Working Life Podcast

Ep. 70: ISIS poses virtually no threat to you in your home. The same can’t be said for Amazon. Amazon really is an economic terrorist. That's what Jonathan spends most of the podcast this week digging into—after laying out the picture of the sorry spectacle of cities and states begging Amazon to locate its new headquarters in one of their communities, Jonathan turns to economic and tax experts who explain the fraudulent claims Amazon repeatedly makes about what a great job creator the company is and, then, how Amazon engages in relentless tax dodging. Jonathan also checks in with Tom Guild, a progressive Democrat running for Congress in conservative Oklahoma's 5th District. Our Robber Baron of the week, appropriately, is Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos.

Episode 69: In Germany, the most powerful union in the country just secured the rights of workers to opt for a—get this!--28-hour workweek. Jonathan gives us the details. And, then, Jonathan talks with two progressive candidates—Michael Bracamontes who is running for governor in California and Jenny Marshall who is looking to capture a House seat in North Carolina. Our Robber Baron is the CEO of PG&E.

Episode 68: We love this description of the people burrowing deep inside government agencies to screw the people: political termites. And it comes courtesy of investigative journalist David Cay Johnston who returns to the podcast to discuss with Jonathan his new book, "It's Even Worse Than You Think: What The Trump Administration Is Doing To America". Jonathan also chats with two union organizers—Sal Rosselli and Clem Papazian--who have helped tame hospital giant Kaiser Permanente in an organizing campaign that has lessons for labor. Lastly, Jonathan gives a preview of the upcoming release of CEO-to-worker pay ratios, which will shine a light on the greed in the executives suites.

Episode 67: The super-wealthy keep getting richer and, while they are human beings, they just don't seem to care how many people die or go hungry while billionaires party on. That's the only conclusion you can come to after reading a new stunning report about global wealth and inequality out from Oxfam--and Jonathan delves into the report with Oxfam's Paul O'Brien. Jonathan also chats with Katie Hill, a progressive candidate running for the House seat in California's 25th District. Our Robber Baron of the week is Home Depot co-founder Bernard Marcus.

Episode 66: Yeah, we get it: you like Uber and Lyft because it's the "new thing" in the app-centered corporate world. But, know this: Uber and Lyft are very bad corporate actors, stomping around the country, using right-wing, anti-consumer, anti-union tactics, to trash fundamental rights in every state—as Jonathan learns from Rebecca Smith, co-author of an incredible study about the nefarious tactics the two companies use. Jonathan also circles back to hear the voice of joy of Carolina Miranda, in the wake of a smashing victory in the union organizing effort she helped lead at the Los Angeles Times. In our last segment, Jonathan chats up Derrick Crowe, a progressive candidate running for Congress in Texas's 21st District. Our Robber Baron is Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan who wants to make poor people even poorer.

Episode 65: Fifty years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, just after he had marched on behalf of striking sanitation workers. Today, racism is still a defining characteristic of the economic system, which is what Jonathan and Janelle Jones of the Economic Policy Institute discuss in our lead segment. Jonathan then visits with two progressive Congressional candidates, one in California and the other in Michigan. Our Robber Baron is—once again—Wal-Mart and the Walton family.

Episode 64: Jonathan continues his on-going chats with solid progressive candidates all across the country. He chats with Abdul El-Sayed, who is vying in Michigan to be the first Muslim-American elected as governor in the history of the country. And from south-eastern Indiana, Dan Canon tells Jonathan why he jumped into a congressional race despite being, in his words, the most non-politician you could find. Our Robber Baron of the week is Big Pharma CEO Jeffrey Marrazzo.

Episode 63: Republicans tried all sorts of tricks in their tax scam bill to target taxpayers in Democratic states, including messing with the deduction for local and state income and property taxes…except we're smarter than they are—at least Dean Baker is. Because he's found a way to keep the deductions in a round-about way—and he explains the idea that is catching fire around the nation. For decades, the Los Angeles Times has been viciously anti-union when it came to journalists who might want a union at the newspaper—but that may all change within two weeks thanks to a union election that starts tomorrow. Jonathan gets all the latest from Times reporter and union supporter Carolina Miranda. We also visit with Austin Frerick who is running for Iowa's 3rd Congressional District. Our Robber Baron is Home Depot CEO Craig Menear.

Episode 62: We're not resting in the low-key week between Xmas and the New Year. Jonathan chats up Marcus Ferrell, who was Bernie Sanders' main man organizing African American voters, who is now in the fray himself, running for a state house seat in Arizona. And across the country from sunny Arizona, over in the much chillier temps of New Hampshire, Jonathan hears from progressive union leader and Bernie delegate Mark MacKenzie who is vying in a Democratic primary in the 1st Congressional District. Our Robber Baron is UK CEO Jeff Fairburn.

Episode 61: Even Paul Ryan, the odious Speaker of the House, is in the electoral crosshairs and has a good shot at losing in the 2018 midterm elections. The man who is up to the task is Randy Bryce, better known in the Twitterverse as @ironstache. Randy joins Jonathan for a talk about politics, his campaign and the people he is seeking to give a voice in Wisconsin's First Congressional District. Looked at your paycheck recently? There is a decent chance the boss has stolen some money from you because billions are stolen from workers every year—as Jonathan explains with the help of Marni Von Wilpert of the Economic Policy Institute. Our Robber Baron is Bob Iger of Disney.