It was day three of my self-imposed Rona virus (shout out to Black Twitter) quarantine and it was clear that sitting in my underwear scrolling through Facebook was quickly becoming my life. Between the apocalyptic posts about how woefully unprepared the US healthcare system is on any given day, let alone for a pandemic, and […]
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Coronavirus and the Crisis Laid Bare
Jarrod: Two weeks ago I stood on the corner of Stony Island Ave and 71st Street on Chicago’s South Side, a major intersection and level crossing for the Metra commuter train. A shrill warning siren, blinking red stop lights, and retractable safety gates heralded an approaching train. But none came. As the minutes dragged on, […]
“Amazon is Knowingly Putting Their Customers at Risk”: A Florida Amazon worker speaks out
I work for Amazon out here in Miami. Working conditions are less than optimal. We are constantly breathing in a bunch of dust all day, in the back of trailers for hours on end with no respiratory protection, just breathing it all up. Since there’s no air purification or filtration system, I’ve been asking for […]
“Right Now Everything is a Mess!”: Conversations with an MTA Train Conductor
The MTA in New York City and the surrounding suburbs employs 74,000 workers. It has disclosed that there are 23 people who have tested positive for the Covid-19. Leo is one of 7,000 workers in his division. Leo is 37 years old. He works as a train conductor for the MTA, mostly on the D […]
caring: a labor of stolen time
Pages from a CNA’s Notebook [1] JOMO wrote this about her job and her organizing at a nursing home in Washington State in 2010. Given the COVID19 crisis, we are reposting the piece with an intro from JOMO. **** In a few short days, the greater Seattle region became the epicenter of Covid 19 here […]
Regina and the Racist
“When my son was murdered, I read Job,” Regina said. Regina was my ride-share driver, fifty-something, and a seat-full of voluptuous curves. She was chatty and she talked with her hands vociferously, which was only a little scary. After each burst of information, they’d reclaim the steering wheel. Usually, Regina told me, she has a […]