UC Workers Authorize Strike Over Campus Protests – Can They Do That?
On Wednesday, members of the United Auto Workers Local 4811 — a union that represents 48,000 student workers and researchers across the University of California system — voted to authorize a strike against their employer. The vote comes in response to some campuses’ use of police force to break up protests in support of Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas war.
UAW 4811 represents workers in nearly every aspect of academic life, from undergraduate tutors and readers to postdocs and researchers. About 41% of members participated in the vote, and an overwhelming majority approved of the measure, according to a union statement Wednesday night. Today on AirTalk, we discuss the strike authorization and get the latest on UC Irvine’s protests after police cleared out a student encampment. Joining is Yusra Farzan, LAist reporter, Anny Viloria Winnett, graduate student worker at UCLA and the unit chair of UAW at UCLA and John Logan, director of labor and employment at studies San Francisco State University.
With files from LAist. Read more here
Raise Prices or Cut Costs? The Dilemma Facing LA’s Restaurants
It’s been a tough few years for restaurants in Los Angeles. Many beloved spots closed their doors in 2023, and those that have remained open face rising costs from inflation and minimum wage increases. On top of that, the state law banning “hidden fees” goes into effect July 1, meaning restaurants will no longer be able to add mandatory gratuity for large parties or service charges to help cover employee healthcare. It leaves many restaurants with a dilemma: raise prices and risk their customers feeling sticker shock, or try to cut costs elsewhere.
Joining us to discuss the challenges facing the restaurant industry is Bret Thompson, owner and chef at downtown LA’s Pez Cantina and the newly opened Pez Coastal Kitchen in Pasadena.
One Year After Hollywood Strikes, How Are Writers, Actors And Other Industry Professionals Getting On?
It was just over a year ago that members of the Writers Guild of America went on strike amid a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. And even though the two sides reached a deal in September, it hasn’t meant that the writers have just gone back to work like nothing ever happened. As Christi Carras and Stacy Perman of the Los Angeles Times’ Company Town section reported in a recent article, writers they spoke to said that either they, themselves, or colleagues had struggled to find work since the strike ended. And it’s not just writers who are struggling to find work -- actors and below-the-line professionals say they find themselves in the same boat. With us to talk more about how writers are doing a year after the strike began is Ryan Faughnder, the senior editor for the Times’ Company Town team, which covers the entertainment industry.
Neurodivergence: The Mental Health Challenges That Come With Autism And ADHD
The world isn’t built for neurodivergent people. At the very least, it’s exhausting to navigate a neurotypical world, potentially leading to burnout from having to constantly mask one’s true self. But neurodivergent people can also face significant mental health challenges, like depression and anxiety. How common are mental health problems in the neurodivergent community? How do these conditions present themselves? And how does finally receiving a diagnosis affect a patient’s mental health? Joining us to discuss are Melody Marin, clinical psychologist specializing in neurodivergence and Ryan Sultán, pediatric psychiatrist at Columbia University’s Mental Health Informatics Lab.
TV-Talk: ‘Bridgerton,’ ‘The Big Cigar,’ And More
Have you felt completely overwhelmed when deciding what new show to watch these days? Us too. There’s just so much content out there between network TV and numerous streaming platforms. Each week, we will try to break through the noise with TV watchers who can point us to the must-sees and steer us clear of the shows that maybe don’t live up to the hype. This week, listeners will get the latest scoop on what’s worth watching with Roxana Hadadi, TV critic for Vulture, Whitney Friedlander, freelance entertainment writer.
This week’s shows include:
- Bridgerton [Season 3, Part 1] (Netflix)
- The Big Cigar (Apple TV+)
- Abbott Elementary [Season 3] (ABC / Hulu)
- X-Men ‘97 (Disney+)
