Two candidates for California’s 47th Assembly District share their visions for working families, unions, and economic fairness. Jason Byors and Leila Namvar join Steve Matthews on Riverside Rank & File to discuss their personal journeys, deep ties to organized labor, and plans to address affordability, wages, and income inequality. Both candidates emphasize the importance of unions in strengthening the middle class and protecting workers’ rights. They also tackle major issues facing the district, including rising costs of living, access to healthcare, and the growing impact of automation and artificial intelligence on jobs. The conversation highlights their differing perspectives but shared commitment to representing Riverside County’s labor force. With a focus on rebuilding trust between workers and political leadership, this episode explores how policy, advocacy, and grassroots engagement can shape the future of working families in California’s Inland Empire. A must-listen for union members, workers, and engaged voters.

Takeaways:

• Both candidates prioritize affordability and cost-of-living solutions
• Strong union backgrounds shape their policy approaches
• Income inequality remains a central economic concern
• Automation and AI pose major future workforce challenges
• Messaging is key to reconnecting with working-class voters
• Grassroots organizing plays a vital role in campaigns
• Healthcare and housing affordability are urgent issues
• Labor unions remain essential to worker protections

#RiversideRankAndFilePodcast #SteveMatthews #UnitedAmericaNetwork #OrganizedLabor #RiversideCountyLabor #LaborUnion #JasonByors #LeilaNamvar #CaiforniaAssembly #AD47 #ShowTopic #WorkingFamilies #UnionStrong #LaborRights #InlandEmpire #EconomicJustice #AffordableLiving #AIandJobs #GrassrootsCampaign #PublicPolicy

Antoinette McDaniel | Building Stronger Unions Through Member Empowerment

Veteran labor advocate Antoinette McDaniel joins “Riverside Rank and File” host Steve Matthews for a conversation about what it takes to build stronger, more effective unions. With more than two decades of experience in labor and community activism, McDaniel shares her journey from once being skeptical of unions to becoming a passionate advocate for worker empowerment. Now serving as a business representative with AFSCME District Council 36, she works with locals representing public sector employees across Southern California. She explains how union representatives support locals through contract negotiations, grievance processes, and member education while ensuring that unions remain. She reflects on the vital connection between labor rights and civil rights, emphasizing that strong unions benefit entire communities. The discussion highlights the power of listening to workers, developing new leaders, and encouraging members to become active participants in their unions to create lasting change.

Takeaways:

1. Strong unions depend on active, engaged members.
2. Union representatives serve as resources for local union leadership.
3. Training members strengthens internal union democracy.
4. Collective bargaining requires preparation, research, and unity.
5. Listening to workers’ concerns is essential for effective leadership.
6. Labor rights and civil rights are closely connected.
7. Member involvement can transform struggling unions.
8. Empowered workers create stronger communities.

In this powerful episode of Riverside Rank & File hosted by Steve Matthews, Amalia De Aztlan shares the remarkable story of her journey from migrant farmworker to lifelong advocate for labor rights and social justice. Arriving in the United States at age 10, Amalia worked in the fields alongside her family under harsh conditions, experiencing firsthand the struggles faced by farmworkers. At just 17, she became president of a farmworker strike committee during the United Farm Workers movement, working alongside influential leaders like Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez while building solidarity between Mexican and Filipino farmworkers. Amalia recounts the challenges of organizing workers, confronting dangerous pesticide exposure, and speaking publicly for the first time to union leaders in Canada. Her story continues beyond the fields as she returns to education, becomes a teacher, and dedicates her life to advocacy, political engagement, and community leadership. This episode highlights courage, dignity, and the enduring fight for workers’ rights.

Takeaways:

1. Amalia De Aztlan began working as a farmworker at age 10 after immigrating to the United States.
2. Her family lived as migrant workers, traveling throughout California for seasonal crops.
3. At just 17, she was chosen as president of a farmworker strike committee.
4. The United Farm Workers movement united Mexican and Filipino farmworkers in organizing efforts.
5. Farmworkers faced dangerous conditions including pesticide exposure, extreme heat, and lack of sanitation.
6. Mentorship from Dolores Huerta played a major role in shaping Amalia’s advocacy journey.
7. Amalia later returned to school, earning degrees and becoming a teacher.
8. She continues advocating for workers, civil rights, and community leadership through political engagement.

#RiversideRankAndFilePodcast #SteveMatthews #UnitedAmericaNetwork #OrganizedLabor #RiversideCountyLabor #LaborUnion #AmaliaDeAztlan #FarmworkerRights #UnitedFarmWorkers #DoloresHuerta #CesarChavez #LaborHistory #WorkerJustice #MigrantWorkers #SocialJustice #CivilRights #WomenInLabor #LaborActivism #AmaliaDeAztlan

A frontline cardiac registered nurse from Kaiser Permanente joins the conversation on this week’s episode of Riverside Rank & File with Steve Matthews to discuss one of the largest healthcare labor disputes in the nation. Representing more than 30,000 unionized healthcare professionals, Liz Marlow explains why nurses across multiple California counties are on strike and what’s truly at stake. Contrary to claims that the dispute is about wages, she emphasizes the fight is centered on patient safety, safe staffing levels, and preserving quality care. Drawing from 16 years of nursing experience, she shares firsthand concerns about growing wait times, overwhelmed hospitals, and the moral responsibility nurses feel toward their patients. The discussion also highlights how the public can support striking healthcare workers—by sharing patient stories, contacting elected leaders, and standing in solidarity. This episode underscores the critical role nurses play in safeguarding lives and why this labor action could shape the future of patient care nationwide.

Takeaways:

• Over 30,000 UNAC healthcare workers are participating in the strike.
• Nurses say the dispute is about patient care—not pay.
• Safe nurse-to-patient ratios are proven to save lives.
• Hospitals are experiencing long wait times and overcrowding.
• Nurses report a shift from patient-centered care toward profits.
• The strike involves workers across multiple California counties.
• Public support and political pressure are viewed as critical.
• Nurses say they remain committed to protecting patients first.

#RiversideRankAndFilePodcast #SteveMatthews #UnitedAmericaNetwork #OrganizedLabor #RiversideCountyLabor #LaborUnion #LizMarlow #UNAC #NursesStrike #PatientCare #HealthcareWorkers #SafeStaffing #UnionStrong #HealthcareCrisis #StandWithNurses #WorkerSolidarity #HospitalStaffing #PatientSafety #HealthcareAdvocacy #UnionVoices

In this first episode, Steve Matthews talks with Robert Foster, an accomplished lecturer. He's the elected vice president of the prestigious Lincoln Group of Boston, and has a 20-year history as a union steward at the Riverworks GE plant in Lynn, Massachusetts. Foster is also the author of Blue Is Just a Word.

#RankAndFilePodcast #SteveMatthews #Unions #Labor #CollectiveBargaining #RobertFoster #LincolnGroupBoston #BlueIsJustAWord #GeneralElectric #LynnMassachusetts #Lecturer #Author #LynnShoesStrike #UnitedAmericaNetwork #RiversideCounty