This weekend the American Political Science Association (APSA) rolled into Los Angeles for its annual conference. But this year, the annual confab was roiled in controversy as the association was moving on with its conference after Unite Here Local 11 asked them to cancel the conference or move it online in a show of solidarity as their strike and picketing against hotels in the region continued.
APSA's board voted 17-4 to move on with the conference, but move the meetings, lectures and everything else out of the hotels and into the convention center. This was not enough for Unite Here who noted that the official hotels for the convention were the same ones they were picketing.
This was also not enough for many of its members who boycotted the convention. A few, including today's guest Dr. Nicholas Toloudis, came to Los Angeles, didn't stay in a picketed hotel and joined a picket line instead of a plenary.
For anyone just joining the controversy, but finds this topic interesting you can read APSA's statements and messages to members before the conference (here), follow Dr. Toloudis on Twitter (here), read the most confused tweet about ways to not cross a picket line (here), or read some of the coverage of the APSA controversy (here). And for more coverage of the strike and the actions in Santa Monica, we have lots of coverage of that here at Santa Monica Next.
A full transcript of the interview can be found after the podcast.
