Re:Work by the UCLA Labor Center

Autoqueen Trilogy, Part Three concludes our miniseries chronicling the life of Mohana Sundari. Mohana is part of a small but growing group of women driving auto rickshaws in Chennai. Even in India, many are unaware that women drivers like Mohana exist. Part One traced her vivid childhood memories, while Part Two followed her into adulthood – through marriage, motherhood, financial struggle, and personal loss. 

In this final episode, Mohana reflects on navigating a male-dominated profession, and shares how her journey led her to become president of Veera Pengal Munnetra Sangam (VPMS), a union dedicated to empowering women in non-traditional sectors.

Listen at reworkradio.org or your preferred podcast platform.

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This episode was produced in partnership with Empowering Communities Through Education (ECTE) and Veera Pengal Munnetra Sangam (VPMS). ECTE is a non-profit organization committed to organizing women workers in the informal sector in Chennai. ECTE played an instrumental role in the formation of VPMS, a women-led union and the first cooperative to be registered within the state’s transportation sector. Building on the success of its women auto drivers' movement, VPMS is expanding its work to support women across other informal and gig economy sectors, creating pathways for long-term social and economic empowerment.

Related links

Autoqueen Trilogy, Part I

In the second installment of the Autoqueen Trilogy, we revisit Mohana Sundari, a thirty-nine-year-old woman living in Tamil Nadu in southern India. Mohana is part of a small but growing group of women driving auto rickshaws in the capital city of Chennai. Part One traced Mohana’s vivid childhood memories, and in Part Two her story moves into adulthood — through marriage, motherhood, financial struggle, and personal loss. 

Through it all, Mohana challenges the limitations placed on women. She continually finds ways to reclaim her power as she works to build a future for herself and her daughter — on her own terms. Listen at reworkradio.org or your preferred podcast platform. 

Content Advisory: This episode includes references to domestic violence and sexual assault.

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This episode was produced in partnership with Empowering Communities Through Education (ECTE). ECTE leads grassroots, worker-centered initiatives that use education, research, and storytelling to support economic justice and civic transformation in Chennai. At the heart of ECTE’s mission is a commitment to organizing women workers in the informal sector — an often-overlooked majority in India's labor force. 

While Tamil Nadu is celebrated for having the largest share of women in the formal manufacturing sector, this progress narrative eclipses the lived experiences of the vast majority of women workers laboring in informal and unorganized sectors. ECTE equips these workers with tools to build worker-owned cooperatives, shape impact media, and advocate for inclusive policy change. 

In partnership with the Alliance for Community Empowerment (ACE), ECTE played an instrumental role in the formation of the Veera Pengal Munnetra Sangam (VPMS) union and cooperative. Beginning in January 2023, ECTE and ACE worked closely with women auto drivers on the ground, helping bring members together, build relationships and trust, and support the organizing process through to the successful formation of the union and cooperative.

Related links

Autoqueen Trilogy, Part I

This episode of Re:Work by the UCLA Labor Center features Mohana Sundari, a thirty-nine-year-old woman living in Tamil Nadu in southern India. Mohana is part of a small but growing group of women driving auto rickshaws in the capital city of Chennai. Many, even in India, are unaware that women drivers like Mohana exist.

***

This episode was produced in partnership with Empowering Communities Through Education (ECTE). ECTE leads grassroots, worker-centered initiatives that use education, research, and storytelling to support economic justice and civic transformation in Chennai. At the heart of ECTE’s mission is a commitment to organizing women workers in the informal sector—an often-overlooked majority in India's labor force. 

While Tamil Nadu is celebrated for having the largest share of women in the formal manufacturing sector, this progress narrative eclipses the lived experiences of the vast majority of women workers laboring in informal and unorganized sectors. ECTE equips these workers with tools to build worker-owned cooperatives, shape impact media, and advocate for inclusive policy change. 

ECTE has been a strong supporter of the formation of Veera Pengal Munnetra Sangam (VPMS), an all-women trade organization established in Chennai. Through this initiative, ECTE is partnering with workers and the organization's leadership committee, including Mohana Sundari, president of VPMS, to provide vital information, tools, and resources that enable women to explore alternative opportunities, leading to improved wages, living conditions, benefits, and an enhanced quality of life.

Related links

ECTE on Instagram

Today’s story comes to us from Feet in 2 Worlds, an independent media outlet and journalism training program that empowers the voices of immigrant journalists.

Over the past few years, around 40,000 Venezuelans arrived in Denver fleeing political and economic instability. Initially, with help from the city and non-profit organizations, many were able to find stable housing and jobs. But with all the recent changes in immigration policy, they now face an uncertain future. 

This episode is a part of a Feet in 2 Worlds series called The Hustle, which focuses on the ways in which immigrants navigate a changing economy — today and throughout history. To learn more about Feet in 2 Worlds, please visit fi2w.org.

In this episode, we bring you two more stories from Código Doméstico that have been translated into English. Código Doméstico is a podcast produced by Kruskaya Hidalgo Cordero. It aims to expose working conditions for women hired as cleaners through apps in Central and South America as well as the US. 

At the heart of this show is deep listening and fostering collaborations to fight for the dignity of workers in the digital platform economy. Today’s episode features stories from Paola and Giselle.

To listen to the original Código Doméstico podcast episodes, and to learn more about the broader project, please visit codigodomestico.com. You can also listen on Spotify: bit.ly/codigodomestico

To read the related research by Kruskaya Hidalgo Cordero, please visit bit.ly/codigodomesticoreport

Episode Art:

We bring you two stories from Código Doméstico that have been translated into English. Código Doméstico is a podcast produced by Kruskaya Hidalgo Cordero. It aims to expose working conditions for women hired as cleaners through apps in Central and South America, as well as the US.

At the heart of this show is deep listening and fostering collaborations to fight for the dignity of workers in the digital platform economy. This episode features stories from Roxy and Jessi.

To listen to the original Código Doméstico podcast episodes, and to learn more about the broader project, please visit codigodomestico.com. You can also listen on Spotify. 

To read the related research by Kruskaya Hidalgo Cordero, please visit bit.ly/codigodomesticoreport

Episode Art: