Episode 15 - "The Next Shift: The Fall of Industry & the Rise of Health Care in Rust Belt America"

Episode 15 - "The Next Shift: The Fall of Industry & the Rise of Health Care in Rust Belt America"

Author: CUNY SLU May 3, 2021 Duration: 29:45
New Labor Forum Books and Arts Editor Samir Sonti hosts a conversation with Gabriel Winant, author of the recent book, The Next Shift: The Fall of Industry and the Rise of Health Care in Rust Belt America. Examining the vast expansion of the health care sector of our economy over the past half-century, Winant traces its development to a combination of factors, including deindustrialization, union decline, an aging population, and a shredded social safety net. It is this historical process, Winant argues, that ushered in a burgeoning low-wage health care workforce disproportionately represented by women and people of color , who have become both essential and disposable, a contradiction made blatantly clear by the Covid-19 pandemic.

What does it mean to stand together in a world that often feels fragmented? Reinventing Solidarity, from CUNY SLU, digs into that question without easy answers. This isn't a lecture series, but a collection of grounded conversations exploring how connection and mutual support are being reimagined right now. You'll hear from organizers, artists, scholars, and community members who are actively building bridges across differences, examining both the triumphs and the stumbling blocks in contemporary collective action. Each episode focuses on real-world examples, from workplace organizing and neighborhood initiatives to cultural projects that challenge old narratives. The discussions are nuanced, avoiding simple slogans in favor of honest talk about the hard work of building lasting bonds in our communities and institutions. Tune in for a thoughtful exploration of the practical and philosophical sides of coming together. This podcast offers a necessary space to consider how solidarity isn't just a historical concept, but a living, evolving practice we all have a stake in shaping.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 67

Reinventing Solidarity
Podcast Episodes
Episode 37 - Why We Need Debtors' Unions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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A dramatic increase in national consumer debt began in the mid-1980s and currently stands at 16.5 trillion dollars, making it a key feature of capitalism in the 21st century. Average household debt today in the U.S. – mo…
Episode 36 - The Worker-Led Upsurge: Amazon and Starbucks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Episode 35 - Who Pays for Inflation? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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The fact that current inflation rates are higher than they have been in decades weighs not only on households and businesses, but has also shifted the political landscape. As we head into the 2022 midterms and then the 2…
Episode 34 - Organized Labor and the Global Climate Crisis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Sean Sweeney, Director of SLU’s Trade Unions for Energy Democracy, speaks with journalist Laura Flanders about continued botched efforts by countries around the globe to meet the targets set forth in 2015 Paris Agreement…
Episode 33 - "Sunbelt Blues: The Failure of American Housing" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:44
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Episode 31 - "100 Percent Democracy" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:31
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