logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2023
35m 2s

How to Be a Better Human: How labor unio...

TED
About this episode

We don't know about you, but we are fans of weekends. And social security. And health insurance. And the end of child labor! And all of these workplace protections exist because of the advocacy of labor unions. In this episode, political scientist Margaret Levi shares the long history of organizing labor and explains how unions create equality and protect worker rights. She also discusses her optimism about today's young workforce and why she believes that an equitable future requires a revival of the labor movement. This is an episode of How to Be a Better Human, a podcast from the TED Audio Collective. You can listen to more How to Be a Better Human wherever you're listening to this.

Up next
Today
How we’re turning pollution into toys, toothpaste and more | Xu Hao
It took alcohol 200 years to go from scientific discovery to industrial revolution, but tech innovator Xu Hao says we can’t afford to wait that long to tackle the climate crisis. He explores why most climate solutions are still stuck in labs — despite breakthrough science that ca ... Show More
14m 22s
Yesterday
The best thing that could happen to the energy industry | Matt Tilleard
History has been written by whoever controls the dominant fuel of the era — until now, says renewables entrepreneur Matt Tilleard. He explains why, as the clean energy transition ramps up, we’re moving from a world where energy comes from burning fuels to one where it will come f ... Show More
13m 51s
Oct 7
Inside the Gaza peace plan | Ian Bremmer
October 7 marks the second anniversary of Hamas' horrific attack on Israel — and Israel's devastating response. Political scientist Ian Bremmer unravels the intricate dynamics of President Trump's ambitious peace plan, the stark realities facing Gaza, how Israeli Prime Minister N ... Show More
39m 48s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2022
How labor unions create worker power (w/ Margaret Levi)
We don't know about you, but we are fans of weekends. And social security. And health insurance. And the end of child labor! And all of these workplace protections exist because of the advocacy of labor unions. In this episode, American political scientist Margaret Levi shares th ... Show More
34m 24s
Oct 2022
How labor unions shape society | Margaret Levi
The weekend. Social Security. Health insurance. What do these things have in common? They all exist thanks to the advocacy of labor unions. Political economist Margaret Levi explains how these organizations forge equality and protect worker rights, calling for a 21st-century revi ... Show More
24m 5s
Jun 2022
Why Unions are Making a Comeback
The Amazon Labor Union made history when it won its election at the JFK8 facility in Staten Island — but they aren’t the only ones organizing. Petitions to form unions were up nearly sixty percent between October 2021 and March 2022! What does it take to form a union, and what do ... Show More
27m 49s
Sep 2021
Re-imagining Labor Day with Rich Feldman
Rich Feldman is a former auto worker and union official. He's a board member of the James and Grace Lee Boggs Center to Nurture Community Leadership.End of the Line: Autoworkers and the American Dream To offer your own advice, call Zak @ 844-935-BESTTRANSCRIPT: RICH: This is Rich ... Show More
3m 4s
Sep 2020
Making Work Work for Everyone (with Saru Jayaraman and Michelle Miller)
Baratunde wonders what today’s labor movement looks like and how workers are responding to the unprecedented consolidation of corporate power across all industries from tech to agriculture to retail. He learns how our economy and our democracy are impacted by these extremes. Saru ... Show More
1h 3m
Aug 2023
Unions, Strikes, and the Public: What Matters?
How should we make sense of the current labor activism in transportation and entertainment? Heather and Joanne explain how the fault lines in the UPS contract negotiation can be seen in the 1894 Pullman Strike. And they compare the WGA and SAG-AFTRA “double strike” in Hollywood t ... Show More
53m 40s
Feb 2023
Unionising the US workforce
There has been a surge in the number of workplaces in the United States voting to join a labour union. Amid this wave of unionisation, companies are pushing back hard. We find out what is happening in the US and how businesses and politicians are reacting.We hear from a worker at ... Show More
18m 45s
Jun 2021
Employers Are Begging for Workers. Maybe That’s a Good Thing.
There has been a bit of panic lately over employers who say not enough people want to apply for open jobs. Are we facing a labor shortage? Have stimulus checks and expanded unemployment insurance payments created an economy full of people who don’t want to work — and who are hold ... Show More
1h 3m
Feb 2023
The New State of Unions
Do new unions need “Big Labor”? There is a new generation of labor organizers in the United States: baristas, warehouse workers, and grocers. They are organizing shop-by-shop and relying less on traditional big labor unions. Audie talks with longtime labor activist Erica Smiley, ... Show More
26m 54s