Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
And now the voices of KCAA was an exciting announcement.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Want to hear NBC News or KCAA anywhere you go, Well,
now there's an app for that.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
KCAA is celebrating twenty five years in our silver anniversary
with a brand new app.
Speaker 4 (00:22):
The new KCAA App is now available on your smart device,
cell phone.
Speaker 5 (00:27):
In your car, or any place.
Speaker 6 (00:29):
Just search KCAA on Google Play or in the Apple Store.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
One touch and you can listen on your car radio,
Bluetooth device, Android Auto or Apple Car Play.
Speaker 7 (00:38):
Catch the KCAA buzz in your earbuds or on the streets.
Speaker 8 (00:41):
Celebrating twenty five years of talk news and excellence with
our new KCAA app.
Speaker 7 (00:46):
Just do it and download it.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
KCAA celebrating twenty five year.
Speaker 9 (00:53):
In agnews for Magnet West. Talking with the legendary Stewart
Wool from Wolf Farming and Processing, I asked Stuart, how
much has it changed from when you started farming on
the west side of Fresno to now, especially with the water.
Speaker 10 (01:07):
You know, I can't remember a day where we weren't
concerned about water. You look back over like your career
or whatever, and you realize I've spent so much time, effort,
and energy trying to make the case that getting water
to these farmlands and having reliable, cost effective sources of
water for us to farm. Really we've just kind of
(01:30):
have lost all along the way. We couldn't convince state
legislators to continue to invest in water infrastructure or to
make sure that there was enough water for the environment
and for farming. If you look at the water thing
in the state, you know, a lot of the water
was diverted for environmental purposes, and we really haven't had
(01:53):
a positive impact in that area. But we have ended
up really placing hardship and increasing costs on the farming
community that produces the food we eat. So, yeah, we
see rising prices and all this. It's just been kind
of a failed effort to protect the environment and to
provide secure water. It's it's been kind of a losing proposition.
Speaker 9 (02:17):
That was Stuart Wolf, president at Wolf Farming and Processing.
Speaker 11 (02:20):
Today we're talking with aphids and wife flies about sefena
insecticide from basf We just.
Speaker 5 (02:26):
Get knelled with it. So tell us, how.
Speaker 11 (02:28):
Are you feeling really really weird and you still wanted
to devour this field?
Speaker 12 (02:34):
No, way.
Speaker 5 (02:35):
Way, there you have it, folks.
Speaker 11 (02:37):
Safena insecticide is specifically engineered to dissorient aphis and wife
flies so they can't eat, and when they can't eat,
they can't destroy.
Speaker 7 (02:44):
Help protect your alfalfa from aphids with Sefina insecticide. Always
read and follow label directions.
Speaker 9 (02:50):
I'm Nick Popagny the agmeter for Agnet West.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Located in the heart of San Bernardino, California, the Teamsters
Local nineteen thirty two Training Center is designed to train
workers for high demand, good paying jobs and various industries
throughout the Inland Empire. If you want a pathway to
a high paying job and the respect that comes with
a union contract, visit nineteen thirty two Training Center dot
(03:17):
org to enroll today. That's nineteen thirty two Trainingcenter dot org.
Speaker 9 (03:26):
You're listening to KCAA, your good neighbor along the way.
Speaker 12 (03:32):
This is CACAA.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Welcome to the Worker Power Hour with Randy Corrigan, a
brand new show about labor and worker issues. The host
of the show is Randy Corrigan, Secretary Treasurer and Principal
Office and Leader of Teamsters nineteen thirty two, one of
the largest public sector labor unions. On the West Coast,
representing workers in government and non sworn law enforcement personnel.
(03:55):
Randy Corgan is a thirty year Teamster who first became
involved in the labor movement by volunteering his time as
an organizer with the team Swers Union at the age
of twenty one.
Speaker 7 (04:05):
Since then, he's helped.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Thousands organized, mobilized, and achieved bargaining rights. He accomplished this
by spending countless hours with brave men and women all
over southern California in their living rooms on the picket
line to bring workers towards victory. This is the Worker
Power Hour, and now here's the host of the show,
Randy Corgan.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Good afternoon, everybody, Randy Corgan and the Worker Power Hour.
You got some music for me there, Mark you gonna
what is it?
Speaker 7 (04:34):
Okay?
Speaker 13 (04:34):
All right?
Speaker 7 (04:36):
And you got to turn that up a little bit.
Speaker 14 (04:38):
Yeah, let's chack it.
Speaker 7 (04:42):
I love it.
Speaker 15 (04:44):
You know.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
We got to get Scott on here to actually sing
this song because he does a really good job of actually.
Speaker 7 (04:48):
Saying that's exactly who that was for.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
It's for you, Scott, if you're listening live, that's for
Scott anyway, longtime organizer, first time radio host. Here I'm
actually about ready to come on my the one year
anniversary of the show Randy Corgan A Worker Power Our
CASEAA ten fifty AM, one six point five FM. This
is the Teamsters nineteen thirty two broadcast Network. We're excited
(05:12):
to obviously report out this partnership that we have.
Speaker 7 (05:16):
I actually have a full studio today. I got a
bunch of people roaming around here.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
I got Lucky over here taking pictures and maybe I
can sucker him to get onto the show here in
a minute. I got Ralph putting his fingers behind Mark's
head over here, and everybody having a good time. But hey,
last week, what a great show we had last week.
This Teamster advantage partner that came on. Jose, the general
(05:42):
manager from the Banning restaurant called Los Caos. You know,
I actually went there the next day. I went there
on Thursday and I had a shrimp cocktail and we
had a few dishes, and man, boy, I just got
to say, the food was off to charts as well
as he was describing it. The as much as the
(06:06):
as Jose was describing how good the food was, it
was even better in person. So if you get a chance,
if you get a chance come in order, especially the seafood,
especially the mariscos. I think that's how you say, right, right,
Robert Martskos, I do it right, Okay. I get sometimes
(06:27):
I can say some of these these these Spanish words
and pronounce them, pronounce them correctly every now and then,
not all the time, but most of the time, sometimes
half the time, maybe a third of the time. Anyway,
with that, make sure that you go to that restaurant
banning it is. It is very very good, great atmosphere,
(06:47):
you know, the the way they reset that place up
from the previous owners or from the previous setup.
Speaker 16 (06:56):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Now it's a breakfast place and a mix food place,
and it's got to looks like what is a really
good happy hour. I went there pretty late, got off
work and ended up stopping by there. I think it
was about eight thirty or seven thirty or eight o'clock,
And all I got to say is that was the
best from cocktail I've ever had, little Spicy, the very
(07:18):
very good. As far as the broth is concerned, I
don't know what they call that, what the actual term
for it is, but but it just had such a
great flavor. Didn't need to add anything to it. It
was just great right out the gate, it was.
Speaker 7 (07:32):
It was phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
And then we also had Jason the Steward, our shop
steward from Chino Valley Fire District on. He did a
great job. Hopefully you're listening again Jason Live today, but
he did a really good job of talking about how
the workers came together there at the fire district and
helped press those leaders there and also make sure that
(07:56):
we remind everybody that the the board member who got
in front of trying to prevent these workers from getting
a good contract was very quickly knocked out of office
as a result of that. And so kudos to all
that community and everybody getting behind the workers there in
that community and making sure that they have good leadership
(08:18):
leading the fire district. The employees, not just the firefighters,
but all the employees that are employed in a fire
district are important, not just the firefighter itself. The firefighter
can't do what they can do without all the workers
around them, and I think this is obviously one of
the reasons why we do what we do on this show.
And Jason, again, thank you all of the members out
(08:41):
there at the Chino Valley Fire District great job, abe
Gego's great job at helping getting that bringing that contract home.
Looking forward to you guys building more worker power and
helping other workers in the area do what they need
to do. So next part of the show is are
live shoutouts. The first live shot out I want to
(09:01):
give is that airmcer Lauren bart Bartlett. We also have
Jen's parents listening in from our office staff Bill and
Linda looks like Wassoom from Highland, California. It's great that
we've got all these people getting their family members and
everybody else listening in. It's cool to get feedback from
(09:23):
people that are just not not just teamsters or in
the labor movement, but those that are maybe connected or
not even connected at all, just hearing generally what they
think of the show. We also have Tito Ramirez from
San Maritino County Traffic Division listening in live. We have
Nicole Milled from the City of Colton. We have Brian
(09:44):
Hickinson from the City of Needles Water and Sewer Apartment.
We have Fontana members as a whole listening in. I'm
not sure who they all are. I know that I
believe they got a contract that they're going to be
taken out for vote here pretty soon, something that's a
recommended offer for them to be voting in the next
few days. Hopefully I didn't let the cat out of
the bag and the business agents have already let them know.
(10:07):
My bad, My apologies if I if I messed that
up anyway. City of San Brinino Code Enforcement with an
Animal Shelter members Tricia Flores and Crystal Olds Stewart's at Rauto.
We also had Kirk Garrison and our favorite Susan Loftis Susan,
I'm gonna I'm gonna say this every week that you're
listening live. We're gonna get you on this show, and
(10:27):
we're gonna get you sitting over here to my is
she coming on?
Speaker 7 (10:31):
All right? She coming on next week?
Speaker 3 (10:32):
I guess my my badgering finally paid off, right, Robert,
So we'll get We'll get Susan to to tell us
why she finally gave in from what is this the
thirtieth time I've asked her to come on the show.
Madeline Gonzalez from the City of Barstow, Patricia Hernandez from
Public Health, tre Teresa Parciato from RMC, Jeremy Lopez, Olivia,
(10:57):
Jerma Germera and Christa Hunter all from RMC. Thanks for
listening live. Everybody really appreciate it. If you want to
get a live shout out, make sure you let us know.
And then we have Michelle texting me right now from
Pete Town. Michelle Etheridge from the City of Pomona listening
in live, saying don't forget me. If we're live today,
(11:18):
I won't forget you, Michelle. I just just said it
are three Teamster jobs. This is one of our favorite
parts of the show. For many of you listeners. You're
always like, what are they going to be the three
jobs today? Here's a unique one you know back in
the day. The first job I'm going to lay out
as a matter of fact, Dennis Reardon, who used to
work with us and helped us essentially build the infrastructure
(11:40):
of this organization. His father was the president of a
union that did this job. There was actually a union
of those that did the job I'm about to talk
about right now, which is Lamar Billboard employees. So the
billboards you see on the freeways that have it Lamar
logo on it on the bottom, many of those are built, managed,
maintained by Teamsters. Those are Teamster members and there used
(12:04):
to be a billboard union organization many many, many many
years ago, and Dennis Reardon's father was the president of
that union. I think it was in Missouri, whatever local
it was that was in Missouri. And so shout out
to Dennis Arden. Hopefully he's listening in live. I actually
(12:27):
got a chance to talk to him again today, and
he's always sending his best wishes to us, and we're
obviously sending ours to him as well. He is enjoying
his retirement as he should, and we would not be
where we are today if it wasn't for that individual.
He's just an amazing individual, and I hope that you
get to enjoy every day of that retirement like you
(12:48):
look like you are on Facebook right now. The next
one is the Teamsters that we have at the Superior
Court of California. Employees at the Superior Court of California,
County of Samard, you know, perform a roles to ensure
the effectiveness of administrative of justice, and that is they
manage appeal processes, they record court transcripts as well as
(13:09):
the oversea court administrative processes and strategic planning and we
also have a bunch of attorneys there too in some
of the classifications. So next time you're in the court,
hopefully it's not for a bad thing. Hopefully it's for
something it's not so bad. I can't think of off
the top of my head why you'd be in court unless.
Speaker 7 (13:28):
It was a bad thing at least right now.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
But maybe someone can remind me of the good reasons
why you're in court. But just remember, if you're in
Samardino County, many of the individuals that are in there
helping process everything are actually teamsters as well. And then
also the City of Samardino public Works department. Employees at
Samordino Public Works maintain roads, streets, parks, and sewers. With
(13:51):
the increase in homelessness, they are also on the front
lines of making sure our parks and recreation recreational areas
are kept clean and safe. And you know, clearly, with
the challenge of homelessness happening across the nation quite frankly
across the world, it's definitely a tough job for our
public works departments at all of our cities and our
(14:12):
counties that are represented. So a big shout out to
those teamsters doing those very important jobs, and so with that,
I'm actually gonna mix things up here right now, and
I'm gonna gonna not do a bunch of the news.
I'm just gonna talk briefly about something in the news
that's really important.
Speaker 7 (14:32):
Many people may.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
Have seen the HR eighty two past the House, and
I'm going to talk about this in more depth later on.
But that's a big deal for us for HR eighty
two to pass, because we actually, over the last few
months have been encouraging our members to engage in this
and make sure that their congressional leaders have been contacted
(14:56):
and we have been asking them to be support And
we're going to see the full list of who who
was a yes vote on this here pretty soon, so
hopefully we'll be able to unfold is that our membership
activity in this space created a really good bipartisan effort
to pass something that adjusts there's an.
Speaker 7 (15:19):
Issue with social security.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
If you worked in the private sector for a while
and then you go into a public sector job and
you end up drawing a public pension, a public sector pension,
government pension, there's a penalty to your social security which
makes no sense, especially for the average worker, because quite frankly,
your Social Security You pay for it, so why are
(15:43):
they penalizing something that you pay for? And I understand
why it went into effect many decades ago because there
were individuals that were capitalizing it on it on the
top end, you know, your like your city managers and executives,
and they call it a windfall excite or something like that.
And so I'm gonna talk a little bit more about that.
(16:04):
So great job for all of you that are listening
in that actually called your congressional leaders and encouraged them
to be supportive. We're hopeful that that push that we
did across the country and specifically something that we agitated
a lot here in southern California, We're hopeful that that
was the difference, and it was it encouraged some congressional
leaders to get on board with eliminating a penalty that
(16:27):
they shouldn't have had. And so with that, I am
going to go into what is my favorite part of
the show, which is our Teamster Advantage partner and our
Teamster Advantage network. I have Daniel Jack from People Helping
People and just quick if this is the first time
listening to the show, I've always got to do my
(16:47):
little rap on the team's advantage program and the fact
that we're in twenty six chambers of commerce and commerce
and we're connected to more than a thousand small businesses.
And one of the things that we do is we
try to utilize our platform to help those small businesses.
We advertise for them for free, we have them in
our app, we send out push notifications and all this.
(17:08):
We do this for free because what we want is
we want to make sure that small business owners are
connected to a network of working people so that they
can thrive and they can support their family as well.
Being a small business owner is difficult and tough, and
you know they need help too, just like working people do.
And we're all in the same bucket in this space,
(17:29):
and we think it's really important for us to collaborate
and do the best we can it making sure that
the money stays in a local economy. And the best
way to do that is to support small business and
do everything we can to participate with small business. And
I'll shut up here for a minute and I'll let
Daniel Jack from People Helping People introduce himself and discuss
(17:53):
your great business.
Speaker 8 (17:54):
Daniel, thank you for having me on the show.
Speaker 7 (17:57):
Got to get you to get a little closer to that.
Speaker 8 (17:59):
Mike, appreciate you having me on the show. So basically,
I've been in the insurance industry for about seven years now.
I started with this company about four years ago, and
we help people to secure themselves with insurance annuities. We
help with debt protection or i'm sorry, debt elimination and
(18:22):
asset protection, so things like we actually have something similar
to I saw the Teamsters have it in a text here.
It is called the Teamster Teamster VIP plus plan.
Speaker 7 (18:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (18:48):
So basically that is like the living benefits of our
insurance protection. So if an individual were to get an
insurance policy, it's called living benefits that are already built
into the policy, and it's basically, if you're unable to
(19:08):
work for an extended period of time, you're living benefits
will kick in and take care of the bills that
never stop coming. So that's one thing the insurance protection.
I'm not sure if you've heard of anything called an
indexed universal life before.
Speaker 7 (19:27):
I have. Yeah, most people listening probably haven't, though, go
ahead and explain it.
Speaker 8 (19:31):
So we it's called an index universal life in that
basically it's an insurance policy that also has a built
in savings plan with it, and that savings aspect participates
in the market, but is not It doesn't it's not
(19:52):
affected directly by the market. So your funds will grow
as the market grows. But if the market were to
take a dive, your funds will stay protected. Will you
never lose a red scent that you've put into the policy?
You can only gain with this policy. So that's one
(20:12):
of another advantage for what we do.
Speaker 7 (20:17):
So how long have you been doing this business? How
long have you been in business doing.
Speaker 8 (20:21):
This I've been doing insurance for about seven years with
people helping people. I've been with them about four years,
roughly five four to five years.
Speaker 7 (20:32):
Insurance.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
So many people, you know, realize that you've got to
have health insurance, you have car insurance, you have life insurance.
There's all kinds of insurance.
Speaker 7 (20:42):
You got dog.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
Insurance, which is true, right, there's all kinds of insurance.
So when you say insurance, what are all the different
insurances you do? So there's different certifications for all of them.
Speaker 8 (20:52):
Right there is. So I do life insurance. So anything
from termins learned to up all the way up into
the the I U. L. Types of insurance, which is
a new form of whole life, a new form of
whole life. Correct, yes, so it.
Speaker 7 (21:10):
Many people my age bracket just remember the whole life expression.
Speaker 8 (21:14):
Yeah, so there's there's been a few evolutions from the
whole life. What the new form of the whole life
is a little bit better protection. You're actually able to
get both buckets. If if you're an old school whole
life person, you understand that back then you were only
(21:34):
able to get the one bucket, the insurance portion, and
then you know, if if anything were to happen to you,
knock on wood, there was no savings aspect, it was
just you you built towards the insurance.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
So I've always been in the impression that you could
take a life insurance policy.
Speaker 7 (21:58):
Out on anybody, Right, it's under a certain amount. Not true, No,
not true.
Speaker 8 (22:04):
You you you need to have a but you can
help me vested interest in the person.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
So like so if somebody owed me money, I could
take a life insurance policy out on them, so just
in case something happened to.
Speaker 7 (22:16):
Guarantee my bank. No, that's not a vest no, not
that one.
Speaker 8 (22:23):
So like any any family member, you're able to do that,
Like I couldn't take an insurance like a fifth cousin
fifth cousin. Maybe maybe we have to look into we
have to look into the finer details with that. But
I wouldn't be able to take an insurance policy out
on you and vice versa. It just has to do
(22:44):
with family. Yeah. As far as the debt protection or
debt elimination goes, we help people. So everybody nowadays has
credit card debt, maybe student loan debt. So we help
people to minimize the amount that they are paying out
(23:06):
on a monthly basis to bring down their debt and
then use that what they're saving and they can put
it towards, you know, whatever else, maybe put it into
their savings.
Speaker 7 (23:19):
Debt.
Speaker 8 (23:21):
I wouldn't recommend that, but I would recommend putting it,
putting it into your savings, maybe purchasing going with that
alue l and building towards you know, a secure, more
secure retirement.
Speaker 7 (23:38):
Do you have any funny stories? You gotta have some
funny stories.
Speaker 8 (23:41):
And the insurance, I honestly I don't.
Speaker 7 (23:44):
Like you found out crazy.
Speaker 8 (23:45):
It's crazy. The stories that I have have to do
with people unfortunately being diagnosed with say cancer, yeah, something severe. Yeah,
you know, something like that. However, because of the living benefits,
they were able to focus more.
Speaker 7 (24:05):
On well, let's tell a good story. Yeah, it's still
a good story.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
So what's your favorite story? Obviously you don't have to
give names of who the people are, but.
Speaker 8 (24:14):
So a mentor of mine front the office that I
work in in Pasadena, his sister, I want to say,
about six months before she was diagnosed with a rare
form of breast cancer, got one of our and you know,
she just something to do. Six months later, she's diagnosed
(24:38):
with this this form of breath breast cancer. You know,
obviously distraught about it and wondering like how how they're
going to make ends meet her and her family, her husband,
her kids. But because the plan had living benefits built
into it, she just simply made a call to the
(25:00):
insurance company said hey, I have this diagnosis. I'm going
to be out of work for six months or so,
can you help.
Speaker 7 (25:10):
Me out, and then is able to draw on it. Yeah,
she was.
Speaker 8 (25:13):
Able to draw on her insurance. I believe she got
like eighty thousand dollars a check cut for eighty thousand dollars.
She's able to take care of all of her bills
and focus on what really mattered, which was getting better
and yes today story that's okay, she's cancer free.
Speaker 7 (25:30):
That's awesome.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
See that's a good story, got a good ending. Anything
else you want to cover before we wrap this up.
We really appreciate the relationship and how you know small businesses.
Is always trying to help you know the community and
obviously trying to help small businesses survive. When you're competing
with these huge corporations, right, you know, it definitely has
(25:51):
its challenges.
Speaker 7 (25:52):
So anything you want to close up with.
Speaker 8 (25:54):
So to close out, she's understanding that we were work
with the larger companies, the AIG's foresters, the nlg's National
Life Groups. We work with them to be able to
bring the services to the clients. But my service is
(26:17):
complementary and you're able to take care of everything that
you need as far as the insurance coverage, the debtor,
the debt elimination, and building towards your retirement and financial future.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
Great, anything else you want to talk about your business
before we cut you off the air. I really appreciate
you coming on the show.
Speaker 8 (26:39):
By that that's pretty much it. I just want to
get the name out there and help.
Speaker 7 (26:42):
People help people too. Yes, that's good. I like the
I like the I like the title, I like the name.
I like it.
Speaker 3 (26:49):
It's really Oh absolutely, it's uh, it's it's catchy and.
Speaker 8 (26:52):
That that's exactly what we do. We do it totally
free of charge, and we're able to help you to,
you know, eliminate their debt, build their retirement savings and
just have a better, better way of life.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
Well, thank you, Daniel Jack. This is people helping people.
He's with with people helping people. And make sure if
you're you know, keep in mind obviously there's a lot
of options in this space, but when someone says they're
going to do it for free, you know, why not
talk to them and walk through it first and have
a good understanding. So really appreciate you coming on, Daniel.
Speaker 8 (27:29):
Thank you for having me on.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
I appreciate you absolutely And what that Mark wy don't
you just take some quick music before we switch.
Speaker 7 (27:35):
Over to our next guest.
Speaker 3 (27:36):
We're for those of you listening in, We're gonna have
Liz Ortega come on. Assembly Member Liz Ortega will be
coming on the line. You're pretty soon we're going to
be talking about some labor activities legislatively.
Speaker 7 (27:47):
Throughout the state of California, Take it Away Month.
Speaker 16 (27:52):
Because we were downtown, bouncing round from door to door,
there ain't a song.
Speaker 17 (27:58):
I was insane.
Speaker 16 (28:01):
From the DJ's on the twos and fours to the
honky town on the hardwood floors.
Speaker 17 (28:05):
I was out throwing down in the middle of a
crowd when a boy and a fan brother bull out.
Speaker 10 (28:12):
I'm just so killed.
Speaker 17 (28:14):
I was raised on the rail.
Speaker 7 (28:17):
The minifest clubs to.
Speaker 17 (28:19):
A Hollywood rocking woo.
Speaker 9 (28:21):
Took a trip to music.
Speaker 17 (28:22):
Say a little bit of everything with me.
Speaker 4 (28:25):
I'm a little bit of bas say the old eggs,
a little bit of clap yarns. I'm a little bit
of six strings on the back beae the fiddle in
the band.
Speaker 16 (28:38):
I'm lock up bernstay from MO three and a Mustang.
You never knew what was coming. Sure, I can't help
to be R and B or a.
Speaker 4 (28:50):
Touch of train Hegg guitars and dash for drum man.
Speaker 17 (28:56):
Hey, I'm just so killed.
Speaker 16 (29:00):
That was raised on the radio memphist Bloom to a
Hollywood rocket, took a trip to music set.
Speaker 4 (29:09):
I was little being everything with me. I'm a little
bit of bass, say the old age, a little bit.
Speaker 17 (29:14):
Of clap your own hands.
Speaker 16 (29:15):
I'm a little bit of six streams on.
Speaker 17 (29:17):
The back beat, y'all hit the next from the DJs
on the tusing fourth to the Honkey Town.
Speaker 16 (29:31):
From an arm work floors, from the first song to
the encore.
Speaker 17 (29:37):
I'm just like Jim. I was raising the raid Memphis
bos to Holly going back, took a trip to music set.
Speaker 13 (29:49):
Little bit of everything, man, I'm.
Speaker 4 (29:53):
A little bit of bass, say the old age, a
little bit of clap your own hands, a little bit
of six.
Speaker 17 (29:58):
Strings on back bead.
Speaker 7 (30:23):
Randy Corgan here and the Worker Power Hour.
Speaker 3 (30:26):
I've always wanted to say this live from Sandraddino k
c AA ten fifty a M one oh six point
five FM. Teamsters nineteen thirty two Broadcast Network.
Speaker 7 (30:36):
How about that?
Speaker 3 (30:37):
Yeah right, yeah, here we are a longtime organizer, first
time radio host. Let's hear it for for Daniel. Jackie's
also a member. I failed to mention it while he
was in here. He's a member of Teamsters nineteen thirty two.
Works out of our I think it's our Del Rosa
Tad whatever it is, I think it's one of the
Tad locations. So working hard as a as a employee,
(31:00):
and then also doing a little side business and and
just trying to you know, work hard and feed the family,
and and you're.
Speaker 7 (31:09):
Really really hustle.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
As I would say, some people say when you use
the word hustle, that you're trying to hustle people out
of something. I've always used the term if someone's hustling,
that they're that they're working hard, they're knocking on doors,
and they're trying to earn money, and they're really doing
the best job that they can of making things happen.
And so we're going to have assembly Woman Liz Ortega
(31:34):
come on here in a few minutes. I think she's
going to be calling in live. And for those of
you that do want to call in live for listeners,
we have nine o nine three eight three one thousand
to call in if you actually want to call in
and say something on the air, we're obviously gonna gonna
we're gonna find out what you're talking about first. We
can't just we're not just gonna let you call in
(31:55):
and say anything you want. But short of that, we're
really looking forward to the conversation Liz. We got Liz
on yet, is she actually on hold? She's not in yet,
so we got a couple of minutes until she comes on.
So let's take a couple of minutes.
Speaker 7 (32:11):
We want to do.
Speaker 3 (32:12):
Oh, we've got Amy Shackelford listening in live, so shout
out to Amy again.
Speaker 7 (32:18):
I kind of like this.
Speaker 3 (32:19):
Sometimes I pay attention to my phone. I'm not always
supposed to be paying attention to my phone, but hey,
when I actually I shouldn't be paying attention to my phone.
And what we're going to do here is we're actually
gonna get a board so that that I can see
there's some feedback live feedback, so that I'm not having
to actually look down and try to get my phone open,
because one of the issues with your phone is obviously
(32:41):
it's face recognition for it to open up, and I
got to move away from the microphone. But you know,
for those of you that you know have my phone
or want to text me a question, you know, you
want to call in live, you want to talk about
something on the air, you know, give suggestions, you know,
please let us know. We've we've gotten a lot of
suggestions over the last year that we've been doing this,
(33:02):
and we've actually made small adjustments or added.
Speaker 7 (33:06):
Things to the show based on these suggestions.
Speaker 3 (33:10):
Over the last year that we've been doing this, and
I got to look back and see exactly when the
year anniversary is. But I may have either about to
pass it or going to pass it here pretty soon.
And looks like we have our caller calling in Liz Artaka.
But we really want to hear from you. We want
to hear what parts of the show you like, maybe
things that you'd like to see go a little longer.
The other thing is some ideas on some segments and
(33:34):
what individuals might want to hear as far as parts
of the segments. Have had some suggestions on some more
meat and potatoes kind of like around what aggrievance procedure
is or arbitration or some interpreting contract language. Remember, that's
kind of for those of us that are in the field,
maybe that that's something we're connected to. But for other
(33:58):
people that are listening while the driving, maybe that's a
little too drive for them, and they're like, you know,
so I'll try to whatever your suggestions are, I'll try
to turn it into something that is.
Speaker 7 (34:08):
Digestible for anybody to listen to.
Speaker 3 (34:10):
Because for all of you that are listening live right
now and you're not in the union, you don't understand
these terminologies. One of the things that we're doing with
this show is we're building a library over a period
of time so that we could direct you to each
of those subjects, so that as a listener, if you're
(34:33):
non union, that you're able to connect to how unions
operate and you're able to go back to old shows
and listen to these different parts of how we operate
or you know, the things that we do, or you
know the things that we talk about the way we're
connected to the community, and you know, a lot is
(34:53):
encompassed in labor, and there's most of what's encompassed in
labor doesn't really get talked about much. So I think
what's really really important is that we put as much
content as we can for future listeners or current listeners
and they're able to go back and pick up some
old shows and listen to some of that stuff that
(35:14):
we've already covered. So again, we want to hear your
hear your thoughts, We want to hear your ideas. We
really want to hear some ideas on some segments. You know,
maybe a ten minute segment on this, or ten minute
segment on that we do have pretty heavy guests I
should say a heavy list of guests that are trying
to get on the show. So we're pretty filled up
(35:36):
most of the time. And we do take all this
stuff into account and we really think about it when
we're building on our show. So with that, I think
I have Liz Or take on the show, right, Robert
or we have her on the phone, and so let's
make let's hope that we don't run into the problem
that we run into sometimes, which is when someone calls in,
they sound like they're they're calling from a fish tank
(35:59):
and they're under lotter. Uh, So let's get Let's get
Liz Ortega assembly Woman Liz or taken. And by the way,
she is the chair of the Assembly Labor Committee. What
does that mean here, here's where there's influence of an
elected leader that is making sure that bills that directly
(36:22):
impact working class families are moved through the process. And
having somebody this close like a Liz Ortega, who is
really making sure that bills that are impacting workers are
are you know that that connection is there and that
this individual who's helping advocate within the legislature to pass
(36:47):
these bills us it's really important, and she's an extremely
important individual and we're so happy to have her on.
Do we have her connected yet?
Speaker 7 (36:56):
Liz? Are you there? Can you hear me? Liz?
Speaker 3 (37:01):
Can you hear me? Nope, I'm not hearing her yet.
So all of our listeners are going, what's going on
with the don't hang up on her?
Speaker 7 (37:15):
Okay?
Speaker 3 (37:20):
All right, so we don't there? Okay, Well, maybe we
can call her and try to try to get her connected.
I would prefer in the future that we do it
via zoom and we get it up on the screen
so that we can actually see the people that are
that are listening in, so that we don't run to
these issues. I'm not sure why the call in line
is not working. I apologize for all of you listeners
(37:41):
for a bit of a little bit of a snag here.
This is one of the great things about live radio. Liz,
if you can hear me now, why don't you say Hi?
Speaker 7 (37:51):
How you doing? Because I'm being told that you should
be connected now, Liz, are you there?
Speaker 13 (37:57):
No?
Speaker 3 (37:59):
Try it one last, all right? Mark and Mark, I'm
gonna throw it all right, I can hear you now, Liz.
Liz Ortega, the chair of the Assembly Labor Committee.
Speaker 7 (38:17):
How are you doing. It's great to have you on
the show.
Speaker 13 (38:19):
I'm great, Randy. Oh and here's some feedback.
Speaker 7 (38:23):
Yeah, you got a little bit of feedback.
Speaker 13 (38:24):
Here.
Speaker 7 (38:25):
Is there a way to tune that out?
Speaker 13 (38:28):
Let me see. Can you hear me better?
Speaker 7 (38:33):
I can. I can hear you pretty good.
Speaker 13 (38:34):
Okay, I hear the feedback still, But I don't know
if there's anything I can do about it.
Speaker 7 (38:39):
Maybe not.
Speaker 3 (38:40):
Why don't you introduce yourself, Liz and talk about, you
know a little bit of your history. You know you
obviously you're a assembly woman here in the state of California.
Talk a little bit about your district and talk about
you know, I'd like to get into really talking about
how important you are to the labor movement because you're
a big, big advocate for labor movement.
Speaker 13 (39:01):
Well, first I want to say thank you for having me.
It's such an honor to be on this radio show
and to have a place dedicated to educating and listening
to labor. So thank you for having me. Randy. Yes,
I'm a family member, Liz Ortega, and I represent the
beautiful District twenty, which is located in the Bay Area,
(39:24):
and I am lucky enough to represent one of the
most diverse districts in the state where we have, you know,
people from all over the world, and it's such a
beauty and an honor to get to, you know, go
to Sacramento and be their voice every single day when
it comes to either legislation or the budget, and making
(39:47):
sure that their voices are heard and represented. A little
bit about me, you know, prior to becoming you're as
family member, I was a labor organizer. I spent over
twenty something years organizing first with SCIU, then I went
(40:08):
to work with AFSME, and then I became the first
Latina to ever run or be president of a labor
council in the Bay Area, which meant that I represented
over one hundred and thirty five thousand workers in all
different sectors, and you know, really enjoyed my time there.
(40:29):
Did a lot of great work, especially during some very
difficult times. You know. One of the things that I
talked about during my campaign was the pandemic and the
work we did to make sure that grocery workers received
hazard pay. You know, they were being called heroes everywhere,
(40:51):
but they were not being compensated as such, and so
you know, I left the labor council to run for
office knowing that I have worked really hard to make
sure that every city that I represented pass laws that
would protect those workers and make sure that they received
the wages that they deserved. And you know, that's what
(41:14):
I did. And then this opportunity came two years ago
for me to run for office, and you know, I
became the family member for District twenty and then a
year ago had the honor of becoming your Labor and
Employment chair.
Speaker 3 (41:34):
Well, I think you know that me being an organizer
for over thirty years, the thing that stuck out to
me and this whole conversation was the fact that you
were a labor organizer for all those years. So let's
give her a huge round of applause for that. I
you know, that's music, Mark not see. I love this
(41:55):
rookie status that I get. I don't always I don't
actually always hit the right button. But Liz, we really
appreciate the fact that, you know, taking somebody there, we go, there,
we go. See we're just a bunch of novices here
running a labor radio show.
Speaker 7 (42:09):
We're not always.
Speaker 3 (42:09):
Perfect, but we really appreciate your advocacy. I think coming
from labor and then into the legislature, it has got
a very different vantage point, right Like you, you come
from a perspective of really understanding the struggles that the
movement goes through and what the legislature needs.
Speaker 7 (42:31):
To do to help workers move along. What are your
thoughts on that?
Speaker 13 (42:35):
Absolutely, I think what makes me or you know, gives
me that advantage is that organizing background that I have, where,
you know, I believe that in order for us to
make a difference in people's lives, we actually have to listen.
And that's the number one thing that our organizer must
do is listen, talk less and listen more, and then
(42:58):
you know, be able to take what you've learned and
from the workers that you represent and turned them into
you know, actions. So whether it was you know, increasing wages,
whether it's protecting health access to healthcare, or retirement with dignity,
or you know, voice on the job like health and safety,
(43:21):
all of those things I've spent my entire life dedicated to,
both professionally and personally. As an immigrant myself, you know,
my parents taught me very early on that you know,
I had a guest when it came to translating you know,
I learned to speak English when I was very little,
by the time I was in kindergarten, and my parents
(43:44):
said I was fluent in drama and so you know,
I learned to watching stuff that and so I you know,
but I used that They recognized at skill, and so
I used to have to go and translate for them everywhere.
My story is not special or different from many other
immigrants in this state or country. I think the only
(44:08):
difference is that, you know, my mom recognized and my
dad recognized that I was going to give give the
skill that I had learned and use it to serve others. So,
you know, I would go to job interviews, I would
go to doctor's appointments, and after I was done translating
for my family, you know, my mom would say to me, Okay,
(44:30):
now that you're done with us, I want you to
go and help every other family that's here who doesn't
have a lisse.
Speaker 3 (44:38):
Yeah, and ABE eight hundred is a great it's a
great segue into if I understand correctly, it's a bill
that requires California public schools to establish an entire week
for juniors and seniors in high school to learn about
their labor rights right rules and regulations on the job.
Speaker 13 (44:56):
Absolutely, it's one of the with the.
Speaker 7 (44:59):
Bround of applause. Ready again, this is exactly what we need.
We need more of this. Thank you. I'm sorry for
cutting you off there, Liz, but this is amazing.
Speaker 3 (45:08):
These are the things that we unfortunately the schools don't
teach enough about this. And for you to take on
an issue like this for the labor movement and for
the future workers of California, future workers of America, thank
you very much. Sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off.
I'm just so excited about seeing the bills like that
(45:28):
and t thank you.
Speaker 13 (45:29):
No apologies needed. Yes, AB eight hundred insurance that our children,
our youth enter the workforce with knowledge to protect themselves
and then advocate for their rights. You know, I think
it was very important that we educate our youth about
their workplace rights because it doesn't do any of us
any good if we pass some of the best legislation
(45:54):
in the nation and some of our most vulnerable are
entering the workplace and are taking advantage or don't understand it.
And so making sure that the next generation of youth
is educated, not only knows about their rights on the job,
but also understands that they have a right to a
union and a right to organize was also incredibly important.
Speaker 3 (46:19):
Yeah, hey, so to shifting gears real quick. What do
you think of us having our own labor show? What
do you think of nineteen thirty two in the local
union anchoring down this type of platform? What do you
as an organizer for as long as you were?
Speaker 7 (46:34):
What do you think about this? Do you think we
were wasting our time? Or do you think it's a
good idea?
Speaker 13 (46:38):
Absolutely not, I think it's a great idea. I think
you guys are setting you know, a president for having
a space where workers and families can tune into and
learn about what's happening in their communities. That is not
you know, being run by a media, a collaborative or
(46:58):
you know billionaires millionaires, right, It's.
Speaker 3 (47:01):
Why instead of doing the plause, Mark accidentally pushed the
wrong button and did the music right. First time, longtime organizer,
first time radio host.
Speaker 13 (47:12):
No, I think Yeah, I think this is an incredible
opportunity and really a pod you guys for doing this
and is absolutely not a waste of time.
Speaker 3 (47:21):
Well, we appreciate you coming on the show too, because
that helps you know, kind of broaden our audience too.
You know, we're we're not looking to try to, you know,
get like a big national sort of recognition. We're what
we're really trying to do is, you know onesie tuesdays,
build it up slow like you do any organizing, drive right,
(47:42):
one on one one out of time, and build the relationship.
Speaker 7 (47:46):
Like you said earlier, listen right.
Speaker 3 (47:48):
Obviously, as the talk show host, I can't do the
same amount of listening because I got to keep things moving.
Speaker 7 (47:53):
But as an organizer, we know.
Speaker 3 (47:55):
That if if you're listening and people are listening and
the content matches what they're needs are, it's going to
grow and it's going to give people more familiarity into labor. Right,
make it to where it's not this abstract. You know,
we're not a cartel like we're described in the In
my son's high school book, the unions were cartels. So again,
(48:19):
you coming on helps legitimize and and helps it helps
broadcast our our show a bit more and I'm having
a great time with it, I'll tell you honestly, as
an organizer, I feel like it's this great tool where
we're able to communicate and just slowly educate everybody on
the positive parts of being a union and all stop
(48:39):
kind of rambling on about how great the show is.
I just I just always like to hear from people
in a position like yours. How how powerful you think
this tool can be if it's utilized properly.
Speaker 13 (48:51):
Yeah. No, I again, I think it's a great tool
and something that's unique and something that other unions should
be attentioned to and do more of.
Speaker 3 (49:02):
So let's talk a little bit about your role as
the chair of the Assembly Labor Committee. So can you
talk really how are you using your influence in that
space to advocate right now? Give me an examples.
Speaker 13 (49:18):
Yeah, I mean, we've this space is one to advocate for,
you know, for legislation and budget items that directly impact
workers across the state. But I think one of the
biggest things that you know, I'm doing as your Labor
Unemployment chair is not just you know, paying attention to
(49:39):
workers who have a union, but also thinking about the
many who don't and who this committee is is here
to protect and to lift up and to move forward.
And you know, we do it both ways by introducing
bills and making sure that they're you know, they are
doing what their intent to do, but also protecting by
(50:05):
looking at and viewing potential risks, you know, because not
everyone understands organized labor workers or protections, and so there's
a lot of legislation that actually doesn't see the light
of day because we have that advantage of point at
being able to you know, look at things that could
(50:27):
have unintended consequences and really hurt you know, those we
are trying to protect. And so that's how you know,
I am using our Labor and Employment Committee to progress
and continue to make strives in the workplace.
Speaker 3 (50:47):
Yeah, clearly coming out of a very working class area,
the Alameda County area, and you were obviously part of
the Alameda Labor.
Speaker 13 (50:54):
Council, right, Yeah, I let the Alameda Labor Council.
Speaker 3 (50:58):
So being coming from that space, to me, I always
see it. It's very much mirrored in the Ie the
Inland Empire. Those two communities are very very much alike,
very working class, obviously affected by corporate America, you know,
doing some of the things that they do to really
knock down workers. And you know, so we really appreciate
(51:20):
your advocacy clearly pointing out the fact that you're able
to shut down some of these bills before they ever
get started. Is thank you very much for doing that
for these workers. I think it's just it's amazing and
it's an important work, and like you said, sometimes it
never sees the light of day, and nobody ever knows
that something dangerous is working its way up, something's going
(51:42):
to cut some services, or cut some safety cut or
negatively affect working conditions. So we really really appreciate that work.
Is there anything in particular that stands out to you
in that space that you may have stopped over the
last few years that most people aren't aware of.
Speaker 13 (52:01):
Yeah, I mean, without getting into too much into the weights,
we've seen a trend, you know, of bills related to
you know, out of AI, artificial intelligence, worker surveillance, rolling
back some of the wages that we've been able to
(52:21):
increase in some of the sectors. So things like that
that you know, might look like they're good, but to
really have a harmful impact if you don't have someone
like myself at the table looking at things, knowing what
they actually mean. And it could be something as simple
(52:42):
as a word, which is what I learned during my
time with ask me, which is you know I used
to be their lottyist and really learn that in the
halls of power, there's very few people who come from
a working class background who are looking for things like
this that otherwise wouldn't you know, been noticed or action
(53:07):
would have been taken on.
Speaker 3 (53:09):
Yeah, I think you bring up an important point about AI.
Like one of the things that's dangerous about AI. Take
take your job, any job that somebody does, and take
the like the job description or the nuts and bolts
of what you do. Go into those they got. They
got like test areas where you can go into these
AI things and you can ask it questions and it'll
(53:30):
it'll produce something for you, like see if you can
get AI and that and test it to see if
you can actually get it to do your job for you.
And I've been shocked at the results of some of
this stuff that comes out and how quickly it produces
something that somebody could argue is a replacement for you someday,
(53:53):
right right, And and I mean that so everybody listening, like,
I think that's something you get to do. You gotta
as much as we say, oh, you can't replace me,
you can't replace this, No, No, you actually can. It's
it's incredible the technology within AI and how much it
can replace. So do yourself a little test and and
(54:16):
I'm doing saying this to all the listeners, right, and
so thank you for helping advocate and putting some guardrails
in this space, because you know this, you're talking a
very dangerous situation where you know, all of a sudden,
one day somebody comes in and says, oh, by the way,
we've got this ABC company now that AI is going
to be performing all your work and spitting it out
(54:36):
in like nine seconds versus it taking you, you know,
two weeks to produce these reports.
Speaker 13 (54:44):
Yeah, we saw that with the Hollywood strike. What are
the longest strikes we've seen in a very long time,
and it was all related to the use of the
workers and you know AI.
Speaker 3 (54:57):
Yeah, look at the video games nowadays that our kids
are playing, right, You look at the video games and
you see how lifelike all of that stuff is and
how that could be turned into doing, you know, performing
things that you would normally perform on a daily basis.
You know, maybe most people don't care whatever, I'll go
do something different, but I don't you know, I'd hate
(55:19):
for my job to be replaced by AI, right, how
many jobs are vulnerable in that space, and what are
the guardrails to prevent it from going too far?
Speaker 13 (55:26):
Right? Yes, absolutely, and that's been the biggest challenge last
year and it's going to continue to be in terms
of balancing innovation, which we're you know, where the state
of California, here in the Bay Area, we have the
you know, the highest rates of tech anywhere else in
the country, and so balancing innovation and technology with worker
(55:48):
protection and guardrails is going to be very much at
the forefront of what I focus on for the next
few years.
Speaker 7 (55:58):
That's phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (56:00):
Anything you want to close on, We've got a few
minutes here, and I don't want to It looks like
we got three And what do you want to close on?
What are the important things you'd like to hit you'd
like our listeners to know that you're working on again.
Thank you so much for taking the time out to
come on to our show for thank you for advocating
for workers. Thank you for being an organizer, and always
(56:21):
never forgetting Every time I approach something, I always approach
it as an organizer first, simply because it takes that
approach to build our organizations up in the right way.
Speaker 7 (56:34):
So thank you for all that. Is there anything you'd
like to close on?
Speaker 13 (56:38):
Keep doing your radio show? Organizing, organizing, organizing.
Speaker 7 (56:43):
So who do you think we should get on a
radio show.
Speaker 13 (56:45):
Oh that's a good question.
Speaker 7 (56:48):
I have to get Lorena on here.
Speaker 13 (56:50):
Yes, you definitely need I'm.
Speaker 3 (56:52):
Going to tell her next time she can't borrow the
bus unless she comes on the radio show. I'm gonna
have to like play some leverage here. You know, it
was funny when she asked to use the bus for
this last election cycle.
Speaker 7 (57:03):
She was kind of like, well, you know, Randy, it's
a kind of a big ask. What what are you
asking for? RIGHTA? What what's up? She's like, well, you
know you need a driver and what you need the bus.
She's like, well, yeah, you got it. Like that's why
we got the bus. We actually got the bus to
do exactly what she used it for. Everybody seemed to
have a great time with it.
Speaker 13 (57:23):
But I love the bus. I used it when I
was at the Labor Council and we used to park
it right in front of city Hall.
Speaker 3 (57:28):
That's right, it's it's it's it's it's a powerful tool
and it it I love the fact that you can
cart so many people around and get him there. And
it's obviously just a billboard rolling every single day across
the system. And so you know, let's uh, let's not
also forget that you were the first Latina and woman
uh serving the Alameda Labor Council too, correct.
Speaker 13 (57:50):
Not the first woman, but the first latina.
Speaker 7 (57:52):
Yeah, yeah, the first Latino woman. Yes right, yeah, So
see you're a trendsetter here.
Speaker 13 (57:57):
Well, it doesn't do us any good if the first
in the last. We need to keep it moving, we
need to grow more. You know what.
Speaker 7 (58:04):
That's a very good point. Thank you for pointing that out.
Speaker 3 (58:07):
Well, once again, we really appreciate you coming on with
on the Worker Power Hour. We're doing everything we can
to make sure that the community really understands how unions work.
We have billboards and we obviously have buses that we
have are think of Teamster branding throughout the entire region.
We have six buses that are branded. We have the
(58:29):
radio show. We're doing everything we can just to create
a familiarity. We also have our Teamster the teams are
training center and we're trying to connect while they're in
high school. And what we want to do is make
sure that the familiarity whether you're in high school, you're
listening to on the radio, you drive by on a billboard,
you see a bus drive by, and you know you
(58:50):
see the branding, and that way when we're knocking on
your door and workers are organizing, it's not like who's that,
just a familiarity with with labor. So we really appreciate
your partner ship in that space.
Speaker 13 (59:00):
Listen, and I also one last thing, we'd love to
give a shout out to Robert. He was one of
my interns and an incredible part of my team and
I stolen that very Yes, but you're very lucky and
I'm happy to see he is in labor and making
a difference.
Speaker 7 (59:17):
Well, thanks for coming on.
Speaker 3 (59:18):
Yes, And what we're going to do is we're going
to make sure that Robert always comes back and visits you.
And we appreciate you training him and helping us occupy
this space. So with that, we're going to have to
close out. I have a required break at the top
of the hour. This is Randy Corgan and the Worker
Power Our CASEYAA ten fifty am one O six point
(59:40):
five FM. Thanks thank you assembly Woman Artega for coming
on the show.
Speaker 12 (59:46):
NBC News on CACAA LOMLA sponsored by Teamsters Local nineteen
thirty two, Protecting the Future of Working Families Teamsters nineteen
thirty two, dot.
Speaker 5 (59:55):
Org, NBC News Radio. I'm Lisa Taylor.
Speaker 15 (01:00:04):
NBC News is projecting the House will remain under Republican control.
The wind gives President elect Trump an easier path to
enact as policies now that the Senate is also under
GOP control. President elect Trump's transition is in full swing.
He met with President Biden at the White House Wednesday
for about two hours. Speaking at a White House briefing,
Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre said it was a substantive
meeting in which they discussed national security and domestic policy issues.
(01:00:28):
Both spoke of a peaceful transition of power and shook
hands with Biden giving his congratulations. Biden said he'll make
sure Trump gets what he needs, and Trump said politics
is tough, but it will be a peaceful transition. President
elect Trump is nominating Florida Congressman Matt Gates for attorney general.
In a post on truth Social Trump said Gates as
deeply gifted at a tenacious attorney. The President elect added
(01:00:48):
few issues are more important than ending the partisan weaponization
of the justice system. In a post on nex, Gates
said it will be an honor to serve as Attorney General.
Lisa Taylor NBC News Radio.
Speaker 2 (01:01:00):
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Visit nineteen thirty two Training Center dot org to enroll today.
That's nineteen thirty two Training Center dot org.
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This mess is brought to you by Donald Williamson, three
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Speaker 7 (01:03:13):
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Speaker 1 (01:04:12):
Welcome to the Worker Power Hour with Randy Corrigan, a
brand new show about labor and worker issues. The host
of the show is Randy Corrigan, Secretary Treasurer and Principal
Office and Leader of Teamsters nineteen thirty two, one of
the largest public sector labor unions on the West Coast,
representing workers in government and non sworn law enforcement personnel.
(01:04:32):
Randy Corgan is a thirty year Teamster who first became
involved in the labor movement by volunteering his time as
an organizer with the Teamsters Union at the age of
twenty one.
Speaker 7 (01:04:42):
Since then, he's helped.
Speaker 1 (01:04:43):
Thousands organized, mobilize, and achieve bargaining rights. He accomplished this
by spending countless hours with brave men and women all
over southern California in their living rooms on the picket
line to bring workers towards victory. This is the Worker
Power Hour, and now here's the host of the show,
Randy Corgan.
Speaker 3 (01:05:02):
Randy Corgan, hope I got to hear the music. Everybody's
liking your music, Mark. I just want you to know
all the listeners. I have not had one person email,
text or call saying they don't like your music selection.
Speaker 7 (01:05:17):
And I'm talking right over it.
Speaker 12 (01:05:19):
They just don't like my phone operation.
Speaker 7 (01:05:21):
Yeah, well we'll figure it out. I don't see.
Speaker 3 (01:05:24):
I don't get freaked out over that long time organized
our first time radios.
Speaker 7 (01:05:29):
That's just a good jem.
Speaker 3 (01:05:30):
I like it, Hi, right, Randy Corgan at the Worker
Power Hour CACA ten fifty AM one six point five
FM live from San Bernardino. The team started nineteen thirty
two Broadcast Network. I'm so excited, Like I was at
a big event down in San Diego the last couple
of days Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and there were thousands of
(01:05:53):
people there.
Speaker 7 (01:05:53):
Trustees for funds.
Speaker 3 (01:05:54):
It's called the International Foundation, And we all have to
get training multiple times a year for those of a
sit on trust funds, because I've got to make sure
we know what we're doing. It's called fiduciary training, so
that you don't make mistakes and we just understand how
it all works. And so they just they have they
have hundreds of classes for us to go to and from.
And it was really cool to talk about the radio show.
(01:06:16):
And I just get excited about this because we're doing
something kind of new and labor.
Speaker 7 (01:06:21):
We're having fun.
Speaker 3 (01:06:22):
There's it's there's it's really not controversial because we're just
kind of educating people. And and I've always I remember
as a kid watching WKRP in Cincinnati and Robert's.
Speaker 7 (01:06:35):
Looking at me like huh, what, like what is that?
Hopefully he looks it up.
Speaker 3 (01:06:39):
You know, there's this huge generational you know, I'm supposedly
a baby boomer, but he doesn't realize I'm not old
enough to be a baby boomer.
Speaker 7 (01:06:47):
But that's okay, he's old enough.
Speaker 3 (01:06:50):
I've got a lot of kids older than him, so
we fully understand the generational difference. So you got to
look up WKRP in Cincinnati, so as I you know,
so Live from Sam Bordino is just a tagline that
you know, I think anybody can, anybody in my age,
in my generation can connect to as far as the
(01:07:12):
WKRP thing. So anyway, having a great time with the
radio show. Like I said, longtime organizer, first time radio host.
A great segment with Liz Ortega on with Assembly Woman
Ortega earlier. She's a great advocate for us in this
space when it comes to labor, obviously, having good legislators
in this space to not only cut off bad law
that's coming, but also help support good law when it
(01:07:34):
comes to workers. There's a lot that goes behind making
sure that there's a bunch of good rules in place
for working people. And so I've got Lisa and Jessica
on that are that are Kaiser nurses that are on
strike right now. I'm gonna get to them in a
minutecause I gotta go through some of the news first.
I know that they're really chomping at the bit because
(01:07:54):
I got to watch last night your group shut down
pet Goo Park. Was Kaiser was, you know, doing this
big shin dig. And so what happens at the International
Foundation is all of the providers are there and you know,
they're obviously celebrating whatever they're celebrating, and they're trying to
make sure everybody loves them.
Speaker 7 (01:08:13):
And so they rented out this.
Speaker 20 (01:08:15):
Huge part of Petco Park and guess what, they had
to shut it off, and we got to stand there
and watch them turn the lights to the park off.
You know, all these all these picketers showed up and
of course no, you know, none of the trustees are
going to cross the picket line. They realized that their
event got blown out, and shame on them. It should
have got blown out once once the word got out
(01:08:36):
on what was going on. You know, none of the
people that were attendants at the IF or We're obviously
going to go over there.
Speaker 7 (01:08:42):
And participate in that. So we'll get into the nuts
and bolts of that.
Speaker 3 (01:08:45):
But what I want to do is go back and
talk about something that I talked about at the very
beginning of the show, which is Hr eighty two, the
Social Security Fairness Act of twenty three, twenty four.
Speaker 7 (01:08:55):
This is long overdue.
Speaker 3 (01:08:56):
It's great to see that it finally got out of
the House with some partisan support, and we really appreciate
the fact that the Social Security Fairness Act passed the
House of Representatives on Tuesday morning with Democrat and Republican
support and Congressman Clay Higgins from Louisiana and Congressman Garrett
Graves from Louisiana led They both led the effort. And
(01:09:19):
for those of you who don't know what it is
is Hr eighty two aims to allow public employees who
have worked in jobs not covered by Social Security to
receive their full SO Security benefits without reductions, even if
they've also received a government pension. And so you know,
there's this real wonky rule from many decades ago that
it's like a it's a windfall. I forget the exact
(01:09:43):
terminology off the top of my head. I'm sorry, I'm
having a brain fart this particular moment. But the Windfall
Act is if you had Social Security and you have
a public pension, it actually penalizes your Social Security even
though you paid for social Security, you contributed so secure
to yourself. So what it was intended for originally were
(01:10:04):
the high wage earners that there were individuals that were
in very high paid positions that were double dipping, and
it was intended to kind of approach that first.
Speaker 7 (01:10:16):
And it's just gone too far.
Speaker 3 (01:10:17):
And now really the only people that are be infected
are average working people whose social security is being cut
dramatically as a result.
Speaker 7 (01:10:26):
Now, think about it.
Speaker 3 (01:10:27):
They work in social security, or excuse me, they work
in the private sector for let's say twenty years, and
then they work in a government job for twenty years.
Why would we penalize their retirement vehicle. It just makes
zero sense. It should have been repaired a long time ago.
It's good to see it's on its way to the Senate.
Hopefully what happens is the Senate passes it. I don't
(01:10:47):
see the Senate not passing it because this is a
bipartisan effort and quite frankly, everybody on both sides of
the aisle right now wants to support working people, and
I sir, hope regardless of the outcome of the election
last week, I sure hope everybody stays there like it's
really important for us to hold accountable our elected officials
(01:11:08):
that have just recently been elected. If they say they
support working people, you know what, it's time we call
them out on it and we make sure that we
lay it out and we identify what specifically they can do.
And this is exactly what we did on HR.
Speaker 7 (01:11:22):
Eighty two.
Speaker 3 (01:11:23):
We made sure that our members called the Teamsters nineteen
thirty two members, We sent out multiple emails, We talked
about this at our steward's meetings. We educated them on
which congress people weren't signed onto it yet. We asked
them to call their congressional leaders and ask them because
(01:11:44):
what it eliminates is the windfall Elimination provision, which reduces
Social Security retirement event benefits if you also receive a
pension from a job not covered by Social Security, and
so these penalties just don't make sense in today's day
and it's really important for us. Oh, thank you Robert
for giving me the number. So it's three twenty seven
(01:12:06):
yes and seventy five no. That's how the count went down.
And then I'm assuming we now have a list of
who voted yes, and I'm actually I'm happy to report
that I won't. Maybe at a future show i'll actually
talk about specifically which congressional leaders it was. But some
of them here locally weren't actually signed on. We targeted
(01:12:28):
them and actually had calls go into their office, and
I'm hopeful that those calls helped move this along. And again,
I'll say it one last time. The everybody wants to
get in front of being so called pro labor right now,
well show me, don't pocket walk it, and let's make
sure and this is a good this is a good step.
(01:12:50):
So I'm pretty confident this gets to Biden's desk. He's
going to sign this. This is not something he's going
to veto. This is something that is clearly something he's
going to sign on to. And what a great thing
he could do in his last few days of his
presidency is do another good thing for working people. So
really looking forward to that. Great job members for making
(01:13:11):
that happen. I think that your activity in this space
is exactly what we have to do, and I'm going
to tell you straight up, we've got to do more
of it. For all of you that were happy about
the election outcome, you're going to have to hold the
new administration accountable. For those that were not happy about
the election outcome, we're going to have to hold it
coming up its administration accountable. And quite frankly, if they
(01:13:33):
say they support working people, well let's just ask them
to right. Let's not be mad or upset. Let's just
say you say, that's what you do. So let's make
sure that you don't attack our programs. Let's make sure
you don't change the law. Let's make sure that when
you do, we're going to call you out on it,
and we're going to ask you not to put your
foot on the throat of labor period. Make sure that
you continue to move the energy of these policies that
(01:13:58):
are pro labor. They're not pro Democrat, they're not pro Republican,
they're pro labor. Let's make sure we're in that space.
So in Teamsters nineteen thirty two News, we're uploading a
new video on Instagram sending direct message to the Right
to Work Committee and anti union folks. Our account name
is nineteen thirty two Teamsters on Twitter and Instagram. It's
(01:14:21):
not Twitter anymore, it's called X.
Speaker 13 (01:14:24):
You know.
Speaker 3 (01:14:24):
Don't get me started on Elon Musk. The guy owns
like four hundred and seventy five thousand satellites and you know,
you know whatever, we'll talk about him on a later show. Anyway,
It's on X nineteen thirty two Teamsters on X and Instagram.
Speaker 7 (01:14:42):
Check it out.
Speaker 3 (01:14:43):
Our reason for bringing this subject up is making sure
that we hold the Right to Work Committee and anti
union folks accountable. They are going to try with a
Republican trifecta. They are absolutely going to try to put
up a national right to work build And if you've
seen any of the stuff they've put out here recently,
(01:15:05):
villainizing unions and saying that we you know, were in
limousines and champagne and all this crazy stuff. Again limousine
and showed up to pick me up lately. Nor do
I like champagne. You know, the characterization of us is
is rather dumb and wrong. But you know, if there's
no narrative on the other side of it, guess what
(01:15:27):
people are gonna believe it. So let's make sure that
we actually push back on the Right to Work Committee
and the Right to Work Foundation and we make sure
they understand that workers don't need to hear that rhetoric anymore.
And we can start by doing that. So look out
for that coming soon and IBT news. Teamsters at the
Michigan AFL CIO ratify the first collective bargain agreement organizing specialists,
(01:15:50):
training specialist graphic designers. Advocacy coordinators and policy coordinators at
the Michigan AFL CIO have voted unanimously to ratify their
first collective burn Green with Teamsters Local two forty three.
I know the leadership over there, a good group of people,
so eight congratulations to them, unanimous, So it must have
been a good deal. It's unanimous. Cisco and Sigma drivers
(01:16:13):
have overwhelmingly voted to become teamsters. The Cisco Sigma they
voted overwhelming to join Local nine to fifty five in
Kansas City. Great space over there in Kansas City, and
congratulations to them, look forward to them getting a good
first contract.
Speaker 13 (01:16:30):
And so.
Speaker 3 (01:16:33):
In more broader labor news, Amazon workers are now in Bessemer, Alabama,
going to get a third shot at getting an election
of there with that facility that they have there in Bessemer.
And so it's been ruled that Amazon has broken the
rules again. Gee, that's I guess that's not news, that's expected.
(01:16:57):
That's just fact. Right, We're obviously seeing Amazon blow through
the law on many, many levels across this entire country.
And so congratulations to them, and hopefully this time third
times a charm. You've heard me kind of rail on
about the election process. My personal opinion is they how
to just not do the election. They how to just
stop working until Amazon gives them a contract, and they
(01:17:19):
should just walk out the job and say, excuse me,
we're not going to deliver your packages or process them
or receive them until you give us a good contract.
You want to catch everybody's attention. That's the way we
get it done. And so also the NLRB in Starbucks
case lowers the bar for proving anti union threats. The
(01:17:40):
NLRB on Friday said Starbucks broke the law by telling
workers at its flagship Seattle cafe that they would lose
benefits if they joined the union. Okay, look, I've heard this.
I've been organizing for over thirty years. I have never
seen people lose. First of all, if you lose benefits
after you organize, that means you have voted to accept
(01:18:03):
less because you vote on the contract. It makes no
sense that anybody even believes this, but you know they
say it they say it enough that people kind of
get caught up in the process. Oh maybe I could
lose something. And I always explain to them when I'm
organizing workers, well would you vote to take less? And
they say no, Well, then that guarantees you're not getting less.
(01:18:24):
And if Starbucks thought you were going to get less,
then they would just encourage you to the process, like
you sure, just open the door. It's kind of like
the whole mob thing. Yeah, there's mob. Like I said,
we just whack them, We just we just we just
get rid of them and we wouldn't have to worry
about it anymore.
Speaker 7 (01:18:41):
So that's the news. What happened to my news music?
Why'd you shut it off? Mark? The accidentally shut off?
Speaker 3 (01:18:49):
See that look? Ladies? Did you see that look? That
look was like oops, did you forget about it? Or
did it go away?
Speaker 2 (01:18:57):
You know?
Speaker 7 (01:18:57):
You turn it off? You turn it off.
Speaker 17 (01:18:59):
See.
Speaker 3 (01:18:59):
I thought that the music was supposed to play in
the background and I was going to get this screen
behind me that did all this cool news stuff. No, no,
we're not that sophisticated though. I got these amazing nurses
sitting next to me and they're like, they're like, are
you kidding me. So mix, make sure your guys mics
(01:19:20):
are back on, and they are. So we have Lisa
and Jessica here, kaiser nurses, they're on strike.
Speaker 21 (01:19:27):
People, we're actually many health workers go because you're gonna
freak everyone else.
Speaker 7 (01:19:32):
Kids are all going to be right, mental health workers.
Sorry bad, Thank you for correcting me.
Speaker 5 (01:19:37):
Oh, come up a little bit far, thank you. Nurses,
not yet soon.
Speaker 7 (01:19:46):
Mental health workers, My bad, my Paul. You know my
head is lately.
Speaker 3 (01:19:54):
I feel like a shot glass with a gallon of
stuff being constantly poured into it. It's spilling out all
over the place. I'm trying to hold on to what
I can remember, and so I appreciate everybody forgiving my
work me missing a little bit of detail here in there.
Speaker 6 (01:20:10):
And you're not fully wrong because that we do have
some psych r ends out there with us here, Okay, that.
Speaker 5 (01:20:15):
Is here, it's not that.
Speaker 17 (01:20:19):
So.
Speaker 3 (01:20:19):
I heard you talking about how much you really liked
the show, So why don't you get into that space
real quick, because you know that always makes us feel
warm and fuzzy.
Speaker 5 (01:20:29):
Right, So I'm glad you know.
Speaker 21 (01:20:31):
So, yes, I have to say that after our segment,
I decided to continue to listen, and wow, I have
to say how educational this is.
Speaker 5 (01:20:41):
I recommend people.
Speaker 21 (01:20:42):
I'm going to go back and listen to all the
rest of them for the you know, but learning a
lot about just just about pensions, about four oh one case,
just about a union in general, that right to work committee,
which that sounds horrific. So I mean, yeah, it was great,
and I really appreciate your efforts.
Speaker 7 (01:21:03):
Yes, listen to the show.
Speaker 5 (01:21:09):
Everyone listen. It's really good. So but no, it's very education,
it's very inspiring and just yeah.
Speaker 21 (01:21:15):
I mean I sometimes we as a union union people
kind of get into our own little bubbles and and
why are we doing what we're doing? But yeah, this
like and and educational and interesting too, So it was
really helpful. I was really glad to listen to the
rest of it.
Speaker 7 (01:21:30):
And I got to point out your Dodger hat.
Speaker 21 (01:21:33):
This is my husband reminded me. I wore a Dodgers
so I had to do World Series one this time.
Shout out to my husband, who's a union person as well.
Speaker 7 (01:21:43):
You know, go Dodgers, you know Dodgers. It's funny.
Speaker 3 (01:21:46):
I have somebody I know in New York. Hopefully he's
listening right now. By the way, and and you know
he's a Yankee fan, and so you know, that was
a rough World series.
Speaker 7 (01:21:57):
It went.
Speaker 3 (01:21:58):
It went a little fashion and I thought it would,
but I was like, yeah, I don't know what to
tell you. After game one he says, oh, okay, well
that's just one game. And so he says, you know,
game one down. So the next one, I said, game
two down, game three down, and then I go, okay,
you got one. And then he was silent on me
when I did the fifth game, game five down. And
(01:22:19):
the next day I called him. I says, you're not
upset to me, are you. He's like, no, no, actually
I just went to bed.
Speaker 7 (01:22:27):
Anyway. So you guys shut down Petco Park yesterday.
Speaker 5 (01:22:32):
Yes, we heard about that. You want to talk about that. Yeah,
so we neither of us.
Speaker 6 (01:22:37):
We shut down our picket line in locally, but we
also had another committee that we were part of that
we couldn't join the festivities down in Peco Park. But yes,
there were I want to say, at least a hundred
members down there, you know, ready to rock and roll.
They had all of their signs, all of their energy,
and what we loved about this was obviously they they
(01:23:01):
got enough attention to where you had mentioned before we
started the show that the people attending the event stopped
to ask what we were out there for, what we're
fighting for, and didn't even bother to go into Kaiser's event.
So they joined us on the picket line. Yes, yes,
so it was just to watch the video and the
see the pictures and stuff. We are so proud of
(01:23:22):
our brothers and sisters. We were out there holding it
down out there at peck Cove Park.
Speaker 7 (01:23:26):
So yeah, they killed it. And it was the talk
of the conference. I'm talking. There had to be seven
eight thousand people at the conference. I mean it's massive.
Speaker 3 (01:23:40):
Yes, the San Diego Convention Center completely packed with this,
with this convention and and so that's a lot of people.
Speaker 7 (01:23:48):
And everybody knew about it.
Speaker 3 (01:23:51):
Everybody was talking about it, and everybody was embarrassing Kaiser,
and so Kaiser was over in the in the vendor
area too, and boy, they were just getting it.
Speaker 7 (01:24:01):
Everybody's like, man, you need to settle your as everybody's
walking by, what's going on? What's going on?
Speaker 3 (01:24:05):
And they're like, I'm wondering if they packed up and
actually left, I would hope not. They just kind of
got to take the beating, you know. But you know
it was rough for them.
Speaker 5 (01:24:15):
I think we heard that some of.
Speaker 21 (01:24:16):
The CEOs and side were complaining it was too loud,
which is, yeah, we.
Speaker 6 (01:24:20):
Tend to hear that out of our picket lines. So
they'll come hr will come out to us and say
the patients are complaining. I'm like, really, they're they're applauding
us and chanting with us. But okay, okay.
Speaker 3 (01:24:31):
I was on the opposite side of the stadium on
I think it's Seventh Street. No, it was a street
just north of that, and and and it was behind
home Plate where the picketing was going on the entrance
behind home Plate, and we actually saw them shut the
(01:24:52):
shut the stadium lights down.
Speaker 12 (01:24:54):
We're like.
Speaker 5 (01:24:58):
Conquered.
Speaker 7 (01:25:00):
Wait, they actually shut the event up. Now that is
that's effective, right that? And they're they're embarrassed and all
that good stuff.
Speaker 3 (01:25:07):
So why don't you talk about where you're at now, Like,
what's what's happened since the last time you've all been
on the show? And and and you know, what are
the issues still hanging out?
Speaker 6 (01:25:20):
So we are in the middle of our thing.
Speaker 3 (01:25:22):
You know what we didn't do is introduce ourselves. Okay,
we got to introduce ourselves. I'm sorry, sorry, I'm Randy
Corgan by.
Speaker 5 (01:25:27):
The way, Just who you are?
Speaker 6 (01:25:29):
Okay, okay, No, I'm just kidding. My name is Jessica Renz.
I am a licensed marriage and Family therapist for for KAISER.
Speaker 5 (01:25:34):
And I'm Lisa Delgado.
Speaker 21 (01:25:36):
I'm a licensed clinical social worker for US a therapist
for Kaiser as well.
Speaker 6 (01:25:40):
And then we are also both nu h W stewards.
I'm actually part of our bargaining committee as well in
this whole process.
Speaker 3 (01:25:47):
So, so you're one of the people that won't you're
one of the people being greedy, right, yes, absolutely greedy, greedy, greedy.
Speaker 5 (01:25:55):
I will take that on.
Speaker 6 (01:25:55):
Yes, So I thank you Lisa for correcting me. So
we are actually in the middle of our fourth week
on strike, and we believe it or not, we are
getting more. More people are joining us. We were having
more members walk off the job and join us now
that hadn't come out before. We are also hearing that
management is now walking off the job because it's just
(01:26:16):
too stressful, like they can't handle it.
Speaker 7 (01:26:18):
They got to take on the work.
Speaker 6 (01:26:19):
Absolutely, the scabs that they've hired for thirteen thousand dollars
a week are also walking off the job because they
can't handle it either.
Speaker 7 (01:26:27):
And that was me blowing a bubble. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
they can't either.
Speaker 6 (01:26:31):
But that we're also hearing from you know, our patients
and the our workers inside that they're barely even doing
safety check ins with these patients. They're not providing therapy.
We're having patients call to schedule appointments and they're being
told that they're not going to be scheduled until in
twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (01:26:48):
What do you say for the people on the other
side of this argument, say you're affecting the patients negatively,
how do you respond to that?
Speaker 21 (01:26:56):
I have a response to it, but and that we've
heard that before, and and no doubt, like any of
us who are there out there, like a lot of us,
have grappled with that, like, you know, thinking about like,
oh my gosh.
Speaker 5 (01:27:09):
Like it's you know, I've been out here for four weeks.
Speaker 7 (01:27:12):
You know, it's why you waited so long to do it.
Speaker 5 (01:27:15):
It's exactly, you know, it's it's a big deal.
Speaker 12 (01:27:17):
We take it.
Speaker 21 (01:27:17):
We're the thought of like them getting substandard care by
once again, thirteen thousand dollars a week, scavs say that again,
thirteen thousand dollars a week meals all of their meals,
taking care of fifty dollars a night a day for
(01:27:38):
food and transportation and uh the table.
Speaker 7 (01:27:42):
Oh yeah, I'm going to give you a gavel that.
Speaker 21 (01:27:48):
So when they want to talk about us being greedy,
this is corporate greed at its at its at its
highest because.
Speaker 5 (01:27:53):
They're willing to do this, they're willing to hurt their workers.
There were and not just us. We like some of
our managers. I know that's blasphemous. Maybe, oh that's okay,
we do like us.
Speaker 3 (01:28:04):
We remember, in public sector we represent tons of managers
and supervisors.
Speaker 21 (01:28:08):
And so ours are unrepresented. But I know that they're
working twelve hour days and we're working weekends. They don't
get compensated because they're salaried. So not only they're hurting us,
they're hurting our their their managers, and they're hurting their members.
Speaker 5 (01:28:20):
So when people say that we have to look at
the big picture. I said this the last time.
Speaker 21 (01:28:25):
Everything that we do to improve the mental health system
within Kaiser has only been within our fights during.
Speaker 5 (01:28:31):
The contract campaign campaign.
Speaker 21 (01:28:33):
So it hurts, but it's like it's like you know,
we're doing this for the benefit ultimately for the clients
to get better mental health service overall within.
Speaker 5 (01:28:43):
The Kaiser system. They will not do it on their own,
no matter what they say.
Speaker 6 (01:28:49):
And we have had a lot of support from our
patients via social media. Our patients are coming out to
the strike lines, making their own picket signs.
Speaker 5 (01:28:57):
Just cheering, TikTok videos and sort of.
Speaker 6 (01:29:01):
So community support and patient support has been amazing.
Speaker 3 (01:29:04):
I bring up the pushback issue because a lot of
times those that are in positions like you, are in
professions that are really in need, right and that are
crucial that you put the patients over your own well being,
over your own career, over your own retirement. Matter of fact,
(01:29:28):
what's one of the issues here is your retirement vehicle.
Speaker 7 (01:29:32):
And clearly in the past you group, the group had
allowed that patient advocacy to to override your needs and
you conceded in a space on the retirement vehicle. Right.
Speaker 3 (01:29:47):
So when I hear people say, oh, you know you're
you're you're not thinking about the patient, No, we actually
are thinking about the patient all the time. Yes, and
and you're thinking about them all the time, yes, and
and and when it gets this bad. The problem is
there only there are only people aren't hearing about at
the point that the conflict where you've now kind of
(01:30:08):
drawn the line in the sand, you said no more,
you have that right to draw it in the line,
to draw the line sand.
Speaker 7 (01:30:14):
Yeah, it's it's okay, you have the right.
Speaker 3 (01:30:17):
I we understand there's going to be people that are
made uncomfortable by it temporarily, we understand that. But that's
the definition of a protest, that's a definition of a
strike is if they didn't make anybody uncomfortable, they wouldn't work.
So so for those that say that, and and you know, look,
you're when I brought the issue up to see you
(01:30:39):
so empathetically so quickly respond to it in a way
where you were like, no, we obviously really think about
the patients, which is why we're arguing some of the
things you're arguing is based on patient care.
Speaker 7 (01:30:52):
Is that correct? What are those issues?
Speaker 13 (01:30:54):
Yes?
Speaker 21 (01:30:56):
So, so part of that I think I mentioned the
last time. Part of this is also there's the face
to it's. First of all, it's access, so being able
to get in to see your therapist within a timely manner,
not like not a month later or two months later.
So that's the first thing. The second thing is is
that it's not just the face to face time, it's
(01:31:16):
the indirect time, the administrative time that we need that
I think we said nine seconds, uh you know, nine
seconds for information the last time. So we really do
need that that protected time to be able to do
you know, non you know, non face to face work,
make reports, do correspondence, consult with our colleagues for quality care.
(01:31:39):
So and then the last thing, and I really once again,
your your podcast is so educational, but the pends live
radio show, get live radio show, live live radio show.
Speaker 3 (01:31:49):
Sorry, so for those that run a live radio show,
live radio show, we make sure we point that out
because we can't edit this.
Speaker 5 (01:31:58):
So yeah, live radio show. But also the pension and
you you spoke about it so well about.
Speaker 21 (01:32:05):
If Yeah, it's to hold on to quality employees because
if you have people leaving their jobs constantly, that does
impact the clients because if they have to start all
over again with new new therapists and tell their story.
I even'n had to some of my clients say I'm
going to wait for you to come back, which breaks
my heart, you know, But if they needed it there's crisis, but.
Speaker 5 (01:32:27):
They're willing to wait because they don't want to start
all over.
Speaker 21 (01:32:29):
So when you're not taking care of your employees, then
you get high turnover, which doesn't impact client care as well.
Speaker 7 (01:32:36):
Absolutely. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:32:37):
And so for any executive at Kaiser who you know,
they're doing pretty darn well. And you know, I don't
know if anybody's seen Kaiser's rates increases to the trust
funds that all of us have been screaming about the
last couple of years.
Speaker 7 (01:32:54):
It's not like they've been hurting.
Speaker 3 (01:32:56):
Matter of fact, they've bought a hospital network back East
in addition to some other things that they've done. So
you know, I I you know, it's again like big,
big corporation not paying attention to.
Speaker 7 (01:33:08):
The little stuff. And this is how it happens.
Speaker 3 (01:33:12):
Whether you're a Democrat or Republican or independent, you have
the right to withhold your labor until the employer until
you come to a reasonable agreement. Yes, we're not bad
for doing this, No, no.
Speaker 21 (01:33:26):
And we're asking for equity. I think Jessica said that
the last time. We're not asking for more. Correct they
have you know, our one hundred and twenty one thousand
union represented employees within Kaiser have a pension, have have
you know, had fair wage higher wages than we had
over the course of the past several years. And so
(01:33:49):
we're not asking for more, that's what that's the thing.
We're asking for the same equity as we've said.
Speaker 3 (01:33:55):
Yeah, and on the issue of pensions, let's let's stick
down a little bit deeper. There's some statistics I want
to throw at you from Man's like twenty year old statistics.
I don't remember exactly what they are now now, other
than they have gone down, they have gotten worse.
Speaker 7 (01:34:11):
And that is on retirement vehicles.
Speaker 3 (01:34:14):
And when I did a deep dive on this a
little bit right about twenty years ago, here's where the
statistics were. And I'm just using some round numbers to
make it easier for everybody it's listening on the other
side of this. And this is how important this issue is,
because we're when I did this deep dive twenty years ago,
we're now actually running into the problem where there's actually
(01:34:36):
a lack of retirement crisis in America. There's a lack
of retirement crisis, in other words, a retirement vehicle, retirement income,
retire medical and how people are economically affected when they retire.
We're actually just starting to go into that phase where
(01:34:58):
there's a crisis that's happening. And here's why the four
oh one K has really taken over. What is the
primary vehicle as a so called retirement it's not a
retirement vehicle, it's a savings vehicle. And ironically, if you
eighty percent of workers who have a four to oh
(01:35:19):
one K, now that's assuming all of them contribute.
Speaker 7 (01:35:23):
They don't. They don't.
Speaker 3 (01:35:26):
It's actually of all the workers that have a four
one K, it's only like sixty five percent contribute. But
let's just for statistical reasons use the argument that the
whole eighty percent is contributing. Let's just say that the
whole thing is they're all contributing. So eighty percent of
workers in the workforce. There is only thirteen percent of
(01:35:49):
the workforce that has a defined benefit, So you're talking
eighty seven percent. That's depending on the four one K.
Of that eighty seven percent, you take eighty percent of them.
So eighty percent of the workers that have a four
to one K option have to draw their retirement vehicle.
(01:36:13):
Excuse me, their four one K down to zero by
the time they retire for one of three reasons plant closure,
health issue, or death in the family.
Speaker 7 (01:36:25):
One of those three reasons take it to zero to zero.
So assuming all of them are.
Speaker 3 (01:36:35):
Contributing, that leaves a bucket of only twenty percent of
that pool left, right, So now you add that to
the thirteen percent. We know that the twenty percent is
not real. It's much smaller. You were talking a very
small percentage of people in America having a retirement vehicle,
(01:36:57):
and the four to one K, the so called you
know that's great diff No, it was never intended to
be this sole retirement vehicle. These people say, oh, you
got the soil security Okay, well it was. It was
actually meant that you have Social Security four one K
or a savings plan in addition to maybe your home
paid off or other you know, you know, eras or
(01:37:20):
personal investments that you may have done. And so you
had three prongs to you to your vehicle. So you know,
having a defined benefit was the anchor, and between the
defined benefit, the Social Security and then something supplemental you
would be in good shape upon retirement. Well, you know what,
(01:37:42):
we're at a stage now or less than twenty percent
of the population has something like that. And when you
just google, you know something where you're asking what the
average person has in their form one K and then
you'll look at what the eighty percent supposedly has.
Speaker 7 (01:38:01):
That's a bit shocking.
Speaker 3 (01:38:02):
When you see the balance, the average balance. So this
is something worth fighting for. And so what we're gonna
do is we're gonna take a quick break. We're just
gonna take a you know, like a ninety second break.
Mark is gonna play some of his really cool music,
uh while we just take a quick break. But and
then we'll come back and finish this conversation because I
(01:38:25):
really think it's important for us to recognize how important.
Speaker 7 (01:38:29):
Your fight is.
Speaker 3 (01:38:29):
It was much like the Boeing fight where where there
was an argument over the retirement vehicle and making sure
there's time, because the retirement vehicle is not just the pension,
it's also the retire remedical on top of it, issues
that seem to have disappeared because Corporate America wants to
put all the money in their pocket. This is Randy
Corgan with the Work of Power Our Case AA ten
fifty A and one oh six point five FM live
(01:38:50):
from San Bernardino. Team Seris nineteen thirty two Broadcast Networks.
Speaker 14 (01:38:56):
A hold of me tightly like a hawk alien nightly
whenever stop, Joe, I don't know. Turn off the lights
and I flow to the extreme. I walk a mic
like a van tho a lot off the stage and
watch a chunk like I can't do.
Speaker 7 (01:39:08):
A dance, must to speak of that boom.
Speaker 14 (01:39:10):
So I'm reeling your brain like a boys.
Speaker 17 (01:39:11):
Miss mushroom dead league.
Speaker 14 (01:39:13):
When I'm playing the melody, anything less than the best
is a fella need love it or leave it?
Speaker 4 (01:39:17):
You better?
Speaker 14 (01:39:17):
I can't play you better?
Speaker 7 (01:39:18):
Your bulls out of kid, don't play if there was
a problem, Joe, I saw of it.
Speaker 14 (01:39:22):
Chick out the hook one my DJ revoting. Now that
the party is jumping with the face kick, then then
(01:39:44):
the figgas off, parking quick to the point, to the point,
no fake KI cooking them seas like a pound up
turning them being quick and nimbo.
Speaker 3 (01:39:51):
I go crazy.
Speaker 14 (01:39:52):
When I hear a sele in a high hat with
a soup up tempo, I'm on a roll.
Speaker 7 (01:39:56):
It's time to go solo rolling.
Speaker 14 (01:39:58):
Then my five point er, my backtop down so my
hair can blow, and the girl's gonna stand by waiting
just to say, hid No, I just rolled. I kept on,
but so went to the next stop. I must have
left and I'm heading to the next block. The buck
was dead, Yoe, So I continue to a one A.
Girls were hot with me, rock men love us driving
because I'm out getting mine shape with the vanilla with
(01:40:22):
the ready for the chumps on the wall. The tump's
acting there because of brings down like a bell. I
grab I heard, but falling on the concrete real fast.
Jumped in my car, slammed on the gas. Bumma.
Speaker 12 (01:40:35):
The bummer of the avenue is packed.
Speaker 3 (01:40:37):
I'm trying to get away.
Speaker 14 (01:40:38):
Unfore the jack and Jacks please on the sea, you
know what I mean. They got New York can run
it off.
Speaker 7 (01:40:43):
If there was a problem, Joe, I saw it.
Speaker 14 (01:40:45):
Chick out the hook on my DJ pro.
Speaker 7 (01:40:47):
Boss all right, truth be told.
Speaker 3 (01:40:56):
I just needed a quick break a life show sometimes,
you know, I can see why they do commercial breaks
on on these on these talk shows and stuff. So
before we took that quick break, and again thanks for
the cool music. Hopefully Scott's listening in and he can
come in and do a live rendition of it right
here in front of the camera, so we can all
hear some of us have actually heard the live rendition.
(01:41:18):
I know, I think Lucky has so. And by the way,
I got Lucky Lepen sitting over here riding side saddle.
He's he's watching and he's wondering if I'm going to
yank him into the show and put a microphone in
front of him. But I've been trying to get his
wife on the show too, Becky, She'll be coming on
here pretty soon. But for those of you who don't
know Lucky Lepens, he helps us put on.
Speaker 7 (01:41:40):
The car show.
Speaker 3 (01:41:41):
He's part of Youth Helpers. He does all this stuff
when it comes to volunteering for the kids. It's just amazing.
Speaker 7 (01:41:48):
They run the whole camp up there, the Youth Helpers camp.
Speaker 3 (01:41:51):
Up in Big Bear. Just an amazing individual. Really appreciate
the partnership there. And he's also a teamster at Cisco
and he's a trustee at Teamster's Local eight forty eight.
Speaker 7 (01:42:03):
I don't I mean, is there any title I left
out on you? Lucky Yeah Car? Yeah that's right.
Speaker 3 (01:42:10):
He runs a car and motorcycle club. Hey yeah, Teamster
Car and motorcycle clubs. So thanks for hanging out with
us today.
Speaker 7 (01:42:17):
Lucky.
Speaker 3 (01:42:18):
And so before I took the break, I was talking
about the retirement issue and why it's important to fight.
And you know, forty years ago, fifty years ago, lots
of people had a good retirement vehicle, in other words,
a defined benefit, and then also had a retire remedical Yeah.
Retire remedicals like almost completely disappeared. Yeah, and most people,
(01:42:43):
at least the ones that have it. I was at
the International Foundation and I had to check some people
like you realize you're in this real small bucket.
Speaker 12 (01:42:49):
Now.
Speaker 3 (01:42:50):
I'm not saying that you should give it up at all.
I'm saying, appreciate the bucket you're in. Let's try to
help others get into the bucket. Yeah, because the smaller
the bucket gets, the the more likely it is for
you to lose your bucket completely. Anyway, it seeing workers
draw the line in the sand on the subject is
to me, it's very important. It's very empowering because unfortunately
(01:43:14):
the American worker and workers in America have gotten to
a point where they think that this isn't something that's attainable.
Speaker 7 (01:43:22):
And to me, it's for those of us that came
into the.
Speaker 3 (01:43:26):
Job at eighteen years old, and it was all there
and a bunch of older guys threatened my life right
when I walked in the door and said, don't you
give up our retirement vehicle or our retiree medical or
our medical or we'll throw you in a trailer and
beat you to a pulp. Right, I was like, all right, cool.
I mean, at eighteen years old, part of me was like, yeah,
let's fight. All right, cool, but it made sense, so
(01:43:46):
I didn't want to fight.
Speaker 15 (01:43:47):
Right.
Speaker 7 (01:43:49):
The point is is what happened to that you guys
are at the front of bringing an issue like that
to the forefront again. That is very powerful and it's
very important.
Speaker 3 (01:44:02):
And I'm so happy that you're back on the show
because it's an issue that we don't talk enough about
and and and so what are your thoughts on that.
Speaker 15 (01:44:12):
Go ahead of it?
Speaker 7 (01:44:13):
Well, did I stump you?
Speaker 21 (01:44:15):
I know, you know as someone who's like and it's
interesting because I think when you're young, you don't understand
that concept of pension, Like I didn't understand it when
I started the County.
Speaker 5 (01:44:25):
And it was like, now I understand it now at
my age and going like.
Speaker 21 (01:44:28):
Oh wow, I was at the County, I vested and
well I'm going to get a little pension. Now I
have it, and again you know, I have it now.
So the fact that and you know, and I think
when you once again, when you're young, you don't get it.
You're you're trying to you know, build a family, you know,
guild your career.
Speaker 7 (01:44:43):
Too busy chasing the dollar.
Speaker 21 (01:44:44):
I get it, and so I and I and honestly,
I think corporate America took advantage of that.
Speaker 5 (01:44:48):
Like I just you know, once again, I.
Speaker 21 (01:44:51):
Unfortunately some of the people that are going to be
in charge of of some of these things, I'm afraid
that they're going to decimate that. But that's you know,
but I think corporate America took advantage of that.
Speaker 5 (01:45:03):
And so I'm lucky I have the pension I I do.
Speaker 21 (01:45:08):
I have the I have the the healthcare, the retiree healthcare.
And as you as we age, we appreciate that more
and more. And so the fact that, you know, I
have young people that are investing in Kaiser and are
starting to like look at this as holy cow, the
four okay, get you know, it's not enough.
Speaker 5 (01:45:28):
You're right, it's not enough. So I think that we are,
you know, trying to educate people this is a big,
big deal.
Speaker 21 (01:45:35):
And I once again, I think that the fact that
Kaiser wants to say that we're greedy, mind you, I'm
sure all of those I think the administrators have that.
The executives have like eight different pension plans. Oh yeah,
you know, and so yeah, but we're the greedy.
Speaker 5 (01:45:48):
The workers are the greedy ones.
Speaker 6 (01:45:50):
We just want one, We just want our one.
Speaker 7 (01:45:51):
We just want one. And they have stock options and
stuff on.
Speaker 6 (01:45:58):
Top of their normal salary. That is outrageous anyways, But
and I just added that to Lisa, you're you're right,
So I somebody coming in that doesn't have the pension.
I started about a year after it went away for us,
our union has done it's a pension calculator, right for
people that are younger that don't quite understand it to
(01:46:18):
compare what you would be different.
Speaker 7 (01:46:20):
Yes, is it on a website that they can go
to and just pull it up. That's a tool.
Speaker 6 (01:46:25):
So we've had a lot of our members do that
just to kind of get more of an understanding of
why this is so important. That education has been huge.
The other thing is that there.
Speaker 7 (01:46:35):
There was and we get to that age where we
pay attention that quicker than we realize.
Speaker 5 (01:46:39):
Absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 6 (01:46:41):
And then the other piece of it is because so
many companies have gone away with the pension.
Speaker 7 (01:46:45):
There.
Speaker 6 (01:46:46):
Before we went out on strike, there was that, you know,
people being so unsure like, well, why are we even
going to fight for this because we're not going to
get it back. We're not going to get it back.
But now that we're out there, people are fired up like, yes,
let's fight this to.
Speaker 5 (01:46:59):
Get it back.
Speaker 7 (01:47:00):
You won't get it back if you believe you won't.
Speaker 6 (01:47:03):
Absolutely, absolutely, I will say that that that idea, that
feeling has changed based on the energy on our shrike lines.
But that was beforehand, like oh, do we really want
to go out for an open end to strike on
that issue? But yes, here we are and they're fighting.
Speaker 3 (01:47:20):
You touched on something, you know, the election of the
November fifth election. And here's the way I'm trying to
phrase it, and I think it's important that we all
look at it this way, is corporate America got what
it wanted on November fifth, and you can actually see
that in the appointments that are coming, like this is
not you can't hide from this. No one's gonna I'd
love to if you disagree with me come on this
(01:47:41):
show and absolutely tell me. I'd love to argue sitting
right here that Corporate America didn't win on November fifth.
Speaker 21 (01:47:48):
They did know what Elon Musk feels about unions in general,
what he did with his company.
Speaker 7 (01:47:52):
So yeah, that's correct.
Speaker 5 (01:47:53):
I've already been out there.
Speaker 3 (01:47:54):
So now it's time for workers in America to get
what they need. So yes, if if in the last
few decades corporate profits all time highs, it's our turn, period.
So instead of being mad or let's fight about or whatever.
All right, cool, y'all say that you protect workers. Well,
(01:48:15):
this is what we need, and we're going to withhold
our labor until you give us what we need. And
we'll be fair because you know, look at some of
these super wealthy people. I mean, you need five yachts,
you need to fly around in the spaceship to Mars,
you know what I mean. Like some of these like
so far removed from the reality of everyday life. It's incredible.
(01:48:39):
And somehow were the villains like no, no, no, no,
no no no. Corporate America got what it wanted. So
now it's time for workers in America to get what
they need. And I think we coin that phrase, and
we repeat this over and over on our radio show
and on billboards and everywhere, and we keep explaining to
workers that they can versus they can. Yes, what do
(01:49:01):
you have to say about that?
Speaker 7 (01:49:02):
I have one hundred percent agree, ready to go on
strike again even though.
Speaker 6 (01:49:05):
You're on strike, he said, radio show said billboards, and
I say a picket sign. I'll make one tomorrow.
Speaker 7 (01:49:12):
No, that's a great picket sign it and if somebody
steals it, you'll know where it started.
Speaker 6 (01:49:16):
Yes, yes, absolutely, the live radio show.
Speaker 7 (01:49:20):
Not the podcast.
Speaker 3 (01:49:21):
We do have a podcast that comes out of the
radio show. It turns into a recorded version, but we
don't edit it.
Speaker 1 (01:49:28):
I know.
Speaker 7 (01:49:28):
At Lisa's like, oh man, yeah, but no, I agree.
Speaker 5 (01:49:33):
I agree.
Speaker 6 (01:49:34):
Like if we believe, you know, it's it's we can
not we we can't.
Speaker 3 (01:49:38):
So, Lisa, you were telling me that your husband's affected
by HR eighty two very much.
Speaker 13 (01:49:43):
So.
Speaker 21 (01:49:44):
So my husband is a he's a he's a case
manager for Riverside County. So and he's been in uh
he's been in the public sector for a little less
than ten years.
Speaker 5 (01:49:58):
So that means that he's worked all of his working life.
Speaker 2 (01:50:01):
You know.
Speaker 21 (01:50:01):
It's it's like thirty the past thirty so years in
the private sector. So I remember hearing about that windfall,
and once again, sometimes these things I don't understand until
like the last minute, like oh, I need to know
what this is about.
Speaker 5 (01:50:15):
And so when you just read that and I found
that out, I was like, I got some good news
this week. So it's like, because that.
Speaker 21 (01:50:22):
Will impact us, that will directly impact that legislation.
Speaker 5 (01:50:26):
Sometimes I think that people don't know, like how like.
Speaker 21 (01:50:30):
You know, politics and legislation impacts their day to day lives.
Speaker 5 (01:50:35):
That's huge.
Speaker 21 (01:50:35):
That's a big deal because yeah, he's going to be
able to get his full social Security that he worked
hard for, as well as the pension that he's getting
for the public sect.
Speaker 3 (01:50:47):
Isn't it crazy that it's it's called windfall elimination, like windfall,
Like okay, maybe so much.
Speaker 7 (01:50:55):
I think I won.
Speaker 3 (01:50:58):
This is what's not like I got to hand it
the right to work foundation and you know, I mean
right to work, the whole right to work. Like they've
coined these phrases that they own that sound the complete
opposite of what they actually are, like the windfall elimination situation,
like like that situation, like I'm in this wind fall
(01:51:21):
with my Social Security.
Speaker 7 (01:51:23):
That I heard that I actually that I paid into.
Speaker 3 (01:51:28):
And then I go and I get a public pension
and somehow I get penalized because I got a windfall,
like like I won the lottery.
Speaker 7 (01:51:37):
Like this is crazy again. It's great.
Speaker 3 (01:51:42):
I know, we're having fun with it, but there's a
lot of this that's happened over the last few decades
because I think you said, corporate America is taking advantage
of this by you know, taking advantage of us, by
us being so busy, right, trying to get the kids
to soccer, trying to do this, trying to do that.
You know, you know, you're you're trying to manage the household.
(01:52:03):
You're going to work a lot of cases, working you know,
fifty hours or more a week, some people working two
jobs three and and you know, kids, I know what
me and my brother did, and we were left home alone.
Speaker 7 (01:52:15):
We were boneheads, you know what I mean, We're like,
we're got in trouble.
Speaker 3 (01:52:18):
Can we get you know, and you know, so you know,
it leads to all these other cascades into other issues,
and you know, and somehow we're the bad guy when
we say, hey, you know, don't you think we should
get a little fair shake in this, And of course
we need to listen to somebody who's you know, who
buys Twitter for forty four billion dollars like okay, like
(01:52:44):
and and if you really drilled down on what was said,
like you just pounded this corporate America message, and you know,
shame on people who actually ate it up and are
part of the working class, Like come on, do you
honestly think that individual I was actually joking with someone
the other day. Everybody knows Elon Musk wants to populate
(01:53:07):
the world himself, right, he's oh, he said this multiple times, right, yeah,
he has lots of kids, and he says, I think
I think lots of people should have lots of kids. Well,
of course, because what's happening is people are having less
kids now, so there's less workers to exploit. Yes, right,
I mean, when you really think about it, you know,
it's people in that mindset where some of us are thinking, well,
(01:53:29):
you know, I mean I can't say this because I
actually populated the world. My wife and I have nine kids,
by the way, but I didn't I didn't complain about it,
and I wasn't trying to do it to exploit labors,
but we did it for sports purposes. We can play baseball,
we can play football. We have a full team, no
(01:53:51):
matter what, right, no matter what. So we're about ready
to wrap this up a little bit. Anything you guys
want to close on, We got plenty of time to
wrap up. But really appreciate you coming on, and I'll
tell you what. It was so inspiring to see members
like you down in San Diego last night, just knocking
(01:54:11):
Kaiser right in the teeth. I wish I was a
fly on the wall inside the stadium to see those
executives go.
Speaker 7 (01:54:20):
We got to close this down. We got to shut
it down.
Speaker 5 (01:54:26):
That's great.
Speaker 7 (01:54:27):
I wish I had a drone to fly over something. Yes, yes,
So when's your next action?
Speaker 6 (01:54:36):
Actually, so we're still waiting for to come back to
the bargaining table, right, we're still they've been ignoring us
the past.
Speaker 7 (01:54:41):
People, we could have went down and caught them at
the stadium.
Speaker 3 (01:54:44):
Yeah, I should have brought a table out, Yes, we
should have brought.
Speaker 7 (01:54:47):
Some tables out.
Speaker 21 (01:54:47):
Here's a limousines as you're yes, yea of those CEOs,
yeah yeah, yeah, the CEOs of those So.
Speaker 6 (01:54:55):
We're so we're still waiting on them to come back again.
We are they They're continue to put out these ads.
We're not afraid by them. They are actually inspiring us
and motivating us. More and more of our workers are
getting out there on the lines to join us. Like
I said, so continue to lie about us, Kaiser, continue
to you know, spread this.
Speaker 21 (01:55:15):
Newspaper ads just basically distorted and full blown lies.
Speaker 5 (01:55:19):
It's just lying.
Speaker 19 (01:55:20):
It is so.
Speaker 6 (01:55:21):
But again it's not You're not scaring us, you're not
weakening us. We are getting stronger every day, we're getting louder,
and we're waiting for you to come back. We'll be ready.
We'll be the ones in the NUHW shirts, the red shirts.
Speaker 3 (01:55:34):
So well, really got to hand it to you again.
I know I'm going to get a ton of positive
feedback from the two of you on the show. I
got a ton of positive feedback. Line, your energy is
spot on. Everybody loved that that you hitting the table.
You know, anybody who's an advocate for a union or
you know in some way advocacy within the confines of
(01:55:56):
what we do, appreciates what you're doing right now.
Speaker 7 (01:55:59):
The energy that you bring into this. So thank you
very much.
Speaker 3 (01:56:02):
I know everybody that listens to this show is all
excited from listening to this segment. We appreciate it and
quite frankly holding the line on an issue that a
lot of people abandoned. And unfortunately, for a few decades
this issue has kind of been walked away from and
you're at Corporate America has won the message in the
narrative on this, and it's really important for us as
labor advocates to say this is okay to fight for.
(01:56:26):
You know, you obviously saw the Boeing workers. They ultimately
conceded and I don't know if you noticed, but they
announced that they were going to lay off seventeen thousand
Boeing workers just I think it was yesterday, and so
I don't know if that's in retribution or what.
Speaker 13 (01:56:40):
You know.
Speaker 3 (01:56:40):
I mean, you got to break that down and see,
sometimes the layoff does happen temporarily because you shut the
operation down, and if you shut the production down, there's
going to be a delay, So you have a layoff
for a bit and then everybody will.
Speaker 7 (01:56:50):
Be recalled later on.
Speaker 3 (01:56:52):
Let us peel back the layers and figure that out
before we actually report on it and say that it
is something negative it could just be a temporary situation
as a result of the action itself, which means that
it worked. And most importantly, for those of you that
are listening, if you do have a retirement vehicle defined benefit,
don't assume everybody else in the world has one. That's
(01:57:12):
what I found that union members that have these benefits
sometimes forget that you're in a very small percentage, sometimes
five percent, seven percent, ten percent, maybe eleven percent at
the biggest in these buckets, depending on what that combination
of benefits are. And if you're if you're fighting for
(01:57:35):
something like this, you know, be sophisticated about it, be
diligent about it. And it's okay. In other words, it's
okay to say, what's going to happen when I'm fifty seven,
when I'm sixty two, what's going to happen pre sixty five?
I mean, there's some people that want to extend the
retirement date to like seventy or seventy two. So thank
(01:57:55):
you very much for coming on the show. Really appreciate it.
I'm going to wrap up the back part of the
show in clothes like I always do, by talking about
worker power and this is this is the definition of
worker power.
Speaker 7 (01:58:05):
This is how we build worker powers.
Speaker 3 (01:58:07):
Workers coming together saying hey, I want my defined benefit back,
or I want one and I never had one, or
I want retiree medical or you know, my working conditions
or patient care is affected this way or affected that way.
You have every right as a worker in this country
to fight for all of these issues. Quite frankly, you
have a right to fight for everything. You can actually
(01:58:28):
argue that the polls in the building that you're in
need to be painted blue.
Speaker 7 (01:58:33):
You have that right.
Speaker 3 (01:58:34):
Yeah, right, that's where that's where I was going, right
the the we have that rights as a worker in America,
and we got to stop giving it away. And so
what are we doing here in the Inland Empire. We're
building worker power. And how are we building worker power.
We're talking to our friends, We're talking to our neighbors.
We've got billboards, we got our buses, we've got the
radio show. We've got all these workers talking about worker power,
(01:58:57):
and they're they're starting to understand that when you come
together and demand worker power and we talk to our friends,
we talk to our neighbors, and we talk to our family,
that we can build worker power. Longtime organizer first time
radio host Randy Corgan A Workerpower Are KCAA ten fifty
A M one oh six point five FM, live from
San Bernardino, Teamsters nineteen thirty two Broadcast network signing off,
(01:59:21):
see you next week.
Speaker 9 (01:59:34):
You're listening to KCAA, your good neighbor along.
Speaker 7 (01:59:38):
The way.
Speaker 12 (01:59:48):
NBC News on KCAA Lomolada, sponsored by Teamsters Local nineteen
thirty two. Protecting the Future of Working Families, Teamsters nineteen
thirty two. Dot Organ.
Speaker 13 (02:00:00):
M hm hm
Speaker 2 (02:00:03):
H for k c A A ten fifty A m
n B
And now the voices of KCAA was an exciting announcement.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Want to hear NBC News or KCAA anywhere you go, Well,
now there's an app for that.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
KCAA is celebrating twenty five years in our silver anniversary
with a brand new app.
Speaker 4 (00:22):
The new KCAA App is now available on your smart device,
cell phone.
Speaker 5 (00:27):
In your car, or any place.
Speaker 6 (00:29):
Just search KCAA on Google Play or in the Apple Store.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
One touch and you can listen on your car radio,
Bluetooth device, Android Auto or Apple Car Play.
Speaker 7 (00:38):
Catch the KCAA buzz in your earbuds or on the streets.
Speaker 8 (00:41):
Celebrating twenty five years of talk news and excellence with
our new KCAA app.
Speaker 7 (00:46):
Just do it and download it.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
KCAA celebrating twenty five year.
Speaker 9 (00:53):
In agnews for Magnet West. Talking with the legendary Stewart
Wool from Wolf Farming and Processing, I asked Stuart, how
much has it changed from when you started farming on
the west side of Fresno to now, especially with the water.
Speaker 10 (01:07):
You know, I can't remember a day where we weren't
concerned about water. You look back over like your career
or whatever, and you realize I've spent so much time, effort,
and energy trying to make the case that getting water
to these farmlands and having reliable, cost effective sources of
water for us to farm. Really we've just kind of
(01:30):
have lost all along the way. We couldn't convince state
legislators to continue to invest in water infrastructure or to
make sure that there was enough water for the environment
and for farming. If you look at the water thing
in the state, you know, a lot of the water
was diverted for environmental purposes, and we really haven't had
(01:53):
a positive impact in that area. But we have ended
up really placing hardship and increasing costs on the farming
community that produces the food we eat. So, yeah, we
see rising prices and all this. It's just been kind
of a failed effort to protect the environment and to
provide secure water. It's it's been kind of a losing proposition.
Speaker 9 (02:17):
That was Stuart Wolf, president at Wolf Farming and Processing.
Speaker 11 (02:20):
Today we're talking with aphids and wife flies about sefena
insecticide from basf We just.
Speaker 5 (02:26):
Get knelled with it. So tell us, how.
Speaker 11 (02:28):
Are you feeling really really weird and you still wanted
to devour this field?
Speaker 12 (02:34):
No, way.
Speaker 5 (02:35):
Way, there you have it, folks.
Speaker 11 (02:37):
Safena insecticide is specifically engineered to dissorient aphis and wife
flies so they can't eat, and when they can't eat,
they can't destroy.
Speaker 7 (02:44):
Help protect your alfalfa from aphids with Sefina insecticide. Always
read and follow label directions.
Speaker 9 (02:50):
I'm Nick Popagny the agmeter for Agnet West.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Located in the heart of San Bernardino, California, the Teamsters
Local nineteen thirty two Training Center is designed to train
workers for high demand, good paying jobs and various industries
throughout the Inland Empire. If you want a pathway to
a high paying job and the respect that comes with
a union contract, visit nineteen thirty two Training Center dot
(03:17):
org to enroll today. That's nineteen thirty two Trainingcenter dot org.
Speaker 9 (03:26):
You're listening to KCAA, your good neighbor along the way.
Speaker 12 (03:32):
This is CACAA.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Welcome to the Worker Power Hour with Randy Corrigan, a
brand new show about labor and worker issues. The host
of the show is Randy Corrigan, Secretary Treasurer and Principal
Office and Leader of Teamsters nineteen thirty two, one of
the largest public sector labor unions. On the West Coast,
representing workers in government and non sworn law enforcement personnel.
(03:55):
Randy Corgan is a thirty year Teamster who first became
involved in the labor movement by volunteering his time as
an organizer with the team Swers Union at the age
of twenty one.
Speaker 7 (04:05):
Since then, he's helped.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Thousands organized, mobilized, and achieved bargaining rights. He accomplished this
by spending countless hours with brave men and women all
over southern California in their living rooms on the picket
line to bring workers towards victory. This is the Worker
Power Hour, and now here's the host of the show,
Randy Corgan.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Good afternoon, everybody, Randy Corgan and the Worker Power Hour.
You got some music for me there, Mark you gonna
what is it?
Speaker 7 (04:34):
Okay?
Speaker 13 (04:34):
All right?
Speaker 7 (04:36):
And you got to turn that up a little bit.
Speaker 14 (04:38):
Yeah, let's chack it.
Speaker 7 (04:42):
I love it.
Speaker 15 (04:44):
You know.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
We got to get Scott on here to actually sing
this song because he does a really good job of actually.
Speaker 7 (04:48):
Saying that's exactly who that was for.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
It's for you, Scott, if you're listening live, that's for
Scott anyway, longtime organizer, first time radio host. Here I'm
actually about ready to come on my the one year
anniversary of the show Randy Corgan A Worker Power Our
CASEAA ten fifty AM, one six point five FM. This
is the Teamsters nineteen thirty two broadcast Network. We're excited
(05:12):
to obviously report out this partnership that we have.
Speaker 7 (05:16):
I actually have a full studio today. I got a
bunch of people roaming around here.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
I got Lucky over here taking pictures and maybe I
can sucker him to get onto the show here in
a minute. I got Ralph putting his fingers behind Mark's
head over here, and everybody having a good time. But hey,
last week, what a great show we had last week.
This Teamster advantage partner that came on. Jose, the general
(05:42):
manager from the Banning restaurant called Los Caos. You know,
I actually went there the next day. I went there
on Thursday and I had a shrimp cocktail and we
had a few dishes, and man, boy, I just got
to say, the food was off to charts as well
as he was describing it. The as much as the
(06:06):
as Jose was describing how good the food was, it
was even better in person. So if you get a chance,
if you get a chance come in order, especially the seafood,
especially the mariscos. I think that's how you say, right, right,
Robert Martskos, I do it right, Okay. I get sometimes
(06:27):
I can say some of these these these Spanish words
and pronounce them, pronounce them correctly every now and then,
not all the time, but most of the time, sometimes
half the time, maybe a third of the time. Anyway,
with that, make sure that you go to that restaurant
banning it is. It is very very good, great atmosphere,
(06:47):
you know, the the way they reset that place up
from the previous owners or from the previous setup.
Speaker 16 (06:56):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Now it's a breakfast place and a mix food place,
and it's got to looks like what is a really
good happy hour. I went there pretty late, got off
work and ended up stopping by there. I think it
was about eight thirty or seven thirty or eight o'clock,
And all I got to say is that was the
best from cocktail I've ever had, little Spicy, the very
(07:18):
very good. As far as the broth is concerned, I
don't know what they call that, what the actual term
for it is, but but it just had such a
great flavor. Didn't need to add anything to it. It
was just great right out the gate, it was.
Speaker 7 (07:32):
It was phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
And then we also had Jason the Steward, our shop
steward from Chino Valley Fire District on. He did a
great job. Hopefully you're listening again Jason Live today, but
he did a really good job of talking about how
the workers came together there at the fire district and
helped press those leaders there and also make sure that
(07:56):
we remind everybody that the the board member who got
in front of trying to prevent these workers from getting
a good contract was very quickly knocked out of office
as a result of that. And so kudos to all
that community and everybody getting behind the workers there in
that community and making sure that they have good leadership
(08:18):
leading the fire district. The employees, not just the firefighters,
but all the employees that are employed in a fire
district are important, not just the firefighter itself. The firefighter
can't do what they can do without all the workers
around them, and I think this is obviously one of
the reasons why we do what we do on this show.
And Jason, again, thank you all of the members out
(08:41):
there at the Chino Valley Fire District great job, abe
Gego's great job at helping getting that bringing that contract home.
Looking forward to you guys building more worker power and
helping other workers in the area do what they need
to do. So next part of the show is are
live shoutouts. The first live shot out I want to
(09:01):
give is that airmcer Lauren bart Bartlett. We also have
Jen's parents listening in from our office staff Bill and
Linda looks like Wassoom from Highland, California. It's great that
we've got all these people getting their family members and
everybody else listening in. It's cool to get feedback from
(09:23):
people that are just not not just teamsters or in
the labor movement, but those that are maybe connected or
not even connected at all, just hearing generally what they
think of the show. We also have Tito Ramirez from
San Maritino County Traffic Division listening in live. We have
Nicole Milled from the City of Colton. We have Brian
(09:44):
Hickinson from the City of Needles Water and Sewer Apartment.
We have Fontana members as a whole listening in. I'm
not sure who they all are. I know that I
believe they got a contract that they're going to be
taken out for vote here pretty soon, something that's a
recommended offer for them to be voting in the next
few days. Hopefully I didn't let the cat out of
the bag and the business agents have already let them know.
(10:07):
My bad, My apologies if I if I messed that
up anyway. City of San Brinino Code Enforcement with an
Animal Shelter members Tricia Flores and Crystal Olds Stewart's at Rauto.
We also had Kirk Garrison and our favorite Susan Loftis Susan,
I'm gonna I'm gonna say this every week that you're
listening live. We're gonna get you on this show, and
(10:27):
we're gonna get you sitting over here to my is
she coming on?
Speaker 7 (10:31):
All right? She coming on next week?
Speaker 3 (10:32):
I guess my my badgering finally paid off, right, Robert,
So we'll get We'll get Susan to to tell us
why she finally gave in from what is this the
thirtieth time I've asked her to come on the show.
Madeline Gonzalez from the City of Barstow, Patricia Hernandez from
Public Health, tre Teresa Parciato from RMC, Jeremy Lopez, Olivia,
(10:57):
Jerma Germera and Christa Hunter all from RMC. Thanks for
listening live. Everybody really appreciate it. If you want to
get a live shout out, make sure you let us know.
And then we have Michelle texting me right now from
Pete Town. Michelle Etheridge from the City of Pomona listening
in live, saying don't forget me. If we're live today,
(11:18):
I won't forget you, Michelle. I just just said it
are three Teamster jobs. This is one of our favorite
parts of the show. For many of you listeners. You're
always like, what are they going to be the three
jobs today? Here's a unique one you know back in
the day. The first job I'm going to lay out
as a matter of fact, Dennis Reardon, who used to
work with us and helped us essentially build the infrastructure
(11:40):
of this organization. His father was the president of a
union that did this job. There was actually a union
of those that did the job I'm about to talk
about right now, which is Lamar Billboard employees. So the
billboards you see on the freeways that have it Lamar
logo on it on the bottom, many of those are built, managed,
maintained by Teamsters. Those are Teamster members and there used
(12:04):
to be a billboard union organization many many, many many
years ago, and Dennis Reardon's father was the president of
that union. I think it was in Missouri, whatever local
it was that was in Missouri. And so shout out
to Dennis Arden. Hopefully he's listening in live. I actually
(12:27):
got a chance to talk to him again today, and
he's always sending his best wishes to us, and we're
obviously sending ours to him as well. He is enjoying
his retirement as he should, and we would not be
where we are today if it wasn't for that individual.
He's just an amazing individual, and I hope that you
get to enjoy every day of that retirement like you
(12:48):
look like you are on Facebook right now. The next
one is the Teamsters that we have at the Superior
Court of California. Employees at the Superior Court of California,
County of Samard, you know, perform a roles to ensure
the effectiveness of administrative of justice, and that is they
manage appeal processes, they record court transcripts as well as
(13:09):
the oversea court administrative processes and strategic planning and we
also have a bunch of attorneys there too in some
of the classifications. So next time you're in the court,
hopefully it's not for a bad thing. Hopefully it's for
something it's not so bad. I can't think of off
the top of my head why you'd be in court unless.
Speaker 7 (13:28):
It was a bad thing at least right now.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
But maybe someone can remind me of the good reasons
why you're in court. But just remember, if you're in
Samardino County, many of the individuals that are in there
helping process everything are actually teamsters as well. And then
also the City of Samardino public Works department. Employees at
Samordino Public Works maintain roads, streets, parks, and sewers. With
(13:51):
the increase in homelessness, they are also on the front
lines of making sure our parks and recreation recreational areas
are kept clean and safe. And you know, clearly, with
the challenge of homelessness happening across the nation quite frankly
across the world, it's definitely a tough job for our
public works departments at all of our cities and our
(14:12):
counties that are represented. So a big shout out to
those teamsters doing those very important jobs, and so with that,
I'm actually gonna mix things up here right now, and
I'm gonna gonna not do a bunch of the news.
I'm just gonna talk briefly about something in the news
that's really important.
Speaker 7 (14:32):
Many people may.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
Have seen the HR eighty two past the House, and
I'm going to talk about this in more depth later on.
But that's a big deal for us for HR eighty
two to pass, because we actually, over the last few
months have been encouraging our members to engage in this
and make sure that their congressional leaders have been contacted
(14:56):
and we have been asking them to be support And
we're going to see the full list of who who
was a yes vote on this here pretty soon, so
hopefully we'll be able to unfold is that our membership
activity in this space created a really good bipartisan effort
to pass something that adjusts there's an.
Speaker 7 (15:19):
Issue with social security.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
If you worked in the private sector for a while
and then you go into a public sector job and
you end up drawing a public pension, a public sector pension,
government pension, there's a penalty to your social security which
makes no sense, especially for the average worker, because quite frankly,
your Social Security You pay for it, so why are
(15:43):
they penalizing something that you pay for? And I understand
why it went into effect many decades ago because there
were individuals that were capitalizing it on it on the
top end, you know, your like your city managers and executives,
and they call it a windfall excite or something like that.
And so I'm gonna talk a little bit more about that.
(16:04):
So great job for all of you that are listening
in that actually called your congressional leaders and encouraged them
to be supportive. We're hopeful that that push that we
did across the country and specifically something that we agitated
a lot here in southern California, We're hopeful that that
was the difference, and it was it encouraged some congressional
leaders to get on board with eliminating a penalty that
(16:27):
they shouldn't have had. And so with that, I am
going to go into what is my favorite part of
the show, which is our Teamster Advantage partner and our
Teamster Advantage network. I have Daniel Jack from People Helping
People and just quick if this is the first time
listening to the show, I've always got to do my
(16:47):
little rap on the team's advantage program and the fact
that we're in twenty six chambers of commerce and commerce
and we're connected to more than a thousand small businesses.
And one of the things that we do is we
try to utilize our platform to help those small businesses.
We advertise for them for free, we have them in
our app, we send out push notifications and all this.
(17:08):
We do this for free because what we want is
we want to make sure that small business owners are
connected to a network of working people so that they
can thrive and they can support their family as well.
Being a small business owner is difficult and tough, and
you know they need help too, just like working people do.
And we're all in the same bucket in this space,
(17:29):
and we think it's really important for us to collaborate
and do the best we can it making sure that
the money stays in a local economy. And the best
way to do that is to support small business and
do everything we can to participate with small business. And
I'll shut up here for a minute and I'll let
Daniel Jack from People Helping People introduce himself and discuss
(17:53):
your great business.
Speaker 8 (17:54):
Daniel, thank you for having me on the show.
Speaker 7 (17:57):
Got to get you to get a little closer to that.
Speaker 8 (17:59):
Mike, appreciate you having me on the show. So basically,
I've been in the insurance industry for about seven years now.
I started with this company about four years ago, and
we help people to secure themselves with insurance annuities. We
help with debt protection or i'm sorry, debt elimination and
(18:22):
asset protection, so things like we actually have something similar
to I saw the Teamsters have it in a text here.
It is called the Teamster Teamster VIP plus plan.
Speaker 7 (18:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 8 (18:48):
So basically that is like the living benefits of our
insurance protection. So if an individual were to get an
insurance policy, it's called living benefits that are already built
into the policy, and it's basically, if you're unable to
(19:08):
work for an extended period of time, you're living benefits
will kick in and take care of the bills that
never stop coming. So that's one thing the insurance protection.
I'm not sure if you've heard of anything called an
indexed universal life before.
Speaker 7 (19:27):
I have. Yeah, most people listening probably haven't, though, go
ahead and explain it.
Speaker 8 (19:31):
So we it's called an index universal life in that
basically it's an insurance policy that also has a built
in savings plan with it, and that savings aspect participates
in the market, but is not It doesn't it's not
(19:52):
affected directly by the market. So your funds will grow
as the market grows. But if the market were to
take a dive, your funds will stay protected. Will you
never lose a red scent that you've put into the policy?
You can only gain with this policy. So that's one
(20:12):
of another advantage for what we do.
Speaker 7 (20:17):
So how long have you been doing this business? How
long have you been in business doing.
Speaker 8 (20:21):
This I've been doing insurance for about seven years with
people helping people. I've been with them about four years,
roughly five four to five years.
Speaker 7 (20:32):
Insurance.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
So many people, you know, realize that you've got to
have health insurance, you have car insurance, you have life insurance.
There's all kinds of insurance.
Speaker 7 (20:42):
You got dog.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
Insurance, which is true, right, there's all kinds of insurance.
So when you say insurance, what are all the different
insurances you do? So there's different certifications for all of them.
Speaker 8 (20:52):
Right there is. So I do life insurance. So anything
from termins learned to up all the way up into
the the I U. L. Types of insurance, which is
a new form of whole life, a new form of
whole life. Correct, yes, so it.
Speaker 7 (21:10):
Many people my age bracket just remember the whole life expression.
Speaker 8 (21:14):
Yeah, so there's there's been a few evolutions from the
whole life. What the new form of the whole life
is a little bit better protection. You're actually able to
get both buckets. If if you're an old school whole
life person, you understand that back then you were only
(21:34):
able to get the one bucket, the insurance portion, and
then you know, if if anything were to happen to you,
knock on wood, there was no savings aspect, it was
just you you built towards the insurance.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
So I've always been in the impression that you could
take a life insurance policy.
Speaker 7 (21:58):
Out on anybody, Right, it's under a certain amount. Not true, No,
not true.
Speaker 8 (22:04):
You you you need to have a but you can
help me vested interest in the person.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
So like so if somebody owed me money, I could
take a life insurance policy out on them, so just
in case something happened to.
Speaker 7 (22:16):
Guarantee my bank. No, that's not a vest no, not
that one.
Speaker 8 (22:23):
So like any any family member, you're able to do that,
Like I couldn't take an insurance like a fifth cousin
fifth cousin. Maybe maybe we have to look into we
have to look into the finer details with that. But
I wouldn't be able to take an insurance policy out
on you and vice versa. It just has to do
(22:44):
with family. Yeah. As far as the debt protection or
debt elimination goes, we help people. So everybody nowadays has
credit card debt, maybe student loan debt. So we help
people to minimize the amount that they are paying out
(23:06):
on a monthly basis to bring down their debt and
then use that what they're saving and they can put
it towards, you know, whatever else, maybe put it into
their savings.
Speaker 7 (23:19):
Debt.
Speaker 8 (23:21):
I wouldn't recommend that, but I would recommend putting it,
putting it into your savings, maybe purchasing going with that
alue l and building towards you know, a secure, more
secure retirement.
Speaker 7 (23:38):
Do you have any funny stories? You gotta have some
funny stories.
Speaker 8 (23:41):
And the insurance, I honestly I don't.
Speaker 7 (23:44):
Like you found out crazy.
Speaker 8 (23:45):
It's crazy. The stories that I have have to do
with people unfortunately being diagnosed with say cancer, yeah, something severe. Yeah,
you know, something like that. However, because of the living benefits,
they were able to focus more.
Speaker 7 (24:05):
On well, let's tell a good story. Yeah, it's still
a good story.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
So what's your favorite story? Obviously you don't have to
give names of who the people are, but.
Speaker 8 (24:14):
So a mentor of mine front the office that I
work in in Pasadena, his sister, I want to say,
about six months before she was diagnosed with a rare
form of breast cancer, got one of our and you know,
she just something to do. Six months later, she's diagnosed
(24:38):
with this this form of breath breast cancer. You know,
obviously distraught about it and wondering like how how they're
going to make ends meet her and her family, her husband,
her kids. But because the plan had living benefits built
into it, she just simply made a call to the
(25:00):
insurance company said hey, I have this diagnosis. I'm going
to be out of work for six months or so,
can you help.
Speaker 7 (25:10):
Me out, and then is able to draw on it. Yeah,
she was.
Speaker 8 (25:13):
Able to draw on her insurance. I believe she got
like eighty thousand dollars a check cut for eighty thousand dollars.
She's able to take care of all of her bills
and focus on what really mattered, which was getting better
and yes today story that's okay, she's cancer free.
Speaker 7 (25:30):
That's awesome.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
See that's a good story, got a good ending. Anything
else you want to cover before we wrap this up.
We really appreciate the relationship and how you know small businesses.
Is always trying to help you know the community and
obviously trying to help small businesses survive. When you're competing
with these huge corporations, right, you know, it definitely has
(25:51):
its challenges.
Speaker 7 (25:52):
So anything you want to close up with.
Speaker 8 (25:54):
So to close out, she's understanding that we were work
with the larger companies, the AIG's foresters, the nlg's National
Life Groups. We work with them to be able to
bring the services to the clients. But my service is
(26:17):
complementary and you're able to take care of everything that
you need as far as the insurance coverage, the debtor,
the debt elimination, and building towards your retirement and financial future.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
Great, anything else you want to talk about your business
before we cut you off the air. I really appreciate
you coming on the show.
Speaker 8 (26:39):
By that that's pretty much it. I just want to
get the name out there and help.
Speaker 7 (26:42):
People help people too. Yes, that's good. I like the
I like the I like the title, I like the name.
I like it.
Speaker 3 (26:49):
It's really Oh absolutely, it's uh, it's it's catchy and.
Speaker 8 (26:52):
That that's exactly what we do. We do it totally
free of charge, and we're able to help you to,
you know, eliminate their debt, build their retirement savings and
just have a better, better way of life.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
Well, thank you, Daniel Jack. This is people helping people.
He's with with people helping people. And make sure if
you're you know, keep in mind obviously there's a lot
of options in this space, but when someone says they're
going to do it for free, you know, why not
talk to them and walk through it first and have
a good understanding. So really appreciate you coming on, Daniel.
Speaker 8 (27:29):
Thank you for having me on.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
I appreciate you absolutely And what that Mark wy don't
you just take some quick music before we switch.
Speaker 7 (27:35):
Over to our next guest.
Speaker 3 (27:36):
We're for those of you listening in, We're gonna have
Liz Ortega come on. Assembly Member Liz Ortega will be
coming on the line. You're pretty soon we're going to
be talking about some labor activities legislatively.
Speaker 7 (27:47):
Throughout the state of California, Take it Away Month.
Speaker 16 (27:52):
Because we were downtown, bouncing round from door to door,
there ain't a song.
Speaker 17 (27:58):
I was insane.
Speaker 16 (28:01):
From the DJ's on the twos and fours to the
honky town on the hardwood floors.
Speaker 17 (28:05):
I was out throwing down in the middle of a
crowd when a boy and a fan brother bull out.
Speaker 10 (28:12):
I'm just so killed.
Speaker 17 (28:14):
I was raised on the rail.
Speaker 7 (28:17):
The minifest clubs to.
Speaker 17 (28:19):
A Hollywood rocking woo.
Speaker 9 (28:21):
Took a trip to music.
Speaker 17 (28:22):
Say a little bit of everything with me.
Speaker 4 (28:25):
I'm a little bit of bas say the old eggs,
a little bit of clap yarns. I'm a little bit
of six strings on the back beae the fiddle in
the band.
Speaker 16 (28:38):
I'm lock up bernstay from MO three and a Mustang.
You never knew what was coming. Sure, I can't help
to be R and B or a.
Speaker 4 (28:50):
Touch of train Hegg guitars and dash for drum man.
Speaker 17 (28:56):
Hey, I'm just so killed.
Speaker 16 (29:00):
That was raised on the radio memphist Bloom to a
Hollywood rocket, took a trip to music set.
Speaker 4 (29:09):
I was little being everything with me. I'm a little
bit of bass, say the old age, a little bit.
Speaker 17 (29:14):
Of clap your own hands.
Speaker 16 (29:15):
I'm a little bit of six streams on.
Speaker 17 (29:17):
The back beat, y'all hit the next from the DJs
on the tusing fourth to the Honkey Town.
Speaker 16 (29:31):
From an arm work floors, from the first song to
the encore.
Speaker 17 (29:37):
I'm just like Jim. I was raising the raid Memphis
bos to Holly going back, took a trip to music set.
Speaker 13 (29:49):
Little bit of everything, man, I'm.
Speaker 4 (29:53):
A little bit of bass, say the old age, a
little bit of clap your own hands, a little bit
of six.
Speaker 17 (29:58):
Strings on back bead.
Speaker 7 (30:23):
Randy Corgan here and the Worker Power Hour.
Speaker 3 (30:26):
I've always wanted to say this live from Sandraddino k
c AA ten fifty a M one oh six point
five FM. Teamsters nineteen thirty two Broadcast Network.
Speaker 7 (30:36):
How about that?
Speaker 3 (30:37):
Yeah right, yeah, here we are a longtime organizer, first
time radio host. Let's hear it for for Daniel. Jackie's
also a member. I failed to mention it while he
was in here. He's a member of Teamsters nineteen thirty two.
Works out of our I think it's our Del Rosa
Tad whatever it is, I think it's one of the
Tad locations. So working hard as a as a employee,
(31:00):
and then also doing a little side business and and
just trying to you know, work hard and feed the family,
and and you're.
Speaker 7 (31:09):
Really really hustle.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
As I would say, some people say when you use
the word hustle, that you're trying to hustle people out
of something. I've always used the term if someone's hustling,
that they're that they're working hard, they're knocking on doors,
and they're trying to earn money, and they're really doing
the best job that they can of making things happen.
And so we're going to have assembly Woman Liz Ortega
(31:34):
come on here in a few minutes. I think she's
going to be calling in live. And for those of
you that do want to call in live for listeners,
we have nine o nine three eight three one thousand
to call in if you actually want to call in
and say something on the air, we're obviously gonna gonna
we're gonna find out what you're talking about first. We
can't just we're not just gonna let you call in
(31:55):
and say anything you want. But short of that, we're
really looking forward to the conversation Liz. We got Liz
on yet, is she actually on hold? She's not in yet,
so we got a couple of minutes until she comes on.
So let's take a couple of minutes.
Speaker 7 (32:11):
We want to do.
Speaker 3 (32:12):
Oh, we've got Amy Shackelford listening in live, so shout
out to Amy again.
Speaker 7 (32:18):
I kind of like this.
Speaker 3 (32:19):
Sometimes I pay attention to my phone. I'm not always
supposed to be paying attention to my phone, but hey,
when I actually I shouldn't be paying attention to my phone.
And what we're going to do here is we're actually
gonna get a board so that that I can see
there's some feedback live feedback, so that I'm not having
to actually look down and try to get my phone open,
because one of the issues with your phone is obviously
(32:41):
it's face recognition for it to open up, and I
got to move away from the microphone. But you know,
for those of you that you know have my phone
or want to text me a question, you know, you
want to call in live, you want to talk about
something on the air, you know, give suggestions, you know,
please let us know. We've we've gotten a lot of
suggestions over the last year that we've been doing this,
(33:02):
and we've actually made small adjustments or added.
Speaker 7 (33:06):
Things to the show based on these suggestions.
Speaker 3 (33:10):
Over the last year that we've been doing this, and
I got to look back and see exactly when the
year anniversary is. But I may have either about to
pass it or going to pass it here pretty soon.
And looks like we have our caller calling in Liz Artaka.
But we really want to hear from you. We want
to hear what parts of the show you like, maybe
things that you'd like to see go a little longer.
The other thing is some ideas on some segments and
(33:34):
what individuals might want to hear as far as parts
of the segments. Have had some suggestions on some more
meat and potatoes kind of like around what aggrievance procedure
is or arbitration or some interpreting contract language. Remember, that's
kind of for those of us that are in the field,
maybe that that's something we're connected to. But for other
(33:58):
people that are listening while the driving, maybe that's a
little too drive for them, and they're like, you know,
so I'll try to whatever your suggestions are, I'll try
to turn it into something that is.
Speaker 7 (34:08):
Digestible for anybody to listen to.
Speaker 3 (34:10):
Because for all of you that are listening live right
now and you're not in the union, you don't understand
these terminologies. One of the things that we're doing with
this show is we're building a library over a period
of time so that we could direct you to each
of those subjects, so that as a listener, if you're
(34:33):
non union, that you're able to connect to how unions
operate and you're able to go back to old shows
and listen to these different parts of how we operate
or you know, the things that we do, or you
know the things that we talk about the way we're
connected to the community, and you know, a lot is
(34:53):
encompassed in labor, and there's most of what's encompassed in
labor doesn't really get talked about much. So I think
what's really really important is that we put as much
content as we can for future listeners or current listeners
and they're able to go back and pick up some
old shows and listen to some of that stuff that
(35:14):
we've already covered. So again, we want to hear your
hear your thoughts, We want to hear your ideas. We
really want to hear some ideas on some segments. You know,
maybe a ten minute segment on this, or ten minute
segment on that we do have pretty heavy guests I
should say a heavy list of guests that are trying
to get on the show. So we're pretty filled up
(35:36):
most of the time. And we do take all this
stuff into account and we really think about it when
we're building on our show. So with that, I think
I have Liz Or take on the show, right, Robert
or we have her on the phone, and so let's
make let's hope that we don't run into the problem
that we run into sometimes, which is when someone calls in,
they sound like they're they're calling from a fish tank
(35:59):
and they're under lotter. Uh, So let's get Let's get
Liz Ortega assembly Woman Liz or taken. And by the way,
she is the chair of the Assembly Labor Committee. What
does that mean here, here's where there's influence of an
elected leader that is making sure that bills that directly
(36:22):
impact working class families are moved through the process. And
having somebody this close like a Liz Ortega, who is
really making sure that bills that are impacting workers are
are you know that that connection is there and that
this individual who's helping advocate within the legislature to pass
(36:47):
these bills us it's really important, and she's an extremely
important individual and we're so happy to have her on.
Do we have her connected yet?
Speaker 7 (36:56):
Liz? Are you there? Can you hear me? Liz?
Speaker 3 (37:01):
Can you hear me? Nope, I'm not hearing her yet.
So all of our listeners are going, what's going on
with the don't hang up on her?
Speaker 7 (37:15):
Okay?
Speaker 3 (37:20):
All right, so we don't there? Okay, Well, maybe we
can call her and try to try to get her connected.
I would prefer in the future that we do it
via zoom and we get it up on the screen
so that we can actually see the people that are
that are listening in, so that we don't run to
these issues. I'm not sure why the call in line
is not working. I apologize for all of you listeners
(37:41):
for a bit of a little bit of a snag here.
This is one of the great things about live radio. Liz,
if you can hear me now, why don't you say Hi?
Speaker 7 (37:51):
How you doing? Because I'm being told that you should
be connected now, Liz, are you there?
Speaker 13 (37:57):
No?
Speaker 3 (37:59):
Try it one last, all right? Mark and Mark, I'm
gonna throw it all right, I can hear you now, Liz.
Liz Ortega, the chair of the Assembly Labor Committee.
Speaker 7 (38:17):
How are you doing. It's great to have you on
the show.
Speaker 13 (38:19):
I'm great, Randy. Oh and here's some feedback.
Speaker 7 (38:23):
Yeah, you got a little bit of feedback.
Speaker 13 (38:24):
Here.
Speaker 7 (38:25):
Is there a way to tune that out?
Speaker 13 (38:28):
Let me see. Can you hear me better?
Speaker 7 (38:33):
I can. I can hear you pretty good.
Speaker 13 (38:34):
Okay, I hear the feedback still, But I don't know
if there's anything I can do about it.
Speaker 7 (38:39):
Maybe not.
Speaker 3 (38:40):
Why don't you introduce yourself, Liz and talk about, you
know a little bit of your history. You know you
obviously you're a assembly woman here in the state of California.
Talk a little bit about your district and talk about
you know, I'd like to get into really talking about
how important you are to the labor movement because you're
a big, big advocate for labor movement.
Speaker 13 (39:01):
Well, first I want to say thank you for having me.
It's such an honor to be on this radio show
and to have a place dedicated to educating and listening
to labor. So thank you for having me. Randy. Yes,
I'm a family member, Liz Ortega, and I represent the
beautiful District twenty, which is located in the Bay Area,
(39:24):
and I am lucky enough to represent one of the
most diverse districts in the state where we have, you know,
people from all over the world, and it's such a
beauty and an honor to get to, you know, go
to Sacramento and be their voice every single day when
it comes to either legislation or the budget, and making
(39:47):
sure that their voices are heard and represented. A little
bit about me, you know, prior to becoming you're as
family member, I was a labor organizer. I spent over
twenty something years organizing first with SCIU, then I went
(40:08):
to work with AFSME, and then I became the first
Latina to ever run or be president of a labor
council in the Bay Area, which meant that I represented
over one hundred and thirty five thousand workers in all
different sectors, and you know, really enjoyed my time there.
(40:29):
Did a lot of great work, especially during some very
difficult times. You know. One of the things that I
talked about during my campaign was the pandemic and the
work we did to make sure that grocery workers received
hazard pay. You know, they were being called heroes everywhere,
(40:51):
but they were not being compensated as such, and so
you know, I left the labor council to run for
office knowing that I have worked really hard to make
sure that every city that I represented pass laws that
would protect those workers and make sure that they received
the wages that they deserved. And you know, that's what
(41:14):
I did. And then this opportunity came two years ago
for me to run for office, and you know, I
became the family member for District twenty and then a
year ago had the honor of becoming your Labor and
Employment chair.
Speaker 3 (41:34):
Well, I think you know that me being an organizer
for over thirty years, the thing that stuck out to
me and this whole conversation was the fact that you
were a labor organizer for all those years. So let's
give her a huge round of applause for that. I
you know, that's music, Mark not see. I love this
(41:55):
rookie status that I get. I don't always I don't
actually always hit the right button. But Liz, we really
appreciate the fact that, you know, taking somebody there, we go, there,
we go. See we're just a bunch of novices here
running a labor radio show.
Speaker 7 (42:09):
We're not always.
Speaker 3 (42:09):
Perfect, but we really appreciate your advocacy. I think coming
from labor and then into the legislature, it has got
a very different vantage point, right Like you, you come
from a perspective of really understanding the struggles that the
movement goes through and what the legislature needs.
Speaker 7 (42:31):
To do to help workers move along. What are your
thoughts on that?
Speaker 13 (42:35):
Absolutely, I think what makes me or you know, gives
me that advantage is that organizing background that I have, where,
you know, I believe that in order for us to
make a difference in people's lives, we actually have to listen.
And that's the number one thing that our organizer must
do is listen, talk less and listen more, and then
(42:58):
you know, be able to take what you've learned and
from the workers that you represent and turned them into
you know, actions. So whether it was you know, increasing wages,
whether it's protecting health access to healthcare, or retirement with dignity,
or you know, voice on the job like health and safety,
(43:21):
all of those things I've spent my entire life dedicated to,
both professionally and personally. As an immigrant myself, you know,
my parents taught me very early on that you know,
I had a guest when it came to translating you know,
I learned to speak English when I was very little,
by the time I was in kindergarten, and my parents
(43:44):
said I was fluent in drama and so you know,
I learned to watching stuff that and so I you know,
but I used that They recognized at skill, and so
I used to have to go and translate for them everywhere.
My story is not special or different from many other
immigrants in this state or country. I think the only
(44:08):
difference is that, you know, my mom recognized and my
dad recognized that I was going to give give the
skill that I had learned and use it to serve others. So,
you know, I would go to job interviews, I would
go to doctor's appointments, and after I was done translating
for my family, you know, my mom would say to me, Okay,
(44:30):
now that you're done with us, I want you to
go and help every other family that's here who doesn't
have a lisse.
Speaker 3 (44:38):
Yeah, and ABE eight hundred is a great it's a
great segue into if I understand correctly, it's a bill
that requires California public schools to establish an entire week
for juniors and seniors in high school to learn about
their labor rights right rules and regulations on the job.
Speaker 13 (44:56):
Absolutely, it's one of the with the.
Speaker 7 (44:59):
Bround of applause. Ready again, this is exactly what we need.
We need more of this. Thank you. I'm sorry for
cutting you off there, Liz, but this is amazing.
Speaker 3 (45:08):
These are the things that we unfortunately the schools don't
teach enough about this. And for you to take on
an issue like this for the labor movement and for
the future workers of California, future workers of America, thank
you very much. Sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off.
I'm just so excited about seeing the bills like that
(45:28):
and t thank you.
Speaker 13 (45:29):
No apologies needed. Yes, AB eight hundred insurance that our children,
our youth enter the workforce with knowledge to protect themselves
and then advocate for their rights. You know, I think
it was very important that we educate our youth about
their workplace rights because it doesn't do any of us
any good if we pass some of the best legislation
(45:54):
in the nation and some of our most vulnerable are
entering the workplace and are taking advantage or don't understand it.
And so making sure that the next generation of youth
is educated, not only knows about their rights on the job,
but also understands that they have a right to a
union and a right to organize was also incredibly important.
Speaker 3 (46:19):
Yeah, hey, so to shifting gears real quick. What do
you think of us having our own labor show? What
do you think of nineteen thirty two in the local
union anchoring down this type of platform? What do you
as an organizer for as long as you were?
Speaker 7 (46:34):
What do you think about this? Do you think we
were wasting our time? Or do you think it's a
good idea?
Speaker 13 (46:38):
Absolutely not, I think it's a great idea. I think
you guys are setting you know, a president for having
a space where workers and families can tune into and
learn about what's happening in their communities. That is not
you know, being run by a media, a collaborative or
(46:58):
you know billionaires millionaires, right, It's.
Speaker 3 (47:01):
Why instead of doing the plause, Mark accidentally pushed the
wrong button and did the music right. First time, longtime organizer,
first time radio host.
Speaker 13 (47:12):
No, I think Yeah, I think this is an incredible
opportunity and really a pod you guys for doing this
and is absolutely not a waste of time.
Speaker 3 (47:21):
Well, we appreciate you coming on the show too, because
that helps you know, kind of broaden our audience too.
You know, we're we're not looking to try to, you know,
get like a big national sort of recognition. We're what
we're really trying to do is, you know onesie tuesdays,
build it up slow like you do any organizing, drive right,
(47:42):
one on one one out of time, and build the relationship.
Speaker 7 (47:46):
Like you said earlier, listen right.
Speaker 3 (47:48):
Obviously, as the talk show host, I can't do the
same amount of listening because I got to keep things moving.
Speaker 7 (47:53):
But as an organizer, we know.
Speaker 3 (47:55):
That if if you're listening and people are listening and
the content matches what they're needs are, it's going to
grow and it's going to give people more familiarity into labor. Right,
make it to where it's not this abstract. You know,
we're not a cartel like we're described in the In
my son's high school book, the unions were cartels. So again,
(48:19):
you coming on helps legitimize and and helps it helps
broadcast our our show a bit more and I'm having
a great time with it, I'll tell you honestly, as
an organizer, I feel like it's this great tool where
we're able to communicate and just slowly educate everybody on
the positive parts of being a union and all stop
(48:39):
kind of rambling on about how great the show is.
I just I just always like to hear from people
in a position like yours. How how powerful you think
this tool can be if it's utilized properly.
Speaker 13 (48:51):
Yeah. No, I again, I think it's a great tool
and something that's unique and something that other unions should
be attentioned to and do more of.
Speaker 3 (49:02):
So let's talk a little bit about your role as
the chair of the Assembly Labor Committee. So can you
talk really how are you using your influence in that
space to advocate right now? Give me an examples.
Speaker 13 (49:18):
Yeah, I mean, we've this space is one to advocate for,
you know, for legislation and budget items that directly impact
workers across the state. But I think one of the
biggest things that you know, I'm doing as your Labor
Unemployment chair is not just you know, paying attention to
(49:39):
workers who have a union, but also thinking about the
many who don't and who this committee is is here
to protect and to lift up and to move forward.
And you know, we do it both ways by introducing
bills and making sure that they're you know, they are
doing what their intent to do, but also protecting by
(50:05):
looking at and viewing potential risks, you know, because not
everyone understands organized labor workers or protections, and so there's
a lot of legislation that actually doesn't see the light
of day because we have that advantage of point at
being able to you know, look at things that could
(50:27):
have unintended consequences and really hurt you know, those we
are trying to protect. And so that's how you know,
I am using our Labor and Employment Committee to progress
and continue to make strives in the workplace.
Speaker 3 (50:47):
Yeah, clearly coming out of a very working class area,
the Alameda County area, and you were obviously part of
the Alameda Labor.
Speaker 13 (50:54):
Council, right, Yeah, I let the Alameda Labor Council.
Speaker 3 (50:58):
So being coming from that space, to me, I always
see it. It's very much mirrored in the Ie the
Inland Empire. Those two communities are very very much alike,
very working class, obviously affected by corporate America, you know,
doing some of the things that they do to really
knock down workers. And you know, so we really appreciate
(51:20):
your advocacy clearly pointing out the fact that you're able
to shut down some of these bills before they ever
get started. Is thank you very much for doing that
for these workers. I think it's just it's amazing and
it's an important work, and like you said, sometimes it
never sees the light of day, and nobody ever knows
that something dangerous is working its way up, something's going
(51:42):
to cut some services, or cut some safety cut or
negatively affect working conditions. So we really really appreciate that work.
Is there anything in particular that stands out to you
in that space that you may have stopped over the
last few years that most people aren't aware of.
Speaker 13 (52:01):
Yeah, I mean, without getting into too much into the weights,
we've seen a trend, you know, of bills related to
you know, out of AI, artificial intelligence, worker surveillance, rolling
back some of the wages that we've been able to
(52:21):
increase in some of the sectors. So things like that
that you know, might look like they're good, but to
really have a harmful impact if you don't have someone
like myself at the table looking at things, knowing what
they actually mean. And it could be something as simple
(52:42):
as a word, which is what I learned during my
time with ask me, which is you know I used
to be their lottyist and really learn that in the
halls of power, there's very few people who come from
a working class background who are looking for things like
this that otherwise wouldn't you know, been noticed or action
(53:07):
would have been taken on.
Speaker 3 (53:09):
Yeah, I think you bring up an important point about AI.
Like one of the things that's dangerous about AI. Take
take your job, any job that somebody does, and take
the like the job description or the nuts and bolts
of what you do. Go into those they got. They
got like test areas where you can go into these
AI things and you can ask it questions and it'll
(53:30):
it'll produce something for you, like see if you can
get AI and that and test it to see if
you can actually get it to do your job for you.
And I've been shocked at the results of some of
this stuff that comes out and how quickly it produces
something that somebody could argue is a replacement for you someday,
(53:53):
right right, And and I mean that so everybody listening, like,
I think that's something you get to do. You gotta
as much as we say, oh, you can't replace me,
you can't replace this, No, No, you actually can. It's
it's incredible the technology within AI and how much it
can replace. So do yourself a little test and and
(54:16):
I'm doing saying this to all the listeners, right, and
so thank you for helping advocate and putting some guardrails
in this space, because you know this, you're talking a
very dangerous situation where you know, all of a sudden,
one day somebody comes in and says, oh, by the way,
we've got this ABC company now that AI is going
to be performing all your work and spitting it out
(54:36):
in like nine seconds versus it taking you, you know,
two weeks to produce these reports.
Speaker 13 (54:44):
Yeah, we saw that with the Hollywood strike. What are
the longest strikes we've seen in a very long time,
and it was all related to the use of the
workers and you know AI.
Speaker 3 (54:57):
Yeah, look at the video games nowadays that our kids
are playing, right, You look at the video games and
you see how lifelike all of that stuff is and
how that could be turned into doing, you know, performing
things that you would normally perform on a daily basis.
You know, maybe most people don't care whatever, I'll go
do something different, but I don't you know, I'd hate
(55:19):
for my job to be replaced by AI, right, how
many jobs are vulnerable in that space, and what are
the guardrails to prevent it from going too far?
Speaker 13 (55:26):
Right? Yes, absolutely, and that's been the biggest challenge last
year and it's going to continue to be in terms
of balancing innovation, which we're you know, where the state
of California, here in the Bay Area, we have the
you know, the highest rates of tech anywhere else in
the country, and so balancing innovation and technology with worker
(55:48):
protection and guardrails is going to be very much at
the forefront of what I focus on for the next
few years.
Speaker 7 (55:58):
That's phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (56:00):
Anything you want to close on, We've got a few
minutes here, and I don't want to It looks like
we got three And what do you want to close on?
What are the important things you'd like to hit you'd
like our listeners to know that you're working on again.
Thank you so much for taking the time out to
come on to our show for thank you for advocating
for workers. Thank you for being an organizer, and always
(56:21):
never forgetting Every time I approach something, I always approach
it as an organizer first, simply because it takes that
approach to build our organizations up in the right way.
Speaker 7 (56:34):
So thank you for all that. Is there anything you'd
like to close on?
Speaker 13 (56:38):
Keep doing your radio show? Organizing, organizing, organizing.
Speaker 7 (56:43):
So who do you think we should get on a
radio show.
Speaker 13 (56:45):
Oh that's a good question.
Speaker 7 (56:48):
I have to get Lorena on here.
Speaker 13 (56:50):
Yes, you definitely need I'm.
Speaker 3 (56:52):
Going to tell her next time she can't borrow the
bus unless she comes on the radio show. I'm gonna
have to like play some leverage here. You know, it
was funny when she asked to use the bus for
this last election cycle.
Speaker 7 (57:03):
She was kind of like, well, you know, Randy, it's
a kind of a big ask. What what are you
asking for? RIGHTA? What what's up? She's like, well, you
know you need a driver and what you need the bus.
She's like, well, yeah, you got it. Like that's why
we got the bus. We actually got the bus to
do exactly what she used it for. Everybody seemed to
have a great time with it.
Speaker 13 (57:23):
But I love the bus. I used it when I
was at the Labor Council and we used to park
it right in front of city Hall.
Speaker 3 (57:28):
That's right, it's it's it's it's it's a powerful tool
and it it I love the fact that you can
cart so many people around and get him there. And
it's obviously just a billboard rolling every single day across
the system. And so you know, let's uh, let's not
also forget that you were the first Latina and woman
uh serving the Alameda Labor Council too, correct.
Speaker 13 (57:50):
Not the first woman, but the first latina.
Speaker 7 (57:52):
Yeah, yeah, the first Latino woman. Yes right, yeah, So
see you're a trendsetter here.
Speaker 13 (57:57):
Well, it doesn't do us any good if the first
in the last. We need to keep it moving, we
need to grow more. You know what.
Speaker 7 (58:04):
That's a very good point. Thank you for pointing that out.
Speaker 3 (58:07):
Well, once again, we really appreciate you coming on with
on the Worker Power Hour. We're doing everything we can
to make sure that the community really understands how unions work.
We have billboards and we obviously have buses that we
have are think of Teamster branding throughout the entire region.
We have six buses that are branded. We have the
(58:29):
radio show. We're doing everything we can just to create
a familiarity. We also have our Teamster the teams are
training center and we're trying to connect while they're in
high school. And what we want to do is make
sure that the familiarity whether you're in high school, you're
listening to on the radio, you drive by on a billboard,
you see a bus drive by, and you know you
(58:50):
see the branding, and that way when we're knocking on
your door and workers are organizing, it's not like who's that,
just a familiarity with with labor. So we really appreciate
your partner ship in that space.
Speaker 13 (59:00):
Listen, and I also one last thing, we'd love to
give a shout out to Robert. He was one of
my interns and an incredible part of my team and
I stolen that very Yes, but you're very lucky and
I'm happy to see he is in labor and making
a difference.
Speaker 7 (59:17):
Well, thanks for coming on.
Speaker 3 (59:18):
Yes, And what we're going to do is we're going
to make sure that Robert always comes back and visits you.
And we appreciate you training him and helping us occupy
this space. So with that, we're going to have to
close out. I have a required break at the top
of the hour. This is Randy Corgan and the Worker
Power Our CASEYAA ten fifty am one O six point
(59:40):
five FM. Thanks thank you assembly Woman Artega for coming
on the show.
Speaker 12 (59:46):
NBC News on CACAA LOMLA sponsored by Teamsters Local nineteen
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Speaker 5 (59:55):
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He met with President Biden at the White House Wednesday
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(01:00:28):
Both spoke of a peaceful transition of power and shook
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Speaker 1 (01:04:12):
Welcome to the Worker Power Hour with Randy Corrigan, a
brand new show about labor and worker issues. The host
of the show is Randy Corrigan, Secretary Treasurer and Principal
Office and Leader of Teamsters nineteen thirty two, one of
the largest public sector labor unions on the West Coast,
representing workers in government and non sworn law enforcement personnel.
(01:04:32):
Randy Corgan is a thirty year Teamster who first became
involved in the labor movement by volunteering his time as
an organizer with the Teamsters Union at the age of
twenty one.
Speaker 7 (01:04:42):
Since then, he's helped.
Speaker 1 (01:04:43):
Thousands organized, mobilize, and achieve bargaining rights. He accomplished this
by spending countless hours with brave men and women all
over southern California in their living rooms on the picket
line to bring workers towards victory. This is the Worker
Power Hour, and now here's the host of the show,
Randy Corgan.
Speaker 3 (01:05:02):
Randy Corgan, hope I got to hear the music. Everybody's
liking your music, Mark. I just want you to know
all the listeners. I have not had one person email,
text or call saying they don't like your music selection.
Speaker 7 (01:05:17):
And I'm talking right over it.
Speaker 12 (01:05:19):
They just don't like my phone operation.
Speaker 7 (01:05:21):
Yeah, well we'll figure it out. I don't see.
Speaker 3 (01:05:24):
I don't get freaked out over that long time organized
our first time radios.
Speaker 7 (01:05:29):
That's just a good jem.
Speaker 3 (01:05:30):
I like it, Hi, right, Randy Corgan at the Worker
Power Hour CACA ten fifty AM one six point five
FM live from San Bernardino. The team started nineteen thirty
two Broadcast Network. I'm so excited, Like I was at
a big event down in San Diego the last couple
of days Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and there were thousands of
(01:05:53):
people there.
Speaker 7 (01:05:53):
Trustees for funds.
Speaker 3 (01:05:54):
It's called the International Foundation, And we all have to
get training multiple times a year for those of a
sit on trust funds, because I've got to make sure
we know what we're doing. It's called fiduciary training, so
that you don't make mistakes and we just understand how
it all works. And so they just they have they
have hundreds of classes for us to go to and from.
And it was really cool to talk about the radio show.
(01:06:16):
And I just get excited about this because we're doing
something kind of new and labor.
Speaker 7 (01:06:21):
We're having fun.
Speaker 3 (01:06:22):
There's it's there's it's really not controversial because we're just
kind of educating people. And and I've always I remember
as a kid watching WKRP in Cincinnati and Robert's.
Speaker 7 (01:06:35):
Looking at me like huh, what, like what is that?
Hopefully he looks it up.
Speaker 3 (01:06:39):
You know, there's this huge generational you know, I'm supposedly
a baby boomer, but he doesn't realize I'm not old
enough to be a baby boomer.
Speaker 7 (01:06:47):
But that's okay, he's old enough.
Speaker 3 (01:06:50):
I've got a lot of kids older than him, so
we fully understand the generational difference. So you got to
look up WKRP in Cincinnati, so as I you know,
so Live from Sam Bordino is just a tagline that
you know, I think anybody can, anybody in my age,
in my generation can connect to as far as the
(01:07:12):
WKRP thing. So anyway, having a great time with the
radio show. Like I said, longtime organizer, first time radio host.
A great segment with Liz Ortega on with Assembly Woman
Ortega earlier. She's a great advocate for us in this
space when it comes to labor, obviously, having good legislators
in this space to not only cut off bad law
that's coming, but also help support good law when it
(01:07:34):
comes to workers. There's a lot that goes behind making
sure that there's a bunch of good rules in place
for working people. And so I've got Lisa and Jessica
on that are that are Kaiser nurses that are on
strike right now. I'm gonna get to them in a
minutecause I gotta go through some of the news first.
I know that they're really chomping at the bit because
(01:07:54):
I got to watch last night your group shut down
pet Goo Park. Was Kaiser was, you know, doing this
big shin dig. And so what happens at the International
Foundation is all of the providers are there and you know,
they're obviously celebrating whatever they're celebrating, and they're trying to
make sure everybody loves them.
Speaker 7 (01:08:13):
And so they rented out this.
Speaker 20 (01:08:15):
Huge part of Petco Park and guess what, they had
to shut it off, and we got to stand there
and watch them turn the lights to the park off.
You know, all these all these picketers showed up and
of course no, you know, none of the trustees are
going to cross the picket line. They realized that their
event got blown out, and shame on them. It should
have got blown out once once the word got out
(01:08:36):
on what was going on. You know, none of the
people that were attendants at the IF or We're obviously
going to go over there.
Speaker 7 (01:08:42):
And participate in that. So we'll get into the nuts
and bolts of that.
Speaker 3 (01:08:45):
But what I want to do is go back and
talk about something that I talked about at the very
beginning of the show, which is Hr eighty two, the
Social Security Fairness Act of twenty three, twenty four.
Speaker 7 (01:08:55):
This is long overdue.
Speaker 3 (01:08:56):
It's great to see that it finally got out of
the House with some partisan support, and we really appreciate
the fact that the Social Security Fairness Act passed the
House of Representatives on Tuesday morning with Democrat and Republican
support and Congressman Clay Higgins from Louisiana and Congressman Garrett
Graves from Louisiana led They both led the effort. And
(01:09:19):
for those of you who don't know what it is
is Hr eighty two aims to allow public employees who
have worked in jobs not covered by Social Security to
receive their full SO Security benefits without reductions, even if
they've also received a government pension. And so you know,
there's this real wonky rule from many decades ago that
it's like a it's a windfall. I forget the exact
(01:09:43):
terminology off the top of my head. I'm sorry, I'm
having a brain fart this particular moment. But the Windfall
Act is if you had Social Security and you have
a public pension, it actually penalizes your Social Security even
though you paid for social Security, you contributed so secure
to yourself. So what it was intended for originally were
(01:10:04):
the high wage earners that there were individuals that were
in very high paid positions that were double dipping, and
it was intended to kind of approach that first.
Speaker 7 (01:10:16):
And it's just gone too far.
Speaker 3 (01:10:17):
And now really the only people that are be infected
are average working people whose social security is being cut
dramatically as a result.
Speaker 7 (01:10:26):
Now, think about it.
Speaker 3 (01:10:27):
They work in social security, or excuse me, they work
in the private sector for let's say twenty years, and
then they work in a government job for twenty years.
Why would we penalize their retirement vehicle. It just makes
zero sense. It should have been repaired a long time ago.
It's good to see it's on its way to the Senate.
Hopefully what happens is the Senate passes it. I don't
(01:10:47):
see the Senate not passing it because this is a
bipartisan effort and quite frankly, everybody on both sides of
the aisle right now wants to support working people, and
I sir, hope regardless of the outcome of the election
last week, I sure hope everybody stays there like it's
really important for us to hold accountable our elected officials
(01:11:08):
that have just recently been elected. If they say they
support working people, you know what, it's time we call
them out on it and we make sure that we
lay it out and we identify what specifically they can do.
And this is exactly what we did on HR.
Speaker 7 (01:11:22):
Eighty two.
Speaker 3 (01:11:23):
We made sure that our members called the Teamsters nineteen
thirty two members, We sent out multiple emails, We talked
about this at our steward's meetings. We educated them on
which congress people weren't signed onto it yet. We asked
them to call their congressional leaders and ask them because
(01:11:44):
what it eliminates is the windfall Elimination provision, which reduces
Social Security retirement event benefits if you also receive a
pension from a job not covered by Social Security, and
so these penalties just don't make sense in today's day
and it's really important for us. Oh, thank you Robert
for giving me the number. So it's three twenty seven
(01:12:06):
yes and seventy five no. That's how the count went down.
And then I'm assuming we now have a list of
who voted yes, and I'm actually I'm happy to report
that I won't. Maybe at a future show i'll actually
talk about specifically which congressional leaders it was. But some
of them here locally weren't actually signed on. We targeted
(01:12:28):
them and actually had calls go into their office, and
I'm hopeful that those calls helped move this along. And again,
I'll say it one last time. The everybody wants to
get in front of being so called pro labor right now,
well show me, don't pocket walk it, and let's make
sure and this is a good this is a good step.
(01:12:50):
So I'm pretty confident this gets to Biden's desk. He's
going to sign this. This is not something he's going
to veto. This is something that is clearly something he's
going to sign on to. And what a great thing
he could do in his last few days of his
presidency is do another good thing for working people. So
really looking forward to that. Great job members for making
(01:13:11):
that happen. I think that your activity in this space
is exactly what we have to do, and I'm going
to tell you straight up, we've got to do more
of it. For all of you that were happy about
the election outcome, you're going to have to hold the
new administration accountable. For those that were not happy about
the election outcome, we're going to have to hold it
coming up its administration accountable. And quite frankly, if they
(01:13:33):
say they support working people, well let's just ask them
to right. Let's not be mad or upset. Let's just
say you say, that's what you do. So let's make
sure that you don't attack our programs. Let's make sure
you don't change the law. Let's make sure that when
you do, we're going to call you out on it,
and we're going to ask you not to put your
foot on the throat of labor period. Make sure that
you continue to move the energy of these policies that
(01:13:58):
are pro labor. They're not pro Democrat, they're not pro Republican,
they're pro labor. Let's make sure we're in that space.
So in Teamsters nineteen thirty two News, we're uploading a
new video on Instagram sending direct message to the Right
to Work Committee and anti union folks. Our account name
is nineteen thirty two Teamsters on Twitter and Instagram. It's
(01:14:21):
not Twitter anymore, it's called X.
Speaker 13 (01:14:24):
You know.
Speaker 3 (01:14:24):
Don't get me started on Elon Musk. The guy owns
like four hundred and seventy five thousand satellites and you know,
you know whatever, we'll talk about him on a later show. Anyway,
It's on X nineteen thirty two Teamsters on X and Instagram.
Speaker 7 (01:14:42):
Check it out.
Speaker 3 (01:14:43):
Our reason for bringing this subject up is making sure
that we hold the Right to Work Committee and anti
union folks accountable. They are going to try with a
Republican trifecta. They are absolutely going to try to put
up a national right to work build And if you've
seen any of the stuff they've put out here recently,
(01:15:05):
villainizing unions and saying that we you know, were in
limousines and champagne and all this crazy stuff. Again limousine
and showed up to pick me up lately. Nor do
I like champagne. You know, the characterization of us is
is rather dumb and wrong. But you know, if there's
no narrative on the other side of it, guess what
(01:15:27):
people are gonna believe it. So let's make sure that
we actually push back on the Right to Work Committee
and the Right to Work Foundation and we make sure
they understand that workers don't need to hear that rhetoric anymore.
And we can start by doing that. So look out
for that coming soon and IBT news. Teamsters at the
Michigan AFL CIO ratify the first collective bargain agreement organizing specialists,
(01:15:50):
training specialist graphic designers. Advocacy coordinators and policy coordinators at
the Michigan AFL CIO have voted unanimously to ratify their
first collective burn Green with Teamsters Local two forty three.
I know the leadership over there, a good group of people,
so eight congratulations to them, unanimous, So it must have
been a good deal. It's unanimous. Cisco and Sigma drivers
(01:16:13):
have overwhelmingly voted to become teamsters. The Cisco Sigma they
voted overwhelming to join Local nine to fifty five in
Kansas City. Great space over there in Kansas City, and
congratulations to them, look forward to them getting a good
first contract.
Speaker 13 (01:16:30):
And so.
Speaker 3 (01:16:33):
In more broader labor news, Amazon workers are now in Bessemer, Alabama,
going to get a third shot at getting an election
of there with that facility that they have there in Bessemer.
And so it's been ruled that Amazon has broken the
rules again. Gee, that's I guess that's not news, that's expected.
(01:16:57):
That's just fact. Right, We're obviously seeing Amazon blow through
the law on many, many levels across this entire country.
And so congratulations to them, and hopefully this time third
times a charm. You've heard me kind of rail on
about the election process. My personal opinion is they how
to just not do the election. They how to just
stop working until Amazon gives them a contract, and they
(01:17:19):
should just walk out the job and say, excuse me,
we're not going to deliver your packages or process them
or receive them until you give us a good contract.
You want to catch everybody's attention. That's the way we
get it done. And so also the NLRB in Starbucks
case lowers the bar for proving anti union threats. The
(01:17:40):
NLRB on Friday said Starbucks broke the law by telling
workers at its flagship Seattle cafe that they would lose
benefits if they joined the union. Okay, look, I've heard this.
I've been organizing for over thirty years. I have never
seen people lose. First of all, if you lose benefits
after you organize, that means you have voted to accept
(01:18:03):
less because you vote on the contract. It makes no
sense that anybody even believes this, but you know they
say it they say it enough that people kind of
get caught up in the process. Oh maybe I could
lose something. And I always explain to them when I'm
organizing workers, well would you vote to take less? And
they say no, Well, then that guarantees you're not getting less.
(01:18:24):
And if Starbucks thought you were going to get less,
then they would just encourage you to the process, like
you sure, just open the door. It's kind of like
the whole mob thing. Yeah, there's mob. Like I said,
we just whack them, We just we just we just
get rid of them and we wouldn't have to worry
about it anymore.
Speaker 7 (01:18:41):
So that's the news. What happened to my news music?
Why'd you shut it off? Mark? The accidentally shut off?
Speaker 3 (01:18:49):
See that look? Ladies? Did you see that look? That
look was like oops, did you forget about it? Or
did it go away?
Speaker 2 (01:18:57):
You know?
Speaker 7 (01:18:57):
You turn it off? You turn it off.
Speaker 17 (01:18:59):
See.
Speaker 3 (01:18:59):
I thought that the music was supposed to play in
the background and I was going to get this screen
behind me that did all this cool news stuff. No, no,
we're not that sophisticated though. I got these amazing nurses
sitting next to me and they're like, they're like, are
you kidding me. So mix, make sure your guys mics
(01:19:20):
are back on, and they are. So we have Lisa
and Jessica here, kaiser nurses, they're on strike.
Speaker 21 (01:19:27):
People, we're actually many health workers go because you're gonna
freak everyone else.
Speaker 7 (01:19:32):
Kids are all going to be right, mental health workers.
Sorry bad, Thank you for correcting me.
Speaker 5 (01:19:37):
Oh, come up a little bit far, thank you. Nurses,
not yet soon.
Speaker 7 (01:19:46):
Mental health workers, My bad, my Paul. You know my
head is lately.
Speaker 3 (01:19:54):
I feel like a shot glass with a gallon of
stuff being constantly poured into it. It's spilling out all
over the place. I'm trying to hold on to what
I can remember, and so I appreciate everybody forgiving my
work me missing a little bit of detail here in there.
Speaker 6 (01:20:10):
And you're not fully wrong because that we do have
some psych r ends out there with us here, Okay, that.
Speaker 5 (01:20:15):
Is here, it's not that.
Speaker 17 (01:20:19):
So.
Speaker 3 (01:20:19):
I heard you talking about how much you really liked
the show, So why don't you get into that space
real quick, because you know that always makes us feel
warm and fuzzy.
Speaker 5 (01:20:29):
Right, So I'm glad you know.
Speaker 21 (01:20:31):
So, yes, I have to say that after our segment,
I decided to continue to listen, and wow, I have
to say how educational this is.
Speaker 5 (01:20:41):
I recommend people.
Speaker 21 (01:20:42):
I'm going to go back and listen to all the
rest of them for the you know, but learning a
lot about just just about pensions, about four oh one case,
just about a union in general, that right to work committee,
which that sounds horrific. So I mean, yeah, it was great,
and I really appreciate your efforts.
Speaker 7 (01:21:03):
Yes, listen to the show.
Speaker 5 (01:21:09):
Everyone listen. It's really good. So but no, it's very education,
it's very inspiring and just yeah.
Speaker 21 (01:21:15):
I mean I sometimes we as a union union people
kind of get into our own little bubbles and and
why are we doing what we're doing? But yeah, this
like and and educational and interesting too, So it was
really helpful. I was really glad to listen to the
rest of it.
Speaker 7 (01:21:30):
And I got to point out your Dodger hat.
Speaker 21 (01:21:33):
This is my husband reminded me. I wore a Dodgers
so I had to do World Series one this time.
Shout out to my husband, who's a union person as well.
Speaker 7 (01:21:43):
You know, go Dodgers, you know Dodgers. It's funny.
Speaker 3 (01:21:46):
I have somebody I know in New York. Hopefully he's
listening right now. By the way, and and you know
he's a Yankee fan, and so you know, that was
a rough World series.
Speaker 7 (01:21:57):
It went.
Speaker 3 (01:21:58):
It went a little fashion and I thought it would,
but I was like, yeah, I don't know what to
tell you. After game one he says, oh, okay, well
that's just one game. And so he says, you know,
game one down. So the next one, I said, game
two down, game three down, and then I go, okay,
you got one. And then he was silent on me
when I did the fifth game, game five down. And
(01:22:19):
the next day I called him. I says, you're not
upset to me, are you. He's like, no, no, actually
I just went to bed.
Speaker 7 (01:22:27):
Anyway. So you guys shut down Petco Park yesterday.
Speaker 5 (01:22:32):
Yes, we heard about that. You want to talk about that. Yeah,
so we neither of us.
Speaker 6 (01:22:37):
We shut down our picket line in locally, but we
also had another committee that we were part of that
we couldn't join the festivities down in Peco Park. But yes,
there were I want to say, at least a hundred
members down there, you know, ready to rock and roll.
They had all of their signs, all of their energy,
and what we loved about this was obviously they they
(01:23:01):
got enough attention to where you had mentioned before we
started the show that the people attending the event stopped
to ask what we were out there for, what we're
fighting for, and didn't even bother to go into Kaiser's event.
So they joined us on the picket line. Yes, yes,
so it was just to watch the video and the
see the pictures and stuff. We are so proud of
(01:23:22):
our brothers and sisters. We were out there holding it
down out there at peck Cove Park.
Speaker 7 (01:23:26):
So yeah, they killed it. And it was the talk
of the conference. I'm talking. There had to be seven
eight thousand people at the conference. I mean it's massive.
Speaker 3 (01:23:40):
Yes, the San Diego Convention Center completely packed with this,
with this convention and and so that's a lot of people.
Speaker 7 (01:23:48):
And everybody knew about it.
Speaker 3 (01:23:51):
Everybody was talking about it, and everybody was embarrassing Kaiser,
and so Kaiser was over in the in the vendor
area too, and boy, they were just getting it.
Speaker 7 (01:24:01):
Everybody's like, man, you need to settle your as everybody's
walking by, what's going on? What's going on?
Speaker 3 (01:24:05):
And they're like, I'm wondering if they packed up and
actually left, I would hope not. They just kind of
got to take the beating, you know. But you know
it was rough for them.
Speaker 5 (01:24:15):
I think we heard that some of.
Speaker 21 (01:24:16):
The CEOs and side were complaining it was too loud,
which is, yeah, we.
Speaker 6 (01:24:20):
Tend to hear that out of our picket lines. So
they'll come hr will come out to us and say
the patients are complaining. I'm like, really, they're they're applauding
us and chanting with us. But okay, okay.
Speaker 3 (01:24:31):
I was on the opposite side of the stadium on
I think it's Seventh Street. No, it was a street
just north of that, and and and it was behind
home Plate where the picketing was going on the entrance
behind home Plate, and we actually saw them shut the
(01:24:52):
shut the stadium lights down.
Speaker 12 (01:24:54):
We're like.
Speaker 5 (01:24:58):
Conquered.
Speaker 7 (01:25:00):
Wait, they actually shut the event up. Now that is
that's effective, right that? And they're they're embarrassed and all
that good stuff.
Speaker 3 (01:25:07):
So why don't you talk about where you're at now, Like,
what's what's happened since the last time you've all been
on the show? And and and you know, what are
the issues still hanging out?
Speaker 6 (01:25:20):
So we are in the middle of our thing.
Speaker 3 (01:25:22):
You know what we didn't do is introduce ourselves. Okay,
we got to introduce ourselves. I'm sorry, sorry, I'm Randy
Corgan by.
Speaker 5 (01:25:27):
The way, Just who you are?
Speaker 6 (01:25:29):
Okay, okay, No, I'm just kidding. My name is Jessica Renz.
I am a licensed marriage and Family therapist for for KAISER.
Speaker 5 (01:25:34):
And I'm Lisa Delgado.
Speaker 21 (01:25:36):
I'm a licensed clinical social worker for US a therapist
for Kaiser as well.
Speaker 6 (01:25:40):
And then we are also both nu h W stewards.
I'm actually part of our bargaining committee as well in
this whole process.
Speaker 3 (01:25:47):
So, so you're one of the people that won't you're
one of the people being greedy, right, yes, absolutely greedy, greedy, greedy.
Speaker 5 (01:25:55):
I will take that on.
Speaker 6 (01:25:55):
Yes, So I thank you Lisa for correcting me. So
we are actually in the middle of our fourth week
on strike, and we believe it or not, we are
getting more. More people are joining us. We were having
more members walk off the job and join us now
that hadn't come out before. We are also hearing that
management is now walking off the job because it's just
(01:26:16):
too stressful, like they can't handle it.
Speaker 7 (01:26:18):
They got to take on the work.
Speaker 6 (01:26:19):
Absolutely, the scabs that they've hired for thirteen thousand dollars
a week are also walking off the job because they
can't handle it either.
Speaker 7 (01:26:27):
And that was me blowing a bubble. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
they can't either.
Speaker 6 (01:26:31):
But that we're also hearing from you know, our patients
and the our workers inside that they're barely even doing
safety check ins with these patients. They're not providing therapy.
We're having patients call to schedule appointments and they're being
told that they're not going to be scheduled until in
twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (01:26:48):
What do you say for the people on the other
side of this argument, say you're affecting the patients negatively,
how do you respond to that?
Speaker 21 (01:26:56):
I have a response to it, but and that we've
heard that before, and and no doubt, like any of
us who are there out there, like a lot of us,
have grappled with that, like, you know, thinking about like,
oh my gosh.
Speaker 5 (01:27:09):
Like it's you know, I've been out here for four weeks.
Speaker 7 (01:27:12):
You know, it's why you waited so long to do it.
Speaker 5 (01:27:15):
It's exactly, you know, it's it's a big deal.
Speaker 12 (01:27:17):
We take it.
Speaker 21 (01:27:17):
We're the thought of like them getting substandard care by
once again, thirteen thousand dollars a week, scavs say that again,
thirteen thousand dollars a week meals all of their meals,
taking care of fifty dollars a night a day for
(01:27:38):
food and transportation and uh the table.
Speaker 7 (01:27:42):
Oh yeah, I'm going to give you a gavel that.
Speaker 21 (01:27:48):
So when they want to talk about us being greedy,
this is corporate greed at its at its at its
highest because.
Speaker 5 (01:27:53):
They're willing to do this, they're willing to hurt their workers.
There were and not just us. We like some of
our managers. I know that's blasphemous. Maybe, oh that's okay,
we do like us.
Speaker 3 (01:28:04):
We remember, in public sector we represent tons of managers
and supervisors.
Speaker 21 (01:28:08):
And so ours are unrepresented. But I know that they're
working twelve hour days and we're working weekends. They don't
get compensated because they're salaried. So not only they're hurting us,
they're hurting our their their managers, and they're hurting their members.
Speaker 5 (01:28:20):
So when people say that we have to look at
the big picture. I said this the last time.
Speaker 21 (01:28:25):
Everything that we do to improve the mental health system
within Kaiser has only been within our fights during.
Speaker 5 (01:28:31):
The contract campaign campaign.
Speaker 21 (01:28:33):
So it hurts, but it's like it's like you know,
we're doing this for the benefit ultimately for the clients
to get better mental health service overall within.
Speaker 5 (01:28:43):
The Kaiser system. They will not do it on their own,
no matter what they say.
Speaker 6 (01:28:49):
And we have had a lot of support from our
patients via social media. Our patients are coming out to
the strike lines, making their own picket signs.
Speaker 5 (01:28:57):
Just cheering, TikTok videos and sort of.
Speaker 6 (01:29:01):
So community support and patient support has been amazing.
Speaker 3 (01:29:04):
I bring up the pushback issue because a lot of
times those that are in positions like you, are in
professions that are really in need, right and that are
crucial that you put the patients over your own well being,
over your own career, over your own retirement. Matter of fact,
(01:29:28):
what's one of the issues here is your retirement vehicle.
Speaker 7 (01:29:32):
And clearly in the past you group, the group had
allowed that patient advocacy to to override your needs and
you conceded in a space on the retirement vehicle. Right.
Speaker 3 (01:29:47):
So when I hear people say, oh, you know you're
you're you're not thinking about the patient, No, we actually
are thinking about the patient all the time. Yes, and
and you're thinking about them all the time, yes, and
and and when it gets this bad. The problem is
there only there are only people aren't hearing about at
the point that the conflict where you've now kind of
(01:30:08):
drawn the line in the sand, you said no more,
you have that right to draw it in the line,
to draw the line sand.
Speaker 7 (01:30:14):
Yeah, it's it's okay, you have the right.
Speaker 3 (01:30:17):
I we understand there's going to be people that are
made uncomfortable by it temporarily, we understand that. But that's
the definition of a protest, that's a definition of a
strike is if they didn't make anybody uncomfortable, they wouldn't work.
So so for those that say that, and and you know, look,
you're when I brought the issue up to see you
(01:30:39):
so empathetically so quickly respond to it in a way
where you were like, no, we obviously really think about
the patients, which is why we're arguing some of the
things you're arguing is based on patient care.
Speaker 7 (01:30:52):
Is that correct? What are those issues?
Speaker 13 (01:30:54):
Yes?
Speaker 21 (01:30:56):
So, so part of that I think I mentioned the
last time. Part of this is also there's the face
to it's. First of all, it's access, so being able
to get in to see your therapist within a timely manner,
not like not a month later or two months later.
So that's the first thing. The second thing is is
that it's not just the face to face time, it's
(01:31:16):
the indirect time, the administrative time that we need that
I think we said nine seconds, uh you know, nine
seconds for information the last time. So we really do
need that that protected time to be able to do
you know, non you know, non face to face work,
make reports, do correspondence, consult with our colleagues for quality care.
(01:31:39):
So and then the last thing, and I really once again,
your your podcast is so educational, but the pends live
radio show, get live radio show, live live radio show.
Speaker 3 (01:31:49):
Sorry, so for those that run a live radio show,
live radio show, we make sure we point that out
because we can't edit this.
Speaker 5 (01:31:58):
So yeah, live radio show. But also the pension and
you you spoke about it so well about.
Speaker 21 (01:32:05):
If Yeah, it's to hold on to quality employees because
if you have people leaving their jobs constantly, that does
impact the clients because if they have to start all
over again with new new therapists and tell their story.
I even'n had to some of my clients say I'm
going to wait for you to come back, which breaks
my heart, you know, But if they needed it there's crisis, but.
Speaker 5 (01:32:27):
They're willing to wait because they don't want to start
all over.
Speaker 21 (01:32:29):
So when you're not taking care of your employees, then
you get high turnover, which doesn't impact client care as well.
Speaker 7 (01:32:36):
Absolutely. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:32:37):
And so for any executive at Kaiser who you know,
they're doing pretty darn well. And you know, I don't
know if anybody's seen Kaiser's rates increases to the trust
funds that all of us have been screaming about the
last couple of years.
Speaker 7 (01:32:54):
It's not like they've been hurting.
Speaker 3 (01:32:56):
Matter of fact, they've bought a hospital network back East
in addition to some other things that they've done. So
you know, I I you know, it's again like big,
big corporation not paying attention to.
Speaker 7 (01:33:08):
The little stuff. And this is how it happens.
Speaker 3 (01:33:12):
Whether you're a Democrat or Republican or independent, you have
the right to withhold your labor until the employer until
you come to a reasonable agreement. Yes, we're not bad
for doing this, No, no.
Speaker 21 (01:33:26):
And we're asking for equity. I think Jessica said that
the last time. We're not asking for more. Correct they
have you know, our one hundred and twenty one thousand
union represented employees within Kaiser have a pension, have have
you know, had fair wage higher wages than we had
over the course of the past several years. And so
(01:33:49):
we're not asking for more, that's what that's the thing.
We're asking for the same equity as we've said.
Speaker 3 (01:33:55):
Yeah, and on the issue of pensions, let's let's stick
down a little bit deeper. There's some statistics I want
to throw at you from Man's like twenty year old statistics.
I don't remember exactly what they are now now, other
than they have gone down, they have gotten worse.
Speaker 7 (01:34:11):
And that is on retirement vehicles.
Speaker 3 (01:34:14):
And when I did a deep dive on this a
little bit right about twenty years ago, here's where the
statistics were. And I'm just using some round numbers to
make it easier for everybody it's listening on the other
side of this. And this is how important this issue is,
because we're when I did this deep dive twenty years ago,
we're now actually running into the problem where there's actually
(01:34:36):
a lack of retirement crisis in America. There's a lack
of retirement crisis, in other words, a retirement vehicle, retirement income,
retire medical and how people are economically affected when they retire.
We're actually just starting to go into that phase where
(01:34:58):
there's a crisis that's happening. And here's why the four
oh one K has really taken over. What is the
primary vehicle as a so called retirement it's not a
retirement vehicle, it's a savings vehicle. And ironically, if you
eighty percent of workers who have a four to oh
(01:35:19):
one K, now that's assuming all of them contribute.
Speaker 7 (01:35:23):
They don't. They don't.
Speaker 3 (01:35:26):
It's actually of all the workers that have a four
one K, it's only like sixty five percent contribute. But
let's just for statistical reasons use the argument that the
whole eighty percent is contributing. Let's just say that the
whole thing is they're all contributing. So eighty percent of
workers in the workforce. There is only thirteen percent of
(01:35:49):
the workforce that has a defined benefit, So you're talking
eighty seven percent. That's depending on the four one K.
Of that eighty seven percent, you take eighty percent of them.
So eighty percent of the workers that have a four
to one K option have to draw their retirement vehicle.
(01:36:13):
Excuse me, their four one K down to zero by
the time they retire for one of three reasons plant closure,
health issue, or death in the family.
Speaker 7 (01:36:25):
One of those three reasons take it to zero to zero.
So assuming all of them are.
Speaker 3 (01:36:35):
Contributing, that leaves a bucket of only twenty percent of
that pool left, right, So now you add that to
the thirteen percent. We know that the twenty percent is
not real. It's much smaller. You were talking a very
small percentage of people in America having a retirement vehicle,
(01:36:57):
and the four to one K, the so called you
know that's great diff No, it was never intended to
be this sole retirement vehicle. These people say, oh, you
got the soil security Okay, well it was. It was
actually meant that you have Social Security four one K
or a savings plan in addition to maybe your home
paid off or other you know, you know, eras or
(01:37:20):
personal investments that you may have done. And so you
had three prongs to you to your vehicle. So you know,
having a defined benefit was the anchor, and between the
defined benefit, the Social Security and then something supplemental you
would be in good shape upon retirement. Well, you know what,
(01:37:42):
we're at a stage now or less than twenty percent
of the population has something like that. And when you
just google, you know something where you're asking what the
average person has in their form one K and then
you'll look at what the eighty percent supposedly has.
Speaker 7 (01:38:01):
That's a bit shocking.
Speaker 3 (01:38:02):
When you see the balance, the average balance. So this
is something worth fighting for. And so what we're gonna
do is we're gonna take a quick break. We're just
gonna take a you know, like a ninety second break.
Mark is gonna play some of his really cool music,
uh while we just take a quick break. But and
then we'll come back and finish this conversation because I
(01:38:25):
really think it's important for us to recognize how important.
Speaker 7 (01:38:29):
Your fight is.
Speaker 3 (01:38:29):
It was much like the Boeing fight where where there
was an argument over the retirement vehicle and making sure
there's time, because the retirement vehicle is not just the pension,
it's also the retire remedical on top of it, issues
that seem to have disappeared because Corporate America wants to
put all the money in their pocket. This is Randy
Corgan with the Work of Power Our Case AA ten
fifty A and one oh six point five FM live
(01:38:50):
from San Bernardino. Team Seris nineteen thirty two Broadcast Networks.
Speaker 14 (01:38:56):
A hold of me tightly like a hawk alien nightly
whenever stop, Joe, I don't know. Turn off the lights
and I flow to the extreme. I walk a mic
like a van tho a lot off the stage and
watch a chunk like I can't do.
Speaker 7 (01:39:08):
A dance, must to speak of that boom.
Speaker 14 (01:39:10):
So I'm reeling your brain like a boys.
Speaker 17 (01:39:11):
Miss mushroom dead league.
Speaker 14 (01:39:13):
When I'm playing the melody, anything less than the best
is a fella need love it or leave it?
Speaker 4 (01:39:17):
You better?
Speaker 14 (01:39:17):
I can't play you better?
Speaker 7 (01:39:18):
Your bulls out of kid, don't play if there was
a problem, Joe, I saw of it.
Speaker 14 (01:39:22):
Chick out the hook one my DJ revoting. Now that
the party is jumping with the face kick, then then
(01:39:44):
the figgas off, parking quick to the point, to the point,
no fake KI cooking them seas like a pound up
turning them being quick and nimbo.
Speaker 3 (01:39:51):
I go crazy.
Speaker 14 (01:39:52):
When I hear a sele in a high hat with
a soup up tempo, I'm on a roll.
Speaker 7 (01:39:56):
It's time to go solo rolling.
Speaker 14 (01:39:58):
Then my five point er, my backtop down so my
hair can blow, and the girl's gonna stand by waiting
just to say, hid No, I just rolled. I kept on,
but so went to the next stop. I must have
left and I'm heading to the next block. The buck
was dead, Yoe, So I continue to a one A.
Girls were hot with me, rock men love us driving
because I'm out getting mine shape with the vanilla with
(01:40:22):
the ready for the chumps on the wall. The tump's
acting there because of brings down like a bell. I
grab I heard, but falling on the concrete real fast.
Jumped in my car, slammed on the gas. Bumma.
Speaker 12 (01:40:35):
The bummer of the avenue is packed.
Speaker 3 (01:40:37):
I'm trying to get away.
Speaker 14 (01:40:38):
Unfore the jack and Jacks please on the sea, you
know what I mean. They got New York can run
it off.
Speaker 7 (01:40:43):
If there was a problem, Joe, I saw it.
Speaker 14 (01:40:45):
Chick out the hook on my DJ pro.
Speaker 7 (01:40:47):
Boss all right, truth be told.
Speaker 3 (01:40:56):
I just needed a quick break a life show sometimes,
you know, I can see why they do commercial breaks
on on these on these talk shows and stuff. So
before we took that quick break, and again thanks for
the cool music. Hopefully Scott's listening in and he can
come in and do a live rendition of it right
here in front of the camera, so we can all
hear some of us have actually heard the live rendition.
(01:41:18):
I know, I think Lucky has so. And by the way,
I got Lucky Lepen sitting over here riding side saddle.
He's he's watching and he's wondering if I'm going to
yank him into the show and put a microphone in
front of him. But I've been trying to get his
wife on the show too, Becky, She'll be coming on
here pretty soon. But for those of you who don't
know Lucky Lepens, he helps us put on.
Speaker 7 (01:41:40):
The car show.
Speaker 3 (01:41:41):
He's part of Youth Helpers. He does all this stuff
when it comes to volunteering for the kids. It's just amazing.
Speaker 7 (01:41:48):
They run the whole camp up there, the Youth Helpers camp.
Speaker 3 (01:41:51):
Up in Big Bear. Just an amazing individual. Really appreciate
the partnership there. And he's also a teamster at Cisco
and he's a trustee at Teamster's Local eight forty eight.
Speaker 7 (01:42:03):
I don't I mean, is there any title I left
out on you? Lucky Yeah Car? Yeah that's right.
Speaker 3 (01:42:10):
He runs a car and motorcycle club. Hey yeah, Teamster
Car and motorcycle clubs. So thanks for hanging out with
us today.
Speaker 7 (01:42:17):
Lucky.
Speaker 3 (01:42:18):
And so before I took the break, I was talking
about the retirement issue and why it's important to fight.
And you know, forty years ago, fifty years ago, lots
of people had a good retirement vehicle, in other words,
a defined benefit, and then also had a retire remedical Yeah.
Retire remedicals like almost completely disappeared. Yeah, and most people,
(01:42:43):
at least the ones that have it. I was at
the International Foundation and I had to check some people
like you realize you're in this real small bucket.
Speaker 12 (01:42:49):
Now.
Speaker 3 (01:42:50):
I'm not saying that you should give it up at all.
I'm saying, appreciate the bucket you're in. Let's try to
help others get into the bucket. Yeah, because the smaller
the bucket gets, the the more likely it is for
you to lose your bucket completely. Anyway, it seeing workers
draw the line in the sand on the subject is
to me, it's very important. It's very empowering because unfortunately
(01:43:14):
the American worker and workers in America have gotten to
a point where they think that this isn't something that's attainable.
Speaker 7 (01:43:22):
And to me, it's for those of us that came
into the.
Speaker 3 (01:43:26):
Job at eighteen years old, and it was all there
and a bunch of older guys threatened my life right
when I walked in the door and said, don't you
give up our retirement vehicle or our retiree medical or
our medical or we'll throw you in a trailer and
beat you to a pulp. Right, I was like, all right, cool.
I mean, at eighteen years old, part of me was like, yeah,
let's fight. All right, cool, but it made sense, so
(01:43:46):
I didn't want to fight.
Speaker 15 (01:43:47):
Right.
Speaker 7 (01:43:49):
The point is is what happened to that you guys
are at the front of bringing an issue like that
to the forefront again. That is very powerful and it's
very important.
Speaker 3 (01:44:02):
And I'm so happy that you're back on the show
because it's an issue that we don't talk enough about
and and and so what are your thoughts on that.
Speaker 15 (01:44:12):
Go ahead of it?
Speaker 7 (01:44:13):
Well, did I stump you?
Speaker 21 (01:44:15):
I know, you know as someone who's like and it's
interesting because I think when you're young, you don't understand
that concept of pension, Like I didn't understand it when
I started the County.
Speaker 5 (01:44:25):
And it was like, now I understand it now at
my age and going like.
Speaker 21 (01:44:28):
Oh wow, I was at the County, I vested and
well I'm going to get a little pension. Now I
have it, and again you know, I have it now.
So the fact that and you know, and I think
when you once again, when you're young, you don't get it.
You're you're trying to you know, build a family, you know,
guild your career.
Speaker 7 (01:44:43):
Too busy chasing the dollar.
Speaker 21 (01:44:44):
I get it, and so I and I and honestly,
I think corporate America took advantage of that.
Speaker 5 (01:44:48):
Like I just you know, once again, I.
Speaker 21 (01:44:51):
Unfortunately some of the people that are going to be
in charge of of some of these things, I'm afraid
that they're going to decimate that. But that's you know,
but I think corporate America took advantage of that.
Speaker 5 (01:45:03):
And so I'm lucky I have the pension I I do.
Speaker 21 (01:45:08):
I have the I have the the healthcare, the retiree healthcare.
And as you as we age, we appreciate that more
and more. And so the fact that, you know, I
have young people that are investing in Kaiser and are
starting to like look at this as holy cow, the
four okay, get you know, it's not enough.
Speaker 5 (01:45:28):
You're right, it's not enough. So I think that we are,
you know, trying to educate people this is a big,
big deal.
Speaker 21 (01:45:35):
And I once again, I think that the fact that
Kaiser wants to say that we're greedy, mind you, I'm
sure all of those I think the administrators have that.
The executives have like eight different pension plans. Oh yeah,
you know, and so yeah, but we're the greedy.
Speaker 5 (01:45:48):
The workers are the greedy ones.
Speaker 6 (01:45:50):
We just want one, We just want our one.
Speaker 7 (01:45:51):
We just want one. And they have stock options and
stuff on.
Speaker 6 (01:45:58):
Top of their normal salary. That is outrageous anyways, But
and I just added that to Lisa, you're you're right,
So I somebody coming in that doesn't have the pension.
I started about a year after it went away for us,
our union has done it's a pension calculator, right for
people that are younger that don't quite understand it to
(01:46:18):
compare what you would be different.
Speaker 7 (01:46:20):
Yes, is it on a website that they can go
to and just pull it up. That's a tool.
Speaker 6 (01:46:25):
So we've had a lot of our members do that
just to kind of get more of an understanding of
why this is so important. That education has been huge.
The other thing is that there.
Speaker 7 (01:46:35):
There was and we get to that age where we
pay attention that quicker than we realize.
Speaker 5 (01:46:39):
Absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 6 (01:46:41):
And then the other piece of it is because so
many companies have gone away with the pension.
Speaker 7 (01:46:45):
There.
Speaker 6 (01:46:46):
Before we went out on strike, there was that, you know,
people being so unsure like, well, why are we even
going to fight for this because we're not going to
get it back. We're not going to get it back.
But now that we're out there, people are fired up like, yes,
let's fight this to.
Speaker 5 (01:46:59):
Get it back.
Speaker 7 (01:47:00):
You won't get it back if you believe you won't.
Speaker 6 (01:47:03):
Absolutely, absolutely, I will say that that that idea, that
feeling has changed based on the energy on our shrike lines.
But that was beforehand, like oh, do we really want
to go out for an open end to strike on
that issue? But yes, here we are and they're fighting.
Speaker 3 (01:47:20):
You touched on something, you know, the election of the
November fifth election. And here's the way I'm trying to
phrase it, and I think it's important that we all
look at it this way, is corporate America got what
it wanted on November fifth, and you can actually see
that in the appointments that are coming, like this is
not you can't hide from this. No one's gonna I'd
love to if you disagree with me come on this
(01:47:41):
show and absolutely tell me. I'd love to argue sitting
right here that Corporate America didn't win on November fifth.
Speaker 21 (01:47:48):
They did know what Elon Musk feels about unions in general,
what he did with his company.
Speaker 7 (01:47:52):
So yeah, that's correct.
Speaker 5 (01:47:53):
I've already been out there.
Speaker 3 (01:47:54):
So now it's time for workers in America to get
what they need. So yes, if if in the last
few decades corporate profits all time highs, it's our turn, period.
So instead of being mad or let's fight about or whatever.
All right, cool, y'all say that you protect workers. Well,
(01:48:15):
this is what we need, and we're going to withhold
our labor until you give us what we need. And
we'll be fair because you know, look at some of
these super wealthy people. I mean, you need five yachts,
you need to fly around in the spaceship to Mars,
you know what I mean. Like some of these like
so far removed from the reality of everyday life. It's incredible.
(01:48:39):
And somehow were the villains like no, no, no, no,
no no no. Corporate America got what it wanted. So
now it's time for workers in America to get what
they need. And I think we coin that phrase, and
we repeat this over and over on our radio show
and on billboards and everywhere, and we keep explaining to
workers that they can versus they can. Yes, what do
(01:49:01):
you have to say about that?
Speaker 7 (01:49:02):
I have one hundred percent agree, ready to go on
strike again even though.
Speaker 6 (01:49:05):
You're on strike, he said, radio show said billboards, and
I say a picket sign. I'll make one tomorrow.
Speaker 7 (01:49:12):
No, that's a great picket sign it and if somebody
steals it, you'll know where it started.
Speaker 6 (01:49:16):
Yes, yes, absolutely, the live radio show.
Speaker 7 (01:49:20):
Not the podcast.
Speaker 3 (01:49:21):
We do have a podcast that comes out of the
radio show. It turns into a recorded version, but we
don't edit it.
Speaker 1 (01:49:28):
I know.
Speaker 7 (01:49:28):
At Lisa's like, oh man, yeah, but no, I agree.
Speaker 5 (01:49:33):
I agree.
Speaker 6 (01:49:34):
Like if we believe, you know, it's it's we can
not we we can't.
Speaker 3 (01:49:38):
So, Lisa, you were telling me that your husband's affected
by HR eighty two very much.
Speaker 13 (01:49:43):
So.
Speaker 21 (01:49:44):
So my husband is a he's a he's a case
manager for Riverside County. So and he's been in uh
he's been in the public sector for a little less
than ten years.
Speaker 5 (01:49:58):
So that means that he's worked all of his working life.
Speaker 2 (01:50:01):
You know.
Speaker 21 (01:50:01):
It's it's like thirty the past thirty so years in
the private sector. So I remember hearing about that windfall,
and once again, sometimes these things I don't understand until
like the last minute, like oh, I need to know
what this is about.
Speaker 5 (01:50:15):
And so when you just read that and I found
that out, I was like, I got some good news
this week. So it's like, because that.
Speaker 21 (01:50:22):
Will impact us, that will directly impact that legislation.
Speaker 5 (01:50:26):
Sometimes I think that people don't know, like how like.
Speaker 21 (01:50:30):
You know, politics and legislation impacts their day to day lives.
Speaker 5 (01:50:35):
That's huge.
Speaker 21 (01:50:35):
That's a big deal because yeah, he's going to be
able to get his full social Security that he worked
hard for, as well as the pension that he's getting
for the public sect.
Speaker 3 (01:50:47):
Isn't it crazy that it's it's called windfall elimination, like windfall,
Like okay, maybe so much.
Speaker 7 (01:50:55):
I think I won.
Speaker 3 (01:50:58):
This is what's not like I got to hand it
the right to work foundation and you know, I mean
right to work, the whole right to work. Like they've
coined these phrases that they own that sound the complete
opposite of what they actually are, like the windfall elimination situation,
like like that situation, like I'm in this wind fall
(01:51:21):
with my Social Security.
Speaker 7 (01:51:23):
That I heard that I actually that I paid into.
Speaker 3 (01:51:28):
And then I go and I get a public pension
and somehow I get penalized because I got a windfall,
like like I won the lottery.
Speaker 7 (01:51:37):
Like this is crazy again. It's great.
Speaker 3 (01:51:42):
I know, we're having fun with it, but there's a
lot of this that's happened over the last few decades
because I think you said, corporate America is taking advantage
of this by you know, taking advantage of us, by
us being so busy, right, trying to get the kids
to soccer, trying to do this, trying to do that.
You know, you know, you're you're trying to manage the household.
(01:52:03):
You're going to work a lot of cases, working you know,
fifty hours or more a week, some people working two
jobs three and and you know, kids, I know what
me and my brother did, and we were left home alone.
Speaker 7 (01:52:15):
We were boneheads, you know what I mean, We're like,
we're got in trouble.
Speaker 3 (01:52:18):
Can we get you know, and you know, so you know,
it leads to all these other cascades into other issues,
and you know, and somehow we're the bad guy when
we say, hey, you know, don't you think we should
get a little fair shake in this, And of course
we need to listen to somebody who's you know, who
buys Twitter for forty four billion dollars like okay, like
(01:52:44):
and and if you really drilled down on what was said,
like you just pounded this corporate America message, and you know,
shame on people who actually ate it up and are
part of the working class, Like come on, do you
honestly think that individual I was actually joking with someone
the other day. Everybody knows Elon Musk wants to populate
(01:53:07):
the world himself, right, he's oh, he said this multiple times, right, yeah,
he has lots of kids, and he says, I think
I think lots of people should have lots of kids. Well,
of course, because what's happening is people are having less
kids now, so there's less workers to exploit. Yes, right,
I mean, when you really think about it, you know,
it's people in that mindset where some of us are thinking, well,
(01:53:29):
you know, I mean I can't say this because I
actually populated the world. My wife and I have nine kids,
by the way, but I didn't I didn't complain about it,
and I wasn't trying to do it to exploit labors,
but we did it for sports purposes. We can play baseball,
we can play football. We have a full team, no
(01:53:51):
matter what, right, no matter what. So we're about ready
to wrap this up a little bit. Anything you guys
want to close on, We got plenty of time to
wrap up. But really appreciate you coming on, and I'll
tell you what. It was so inspiring to see members
like you down in San Diego last night, just knocking
(01:54:11):
Kaiser right in the teeth. I wish I was a
fly on the wall inside the stadium to see those
executives go.
Speaker 7 (01:54:20):
We got to close this down. We got to shut
it down.
Speaker 5 (01:54:26):
That's great.
Speaker 7 (01:54:27):
I wish I had a drone to fly over something. Yes, yes,
So when's your next action?
Speaker 6 (01:54:36):
Actually, so we're still waiting for to come back to
the bargaining table, right, we're still they've been ignoring us
the past.
Speaker 7 (01:54:41):
People, we could have went down and caught them at
the stadium.
Speaker 3 (01:54:44):
Yeah, I should have brought a table out, Yes, we
should have brought.
Speaker 7 (01:54:47):
Some tables out.
Speaker 21 (01:54:47):
Here's a limousines as you're yes, yea of those CEOs,
yeah yeah, yeah, the CEOs of those So.
Speaker 6 (01:54:55):
We're so we're still waiting on them to come back again.
We are they They're continue to put out these ads.
We're not afraid by them. They are actually inspiring us
and motivating us. More and more of our workers are
getting out there on the lines to join us. Like
I said, so continue to lie about us, Kaiser, continue
to you know, spread this.
Speaker 21 (01:55:15):
Newspaper ads just basically distorted and full blown lies.
Speaker 5 (01:55:19):
It's just lying.
Speaker 19 (01:55:20):
It is so.
Speaker 6 (01:55:21):
But again it's not You're not scaring us, you're not
weakening us. We are getting stronger every day, we're getting louder,
and we're waiting for you to come back. We'll be ready.
We'll be the ones in the NUHW shirts, the red shirts.
Speaker 3 (01:55:34):
So well, really got to hand it to you again.
I know I'm going to get a ton of positive
feedback from the two of you on the show. I
got a ton of positive feedback. Line, your energy is
spot on. Everybody loved that that you hitting the table.
You know, anybody who's an advocate for a union or
you know in some way advocacy within the confines of
(01:55:56):
what we do, appreciates what you're doing right now.
Speaker 7 (01:55:59):
The energy that you bring into this. So thank you
very much.
Speaker 3 (01:56:02):
I know everybody that listens to this show is all
excited from listening to this segment. We appreciate it and
quite frankly holding the line on an issue that a
lot of people abandoned. And unfortunately, for a few decades
this issue has kind of been walked away from and
you're at Corporate America has won the message in the
narrative on this, and it's really important for us as
labor advocates to say this is okay to fight for.
(01:56:26):
You know, you obviously saw the Boeing workers. They ultimately
conceded and I don't know if you noticed, but they
announced that they were going to lay off seventeen thousand
Boeing workers just I think it was yesterday, and so
I don't know if that's in retribution or what.
Speaker 13 (01:56:40):
You know.
Speaker 3 (01:56:40):
I mean, you got to break that down and see,
sometimes the layoff does happen temporarily because you shut the
operation down, and if you shut the production down, there's
going to be a delay, So you have a layoff
for a bit and then everybody will.
Speaker 7 (01:56:50):
Be recalled later on.
Speaker 3 (01:56:52):
Let us peel back the layers and figure that out
before we actually report on it and say that it
is something negative it could just be a temporary situation
as a result of the action itself, which means that
it worked. And most importantly, for those of you that
are listening, if you do have a retirement vehicle defined benefit,
don't assume everybody else in the world has one. That's
(01:57:12):
what I found that union members that have these benefits
sometimes forget that you're in a very small percentage, sometimes
five percent, seven percent, ten percent, maybe eleven percent at
the biggest in these buckets, depending on what that combination
of benefits are. And if you're if you're fighting for
(01:57:35):
something like this, you know, be sophisticated about it, be
diligent about it. And it's okay. In other words, it's
okay to say, what's going to happen when I'm fifty seven,
when I'm sixty two, what's going to happen pre sixty five?
I mean, there's some people that want to extend the
retirement date to like seventy or seventy two. So thank
(01:57:55):
you very much for coming on the show. Really appreciate it.
I'm going to wrap up the back part of the
show in clothes like I always do, by talking about
worker power and this is this is the definition of
worker power.
Speaker 7 (01:58:05):
This is how we build worker powers.
Speaker 3 (01:58:07):
Workers coming together saying hey, I want my defined benefit back,
or I want one and I never had one, or
I want retiree medical or you know, my working conditions
or patient care is affected this way or affected that way.
You have every right as a worker in this country
to fight for all of these issues. Quite frankly, you
have a right to fight for everything. You can actually
(01:58:28):
argue that the polls in the building that you're in
need to be painted blue.
Speaker 7 (01:58:33):
You have that right.
Speaker 3 (01:58:34):
Yeah, right, that's where that's where I was going, right
the the we have that rights as a worker in America,
and we got to stop giving it away. And so
what are we doing here in the Inland Empire. We're
building worker power. And how are we building worker power.
We're talking to our friends, We're talking to our neighbors.
We've got billboards, we got our buses, we've got the
radio show. We've got all these workers talking about worker power,
(01:58:57):
and they're they're starting to understand that when you come
together and demand worker power and we talk to our friends,
we talk to our neighbors, and we talk to our family,
that we can build worker power. Longtime organizer first time
radio host Randy Corgan A Workerpower Are KCAA ten fifty
A M one oh six point five FM, live from
San Bernardino, Teamsters nineteen thirty two Broadcast network signing off,
(01:59:21):
see you next week.
Speaker 9 (01:59:34):
You're listening to KCAA, your good neighbor along.
Speaker 7 (01:59:38):
The way.
Speaker 12 (01:59:48):
NBC News on KCAA Lomolada, sponsored by Teamsters Local nineteen
thirty two. Protecting the Future of Working Families, Teamsters nineteen
thirty two. Dot Organ.
Speaker 13 (02:00:00):
M hm hm
Speaker 2 (02:00:03):
H for k c A A ten fifty A m
n B
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