The Cost of Survival in a Broken System

In this episode, we take a hard look at how workers are being ground down across industries and institutions—from city halls to video game studios, from federal agencies to hotel rooms miscast as emergency housing. Episode Highlights: Philadelphia’s Massive Municipal Strike Ends Nearly 10,000 workers from AFSCME DC 33 walked out, shutting down city services. The strike ends with a tentative deal—one that some workers say doesn’t go far enough. Microsoft Layoffs & AI Irony 9,000 workers—many union members—get the boot while a company exec suggests using ChatGPT to process their grief. Yes, really. Supreme Court Greenlights Federal Layoffs Trump’s executive order slashing the federal workforce moves forward, threatening vital services under the banner of “efficiency.” Janus Fallout & The Free-Rider Crisis A deep dive into how the Supreme Court’s Janus decision has weakened public-sector unions—and how the right wants to finish the job. Capitalism’s False Promises From car loans to homeownership to overpriced streaming services, we explore how “leveling up” often means falling deeper into debt. Emergency Housing in Hotels: A Failing System Families in New York are living in cockroach-infested motels with no support services. It’s called emergency shelter, but it’s really survival mode.