On this week's episode of The Indy News Hour:
Co-host Amba Guerguerian went out to the United Metro Energy Corporation Tuesday morning, where all workers have been on strike for 9 months. Their billionaire boss, John Catsimatidis, pays them $10 the industry average for their dangerous work transporting oil. We hear the voices of the strikers and learn how to support them.
Chris Smalls, president of Amazon Labor Union, the grassroots union formed by Staten Island Amazon workers in protest of the company's handling of COVID and other workplace violations, updates us on the fight to be recognized as an official union by the National Labor Relations Board. The around 6000 employees at largest of the four Staten Island Amazon warehouses, JFK8, will vote on whether or not to unionize this spring.
Keron Alleyne, Candidate for Assembly District 60 in an upcoming special election for the district that covers East New York and Brownsville. Alleyne has been endorsed by District 60 Assemblymember Charles Barron and his wife, Inez Barron. If Alleyne wins the upcoming special election, he will have to then be reelected in this summer's primary to carry out a full term. He plans to protect his predominantly Black district from gentrification and keep community spaces vibrant.
Indy Contributing Editor and Eric Adams voter Nicholas Powers, who in his latest article does a fascinating job of exploring the political and cultural sources of Adams’ deep popularity in the Black community, what left activists have failed to understand about Adams and his supporters and how our new mayor has already begun to betray his working class supporters in favor of his wealthy backers.
