Anita and Maya interview each other in their final episode together. Learn how Building Bridges came to be, where Anita is headed to next, and more about the co-hosts as they say goodbye to the first iteration of Building Bridges.

To learn more about Anita's work with Seattle Office of Labor Standards, see here.

In this episode, we talk with Shareatha Escobar, who is the Vice President of SEIU Local 925, one of the unions on campus. She is also a patient services supervisor at Northwest Hospital. In our conversation we discuss how she came to the UW, her journey with 925, and the ongoing contract negotiations with UW.

In this episode, we talk with Jake Grumbach, who is an associate professor at the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. Before that, he was an associate professor at the University of Washington and a faculty associate for the Bridges Center. At UW, he taught Introduction to Labor Studies, one of the core courses of the labor studies minor. In our conversation we discuss the increasing popularity of quantitative research in the social sciences, movement building in and outside work, and the changing politics of Gen Z.

In this episode, we talk with Bisma, Maya, Niki, and Sara, the research team behind the Student Worker project from the Bridges Center. The student worker research project is a study from the Bridges Center that seeks to provide a better understanding of student workers – those who balance the demands of higher education with employment – and their relationship with work. In our conversation we discuss how the project got started, the survey and interview process, and the most surprising revelations they’ve found so far.

In this episode, we talk with Dontazz Williams, who is a food service worker at the Plaza Cafe at the UW Medical Center. He is also on the bargaining team for the Washington Federation of State Employees at UW. In our conversation, we discuss conditions on the job, his advocacy for his fellow food service workers, and the importance of standing together.

In this episode, we talk with Gina and Zho, two student organizers with the Popular University for Gaza Liberated Zone at the UW-Seattle campus. In our conversation, we discuss what divestment from Israel could look like, negotiations with UW administration, and life at the Liberated Zone.

*This episode was recorded on May 17th, the day the Liberated Zone was announced to have concluded.