Episode 158:

Hypocrisy probably makes it into the top three characteristics, alas, of the vast majority of politicians. That isn’t a reason not to participate in the electoral process but it’s just one of those cautionary, red lights to keep an eye out for. To wit: all those politicians who eloquently talk about the importance of unions—mostly that talk comes when a politician wants a union endorsement or a check—but they get very weird when their own staffers try to unionize. So that’s what makes the unionizing effort among staffers at the New York City City Council something to watch—partly because it could set a standard for the whole country. Zara Nasir, a City Council staffer and a main organizer of the unionizing effort, joins me for a chat about the campaign.

I also revisit the race for the Democratic nomination for New York’s 16th Congressional district, which has drawn another great progressive candidate who is challenging the odious corporate Democrat, Eliot Engel. The son of immigrants from Eritrea, Andom Ghebreghiorgis joins me in a chat about his vision as a young progressive activist running to unseat a long-time incumbent who is way past his expiration date.

And, last, I’m not big on the holiday consumption craziness but I will say there is even more data out just in the past few days that make a clear case that, if you have to shop and consume over the next few weeks, don’t use Amazon. I touch on two reports that document how workers are killed, maimed, and stressed by the Amazon machine which relentlessly has one goal: to make Jeff Bezos even richer, no matter the cost to workers.

-- Jonathan Tasini

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