Today on AirTalk, we examine the economic impact of a potential grocery workers strike and take a look back at the impact of the last strike. Also, our weekly political roundtable recaps the major headlines you might’ve missed in politics news over the weekend and looks ahead to the week to come; and more.
As Possible SoCal Grocery Workers Strike Looms, The Impact Of The Last Strike As Told By Those Who Lived It
Union leaders in Southern California are expected to announce Monday afternoon whether grocery store employees at stores like Ralph’s, Vons, Albertson’s and Pavilion’s will be going on strike against their employers.
This comes after a vote last week by a number of branches of the United Food and Commercial Workers labor union, which represents grocery store workers in Southern and Central California. The union and representatives for the supermarkets are struggling to come to terms over a proposed new labor contract. Changes to healthcare plans and a 1 percent wage increase are among the major sticking points for the union.
If the union announces a strike, it would be the first time since 2003-2004 that a strike of this size has been authorized. Shoppers today will undoubtedly have more choices for grocery shopping than they did 16 years ago, if there is a strike, but there will still be ripple effects felt across the industry, both on the side of grocers and their employees as well as the average shopper.
If you were a grocery store employee, union member, or just a shopper at one of the stores impacted by the strike in 2003-2004, what are your memories of its impact? How did it change the supermarket landscape in California? Did it change the way you shop for groceries? Join the conversation at 866-892-5722.
For more background from AirTalk on the strike and what has led up to this point, listen to our primer segment from last week here.
Guests:
James Peltz, business writer for The Los Angeles Times who’s been following the story and also covered the 2003-04 strike; he tweets
Phil Lempert, a supermarket and consumer behavior analyst with the Santa Monica-based publication SupermarketGuru.com; he tweets
Week In Politics: The NK meeting between Trump and Kim, U.S. and China restart trade talks and more
AirTalk’s weekly political roundtable recaps the major headlines you might’ve missed in politics news over the weekend and looks ahead to the week to come. Here are the headlines what we’re following this week:
Foreign policy
Surprised Kim / Trump meeting in North Korea
China / US restart trade talks
Iran said it’s violated a critical limit on nuclear fuel
SCOTUS recap of big decisions, including ones on partisan gerrymandering and the citizenship question on the 2020 Census. Plus court will be deciding the fate of DACA in the fall
Recap of last week’s Democratic debates. What did we learn and who came out looking best?
Plus, the aftermath: Harris changed her answer on nixing private health insurance. Biden’s pushing back on his civil rights record
Twitter to start adding “labels” to tweets that violate the company’s rules
More protests in Hong Kong: What’s the end game for protesters and how is China going to react?
Last week, Congress approved emergency aid for the border. The vote laid bare tensions between moderates and progressives in the Democratic party
President Jimmy Carter said Trump was in office because of Russian interference
Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ successor has been chosen, and it’s Melania Trump’s senior aide Stephanie Grisham. She will be Trump’s sixth communications director
Guests:
Matt Rodriguez, Democratic strategist and founder and chief executive officer of Rodriguez Strategies. He is also a former senior Obama advisor in 2008; he tweets
Jack Pitney, professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College; he tweets
California’s Tax Hike Makes The State’s Gas Prices The Highest In The Nation
California’s nation-leading gas prices are set to climb even higher Monday, when the state gas tax increases another 5.6 cents a gallon.
The tax is designed to raise about $5 billion a year for road and mass transit programs. The money is split between state and local governments, with much of going to fix potholes and rebuild crumbling roads and bridges, as well as funding new projects like public transportation and biking trails.
Republicans pointed out again that the tax is increasing even as Gov. Gavin Newsom and fellow Democrats complained about high gas prices.
Newsom in April blamed possible “inappropriate industry practices” rather than higher taxes and stricter environmental rules, while California Energy Commission investigators subsequently pointed the finger at “possible market manipulation” by retailers.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guests:
Graham Knaus, executive director of the California State Association of Counties (CSAC), which represent county government before the California Legislature, administrative agencies and the federal government.
Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, a California-based nonprofit organization; he tweets
Recapping A Wild Start To NBA Free Agency And Exploring How LA Teams Now Fit Into The Kawhi Leonard Sweepstakes
The NBA’s free agency period began on Sunday and basketball fans didn’t have to wait long for the fireworks to begin.
One of the biggest questions heading into NBA free agency would be whether Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant would stay in the Bay Area or take his talents elsewhere. That question was answered almost immediately when Durant announced on his Instagram page that he would be
Sources: Durant will sign a 4-year, $164M deal with the Nets; Irving will sign 4-years, $141M.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2019
a max contract with the Brooklyn Nets worth $164 million over four years. The Nets also announced on Sunday that they would be signing former Boston Celtics star Kyrie Irving, another highly sought-after free agency, who inked a 4 year, $141 million dollar deal. The Nets also added former Los Angeles Clippers big man DeAndre Jordan on Sunday to round out a big night. But when free agency giveth, it also taketh away, and this was the case for the Nets as they welcomed in three new big names but said goodbye to another -- star guard De’Angelo Russell, who signed a 4-year, $117 million deal with the Golden State Warriors. But it wasn’t just the Nets making a big splash on the first day of free agency. Charlotte Hornets star guard Kemba Walker announced he’d be
Free agent Kemba Walker has agreed to sign a four-year, $141M maximum contract to join the Boston Celtics, Excel Sports agent Jeff Schwartz tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2019
the Boston Celtics on a 4-year, $141 million deal and Philadelphia 76ers star Jimmy Butler
The deal will include Josh Richardson to the 76ers, league sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/nWFrg00mtm
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2019
the Miami Heat as part of a sign-and-trade deal.
The Lakers already landed a big offseason fish when they executed a trade that sent former New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis to L.A. in exchange for a couple players and a slew of draft picks, but many around the league still see them as a possible contender in the sweepstakes for Toronto Raptors star and newly-minted NBA Champion and Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers, however, also remain in the hunt for Leonard, who many believe wants to come to Los Angeles.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll recap the big movies that shook up the NBA landscape and explain where, if anywhere, Los Angeles basketball fits in with the remaining big free agency targets.
Guests:
A Martinez, host of KPCC’s “Take Two” and former Lakers host with ESPN L.A. 710; he tweets
Dan Woike, national NBA writer for the Los Angeles Times; he tweets
What The Past Can Tell us About The Future Of Transportation in America
Over the last few years, tech companies have been foreshadowing a future in which autonomous vehicles revolutionize the transportation landscape.
We’ve been told that they hold the promise of reducing the number of injurious and fatal accidents, drastically decreasing emissions, and eliminating traffic.
Yet the testing of the first autonomous vehicles, and the first death of a human resulting from an autonomous vehicle, have reinforced the distrust humans have in robots.
In “Are We There Yet?: The American Automobile Past, Present, and Driverless” (WW. Norton & Company, 2019), author Dan Albert raises the question of whether society is ready to become “a nation of passengers.”
Albert takes readers through the history of the automobile, and combines it with personal narrative to illuminate the significance of cars in the shaping of American culture.
Larry sits down with Albert to talk about what the history of automobiles can tell us about the potential near future of self-driving cars.
Guest:
Dan Albert, car critic, historian, and author of “Are We There Yet?: The American Automobile Past, Present, and Driverless” (WW. Norton & Company, June 2019); he tweets