So would i think about this book i see it is really having three major parts. After started you introduce the situation now, you do a really good job icing i think of talking about your stories about how workers struggle, really they themselves let the middle class from this country to a great extent by organizing and by striking and bargaining, for a lot of adversity in my demanding policy changes. And then you go through a lot of the hard times what i call the reagan era which i think we are still in. Where companies and starting with the president of the United States, really attacked or theres a lot in their unions. And then you tell a lot of hopeful stories about different creative and innovative ways that workers have been organizing in unions and other forms. And make some policy recommendations. One of the things i had to say is a lot of folks like this are criticized because they come up short on the policy recommendations but i hope we really get into that because you really made quite a few i thought, interesting suggestions on what might be done to restore the boys and power of workers in this country. But some women to start by laying out where you see things right now. What is the scotus of working people in this country and their ability to save their own lives and work. Steven i covered for the New York Times for 19 years one of my concerns and interviewing people over the nation is something people have no idea would unions are a do and how unions help bring us our work 40 hour workweek and pensions and a bumper sticker, and the folks that brought us the weekend. I wanted to explain to people that unions have achieved a whole lot in American History now they are really in decline. There really been taken in on chin a sneak result, things are considerably worse for workers. Then they were 30 to 40 years ago. I think that far is it too few americans realize that American Workers have a bad to many ways and workers in other industrial nations on very basic things. Will there only industrial nation it doesnt have a law guaranteeing work workers paid Maternity Leave or parental worker. No guarantee workers paid vacation the 28 nations of the european nation, to guaranteed at least four weeks paid week vacation in six weeks. For decades now, American Workers have been suffering terrible wages saints technician while corporate profits have reached record levels and wall street is again, at record levels. I think a lot of workers get in their god, that something is broken free and theyre very frustrated. In my book, and nearly try to explain why things and say this, let the power in the United States is arguably the weakest has been in decades. Wellington runners on unions now. The jump from more than one in three. And unions, and certainly that false but despite that, the play a key role in building middleclass. And helping giving workers a voice would a job safety, or pensions. Or by bosses, bully. And unions are playing a key role in washington on an acting to care in making Social Security more generous. But in recent years though, unions have really been on the defensive and Corporate Power has really trumped the union power in many ways. So i think we a sneak nation of figure out a way to you for personal power to help create consternation and to help which nation. For example, would a race of the sediment ration over a decade. That is the longest time in American History, that the minimum wage has brought been increased pretty nice event, i argue that that is because porkers have still the power so we congress, are unable to persuade customers and partners to raise the minimumwage is very hard for mickens to live on 725 an hour at the federal minimum wage. Some of the keys of the book is to educate leaders about the problems workers have and look at strategies to try to increase power workers to help create a more prosperous nation for millions of americans and millions of workers. So i think to a certain extent, on people dont even realize how few rights they have. For example, would your suggestions is no might go away from our Current System and all of us all states, the thing except montana. Which workers can be fired for as says the judge many decades ago, a good reason, about reason or no reason at all. Basically you have no right to talk in this country. You suggest going towards a just cause system workers could be fired if they did something wrong not just because the votes doesnt who like you are going out with. Literally they fire you for that. Most workers dont think it could happen to them until it does. To an identical for someone relatively staying, my wife and got fired yesterday at work because he came into been slide. His boss was angry about his attitude. He wasnt smiling. And as its not illegal. Nice and its at will employment meaning that your employer can fire you for any reason or no reason except, specifically illegal law. People realize there jobs can be very uncertain. Tomei, one of the big problems in america, is scared to exercise the voices. I write about the upper big branch, mining disaster where more than it doesnt workers were killed. The workers knew about dangers in mind they were so scared of speaking up that they didnt speak up about the dangerous guessable school of minds and they exploded can all these in riverside. The voices way is it too scared to speak up. Some people argue we should move to a god just cause employment. So workers that can only be fired for jeanette an legitimate reason. In the just call system would certainly make workers normally speak up and say would they see safety problems for encountering Sexual Harassment on the job. Raising the minimum wage. Its unbelievable that we have on this long in the country that went out a minimum wage increase. In the house we raise the wage act which would raise the minimum wage to 15 an hour by 2025. Gradually for the next five years or so. And women in the practice of having subminimum wages for two porkers. Will disproportionately women and people of color. In their taken advantage of and that would put millions of dollars into poor people news pockets. Working people pockets. And workers i think your. Is i guess not have the power in our politics. In washington and state capitals. To just get a decent shape in the United States. In recent years. One thing that always kills me, is what i read some editorial pages, some business lobbyists a they complain about big labor, unions supposedly extraordinary powerful. Then look at who is really powerful. Who is really big. I saw in the 16 campaign cycle. Business give more than 3. 4 million in donations which is more than 16 and more than is much as unions which gave 213 million. According to a respect and Nonpartisan Group the center for responsible politics. Each year wide washington corporations been just on 3 billion in lobbying which is more than 60 or six times as unions which meant 48 million. I think that explains a lot of the things in washington. So to me, it was weird that Congress Rush to enact a 1 trilliondollar corporate stacked cuts for business would corporations are already making record profits on wall street already at record levels. Steven how far can we go with this kind of income inequality. How far before we going to different direction direction. Thus the question pretty. The actually. And that helps explain why 20 folks in congress, senate for instance, is doing nothing to raise the minimum wage because there listening to the corporate donors. Steven , talk a lot about these policy ideas but i just want to emphasize to our viewers, that i at least got so much out of this book from your story, and i think it is a great part of the book, really, the bulk of the book is telling stories of workers today, but also throughout American History. Only ask you, do you think that a lot of the stories you tell, from a hundred years ago say, really have a lot of relevant to today. So wanted to talk a little bit about the uprising of the 20000 people. Tell us a little bit about the start because i thought that would have a lot of relevance to a lot of the struggles of workers go through today. And even a lot of the issues that people with say thats actually not just about work. But issues about immigrant rights. The rights of people of color in society. The minority groups printed. Steven have you. I read a lot of labor histories. As many character who was assassinated me over the years. Her name was belinda. She was born in the ukraine. She was jewish. Her she was very religious, she worked writing a lot of people news kids had moved to new york. She would write letters from them. She was very literate. She did some garments red her family moved to new york from ukraine. Shes very bright young lady. She is hoping to be a dr. Seven day. Would she arrived in new york, tony spoke to gettys and she didnt have a nice bicycle education. So what did she do, she worked in sweatshop. She was appalled the conditions. She said i sort from 7 00 a. M. To 7 00 p. M. Going to work, before the son came up and heavily work after the son went down. And six and seven days a week. Steven some of the officers would sexually abuse the women. They would convene the bathroom for more than a minute or two they often had the pay for the needle and thread at work read sometimes they would have to pay five since a week to use Drinking Water that is making five hours a week. She said this is appalling and she thought she became an activist. She said im not going to take us. In this young woman in her late teens, early 20s became one of the most prominent government worker activists. People got set up and they started going on strike and there was some long strikes at one or two government factories. There is decision that there is a huge meeting a computer unit staying she we have this general strike of our government workers to try to put maximum pressure on the factories. There was a big debate. The founder of the president of the maker federation of labor deciding over the meetings and eat was kind of temporizing, well i dont know if we should have a strike. I do know if women, women workers are really dedicated enough to their jobs. On the 23 years old, she stood up and said. I think its time to call the general strike. I am tired of being a port working women struggling day after day and the place went bonkers and bananas. And i began what was the largest strike today by women in American History. This is it. To this day. Steven recalling 52 hour workweek. Not even a 40 hour work week. A lot of young people thought that the 40 hour work week was handed down by god. No it was one by struggle and by thousands and millions of workers and their unions. In an uprising of 20000, the strike that lasted two months know it from new york, a lot of these women mainly jewish and italian immigrants, their families really went hungry for many weeks. But after two months, they one in the would the 50 hour workweek down to 56 hours. The one right in the longer to pay for needle and thread and most of the factories on the would the right to join a union and have to bring unit recognition for it would the very few factories that refuse to recognize the unit was a factor in two years later, there is this horrendous tragedy there where hundred 46 workers died in a triangle fire. So here you have the story of a teenager, and woman in her 20s. Many of the workers will teenagers are very young. Overwhelmingly women. Overwhelmingly immigrants and they didnt speak english. They spoke italian and yiddish, they were spies. By the high society. Even though some high Society Women came to the right but in general, you dont have time to tell all of the details they were beaten up. And some of them will be no. Physically. Ive been. By dudes. They were sent by their employers. So my question to you is today would we have these inspiring moments that we should stop mass incarceration and luck lives matter, that immigrants lives matter. That we, the dr. Kids are staying that we demand the rights and by the way, the rights of other undocumented people. Then young people out here in the movement about climate change, would i read your account, i thought how inspiring for young people in activist today. Who are fighting in this country but i dont think in the minds of the did they have to look to the early 19th century labor unit for inspiration. We think about this. Steven is one of my themes in the book is that its important, people working collectively and acting collectively and practicing collectively to lift themselves up to improve their climate and to healthcare treatment of africanamericans but black lives matters. The agency is very important individuals need to be willing to stick their next out and stand up and tried to demand justice. In the uprising of 20000 what was crazy, at one point, they beat her up and of her ribs, and she was leaving in a house. Steven how many ribs you have. Shooting want to tell her parents because she thought they wouldnt let her go out and speak on some boxes. In these strikes and so then also there at earth incidents, literally in the new york tribune explaining the reporter saw this. As we come in because jesus out of these young women. Then the police would come and arrest these women. Let the thugs go. Will so onesided back that it shows how the establishment, the course and a place will so alive because of workers. But even despite that the workers will able to win the strike. In the book i read about modernday workers who use their agency to really fight for a better live. I read about a festive worker in kids city named twice, he held two fulltime jobs factory jobs. A little like clara, he left work at six in the Morning Company come back midnight they received orders and he would leave home in the morning before the son went up and he returned the second of every going to see many complaint that he works so hard try to make intimate but it doesnt see his arms most of the week. After a while he became homeless. The hours and structure growth, it was crazy somebody was missing his derriere working two fulltime jobs, can hardly make ends meet. And he became an activist and one of the leaders the 515, is the explain in the book, is the very first journalist United States write about the 517 and would began, seven years ago, the workers will demanding 15 an hour, i said that is super ambitious. Despite the sky. Here we are seven years later, new york and california and illinois and maryland connecticut massachusetts, district of columbia have all enacted minimum wage. So it shows that would workers are willing to stand up, would individuals are willing to stick their next out, the really penitent sheep, big change. A lot of lessons i think of todays activists would there is climate activists will black lives matters activist or me to womens activists, i learned a lot from their Labor Movement of old. Do not write about how in the uprising of the 20000, of the strike in 1936 in your home state and in michigan. Would workers really stand up and come together, they tend to achieve historical change. And recently, my chapter the teacher strikes, and West Virginia and oklahoma and arizona, and more recently in los angeles and in chicago, teachers are tired of wage freezes and being beaten down. If they were kind of prosperity have to do something to not just increase our pay, but to assure that the schools are getting the funding they need. The classsize does a balloon. We have enough money to buy modern textbooks the teacher strikes have really send a message to the nation about how worker power and trade unions help build a fair nation. Steven lets talk about strikes a sneak mechanism. They will very important in building the middle class in this country. They have fallen into diffuse. Talk to us, you share both information and stories in the book about how many strikes there will in the 50s and 60s and 70s like that. And then how both because the law and because of weakness in labor perhaps they have fallen into nearly complete disuse and then tell us what your thoughts are about today would we are starting to see the teachers but also Hotel Workers and the other workers at gm recently. Right now my kid is on strike is the graduate employee at harvard. In the dna. The ta on strike. Tell us about this sort of sweep and the strike, the role in history and how you see it going forward. Steven so 1940 and 50s and 60s and 70s, there will kind of far more strike than there are today. In the 1970s, like 300 lord strikes a year. And about 13, far less. And workers have become intimidated. I think a lot of that happened in the 80s. In 1950s and 60s, there was fairly good code collaboration between employers and unions. In employers, will very prosperous after world war ii after the economy is growing, and he gave a contract. And come to 1980, unisys really felt pressure from globalization and parts of germany and Japanese Cars and enforced from still from elsewhere and enforce of clothing imports of tvs radios, and recession 1980. And those things really put unions in the pressure and made employer boulder. The confronting unions and that concessions. Steven and they go. In the 1980s, so sorry. And so, shortly after he became president in 1981, they are Traffic Controllers went on strike demanding very large wage increases. In a fourday workweek. They engaged in illegal strikes. If reagan it was, make my day moment. Im not going to put up with his legal strike. Even though he has been president of the field and let their very first try, he got a very tough union prepay really think he started trying to show how has brought going to let labor push him around. I fired 11000 airTraffic Controllers for going on strike illegally. And he its been about, that the union air Traffic Controllers union really mishandled the strike they didnt work do you get enough public support. Or from the fellow union so they were really clobbered and that was a major setback for unions across the nation the really discouraged and frightened unions from going on strike. At the same time, reagans it cracked down the air traffic really embolden incorporate an american do you get much tougher towards unions. The really started in the