Building Bridges: A Labor Podcast

Teri Dewalt from Audubon Washington details the years-long struggle in getting a fair union contract with the National Audubon Society, the power of the strike, and the need for non-profit workers to get organized!

Content warning: Mentions of domestic violence and police brutality. Member of the Renton City Council and Seattle University Assistant Teaching Professor, Carmen Rivera discusses the Renton Raise the Wage campaign, her journey to becoming a councilmember, and the racial equity lens that she carries throughout her work.

In this episode, we speak with Rachel Ybarra, a worker-organizer who has worked at Starbucks for over 4 years. Rachel tells us about the importance of community in organizing and the need for good-faith bargaining as workers continue to fight for a fair contract.

Happy (almost) Filipino American History Month! In this episode, we're joined by Velma Veloria, Filipina organizer, current UW lecturer, and former Washington state Representative. We discuss with Velma her beginnings in organizing and the role of Filipino labor activism in Seattle and Washington.

In this summer special, Anita and Maya interview each other in their final episode together. Learn how Building Bridges came to be, where Anita is headed to next, and more about the co-hosts as they say goodbye to the first iteration of Building Bridges. To learn more about Anita's work with Seattle Office of Labor Standards, see here.

In this episode, we talk with Shareatha Escobar, who is the Vice President of SEIU Local 925, one of the unions on campus. She is also a patient services supervisor at Northwest Hospital. In our conversation we discuss how she came to the UW, her journey with 925, and the ongoing contract negotiations with UW.

In this episode, we talk with Jake Grumbach, who is an associate professor at the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. Before that, he was an associate professor at the University of Washington and a faculty associate for the Bridges Center. At UW, he taught Introduction to Labor Studies, one of the core courses of the labor studies minor. In our conversation we discuss the increasing popularity of quantitative research in the social sciences, movement building in and outside work, and the changing politics of Gen Z.

In this episode, we talk with Bisma, Maya, Niki, and Sara, the research team behind the Student Worker project from the Bridges Center. The student worker research project is a study from the Bridges Center that seeks to provide a better understanding of student workers – those who balance the demands of higher education with employment – and their relationship with work. In our conversation we discuss how the project got started, the survey and interview process, and the most surprising revelations they’ve found so far.

In this episode, we talk with Dontazz Williams, who is a food service worker at the Plaza Cafe at the UW Medical Center. He is also on the bargaining team for the Washington Federation of State Employees at UW. In our conversation, we discuss conditions on the job, his advocacy for his fellow food service workers, and the importance of standing together.

In this episode, we talk with Gina and Zho, two student organizers with the Popular University for Gaza Liberated Zone at the UW-Seattle campus. In our conversation, we discuss what divestment from Israel could look like, negotiations with UW administration, and life at the Liberated Zone. *This episode was recorded on May 17th, the day the Liberated Zone was announced to have concluded.

In this episode, Anita and Maya discuss the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, a privately owned immigration prison that contracts with ICE and has been scrutinized for substandard conditions. We also talk with Esmeralda Ibarra, a Building a Movement intern with La Resistencia, a local grassroots organization that centers their work around the Northwest Detention Center. Trigger warnings: mention of suicide, inhumane prison conditions. Building Bridges will take a hiatus for the next two weeks. See you in May!

In this episode, we talk with Jonathan Gonzalez, an organizer with Teamsters 117 and a Bridges Center alum. In our conversation we discuss Jonathan’s experience with the labor movement in different contexts, the process of a union campaign, and his perfect victory at the Woodland Park Zoo.

In this episode, we talk with Levin Kim, who is the president of UAW 4121, the union for academic student employees, postdocs, and research scientists at the University of Washington. In our conversation, we talk about the ongoing contract negotiations between UAW 4121 and UW, the wave of unionization at universities across the country, and the power dynamics in higher education.

In this episode, we talk with Sai Ahmed, who is the Assistant Director of Student and Community Engagement at the Harry Bridges Center. In our conversation we discuss intersectionality and the labor studies curriculum at UW, as well as review the amazing growth of the labor studies minor so far.

In this episode, we talk with James Oliveros (they/them), who is a labor educator with the Washington Labor Research and Education Center at South Seattle College. In our conversation we discuss James’s path to community educator, the history of Filipino activism in Seattle, and the ins and outs of teaching people how to organize. James’s email (for those interested in attending a training): [email protected]

In this episode, we talk with Josh Davis and Tahlia Segura, who are active members of the Seattle Art Museum Visitor Service Officer Union, an independent union formed in 2022 currently bargaining for their first contract. In our conversation, we discuss the history of the SAM VSO Union, the pros and cons of being independent, and the untapped potential of the gallery guard’s perspective.

In this episode, we talk with Kimaya Mahajan and Sofia Torres, who are both Student Engagement Specialists at the Bridges Center. They are also active student organizers on the UW campus with Students United for Palestinian Equality & Return (SUPER) and Resist US-Led War, respectively. In our conversation, we discuss their experiences with student activism, the challenges of organizing at the university, and advice for those wanting to become more involved in their community.

In this episode of Building Bridges, learn about the Bridges Center’s Building a Movement (BAM) internship from Soohyung Hur, a Graduate Staff Assistant for the Bridges Center who oversees the program. Hosts Anita and Maya talk to Soohyung about working at the Bridges Center while studying towards a PhD in geography, her favorite moments of BAM, and finding your people.  Visit labor.washington.edu/BAM to learn more about the BAM internship program. Applications for Spring 2024 are due by midnight on February 21st, 2024.

In this episode of Building Bridges, Anita and Maya talk with Rachel Erstad, the Research Director at the Bridges Center. Previously a researcher and organizer at SEIU Healthcare 1199NW for almost 10 years, Rachel now coordinates the growing research team at the Bridges Center and teaches a course on applied research for the labor movement. In our conversation, we address what applied labor research is, her experience returning to an academic environment, and the importance of unions for all.

Join Anita Zeng and Maya Cruz for the first official episode of Building Bridges, a podcast from the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies at the University of Washington, where we explore the people and stories of the labor movement. In this episode, we talk to Andrew Hedden, the Associate Director of the Harry Bridges Center, about his dissertation: “Empire of Tomorrow: Seattle and the Making of Global Capitalism in the 1970s.” Our conversation will touch upon some not-so-common knowledge of Seattle’s history, the process of academic historical research, and advice for those interested in pursuing a PhD in labor history.