by Maximillian Alvarez | Feb 13, 2026 | Economy, Economy and Inequality, labor, Podcast, Politics and Movements: US, Unions, Working People
The longest-running nurses strike in New York City history has come to an end—for some. Nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, however, overwhelmingly voted this week to reject a tentative agreement and to stay on strike until their demands for safer staffing and more job security are met. In this unscheduled strike update episode, TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez speaks with Beth Loudin, a neonatal nurse and member of the executive committee of the New York State Nurses Association at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
Additional links/info:
New York State Nurses Association website, Facebook page, Bluesky page, and Instagram
Claudia Irizarry Aponte & Ben Fractenberg, The City, “NewYork-Presbyterian nurses reject contract by overwhelming margin”
Luis Feliz Leon, Sarah Hughes, & Danielle Smith, Labor Notes, “Fifteen thousand New York City nurses strike”
Featured Music:
Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song
Credits:
Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor
Transcript
The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. A proofread version will be made available as soon as possible.
Maximillian Alvarez:
Alright. Welcome everyone to Working People, a podcast about the lives, jobs, dreams, and struggles of the working class today. Working People is a proud member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network and is brought to you in partnership within these Times Magazine and the Real News Network. This show is produced by Jules Taylor and made possible by the support of listeners like you. My name is Maximillian Alvarez and I know that you guys may have just listened to our latest episode with healthcare workers on strike at Kaiser Permanente over on the West Coast, but we’ve got another urgent strike update episode for y’all today on another critical healthcare worker strike that was actually mentioned in that
by Maximillian Alvarez | Feb 13, 2026 | Economy, labor, Podcast, Politics and Movements: US, Unions, Working People
An estimated 31,000 health care workers in California and Hawaii walked off the job on Jan. 26 in their ongoing battle with healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente to address workers’ demands for safe staffing, more manageable workloads, and a livable wage. The United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) strike is now in its third week, and more than 3,000 pharmacy technicians, pharmacy assistants, and clinical laboratory professionals represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers. In this urgent strike update episode, we speak with a panel of UNAC/UHCP members who are all currently on strike at Kaiser Permanente.
Guests:
Sanayo Kondo is a physical therapist at Kaiser Permanente – Redwood City in Northern California, and she is also on the bargaining team for her UNAC/UHCP group.
Kadi Gonzalez is an outpatient Registered Nurse at Kaiser Permanente who works in OB/Gyn care and is on the board of directors for UNAC/UHCP.
Lucky Longoria is a Registered Nurse who works in pediatrics at Kaiser Permanente – Downey in Southern California and previously worked as a travel nurse.
Additional links/info:
United Nurses Associations of California / Union of Health Care Professionals website, Facebook page, and Instagram
UNAC/UHCP Press Release: “Massive Kaiser strike enters third week”
Kaiser Permanente, “Our statement on the UNAC/UHCP strike (Jan. 25, 2026)”
Featured Music:
Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song
Credits:
Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor
Transcript
The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. A proofread version will be made available as soon as possible.
Maximillian Alvarez:
Alright. Welcome everyone to Working People, a podcast about the lives, jobs, dreams, and struggles of the working class today. Working People is a proud member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network and
by Maximillian Alvarez | Feb 6, 2026 | east palestine, Economy and Inequality, Podcast, Politics and Movements: US, sacrifice zones, Working People
Feb. 3, 2026 marked the three-year anniversary of the Norfolk Southern train derailment and chemical disaster in East Palestine, OH—one of the worst industrial disasters in US history. Over the last three years, residents have been exploited and abandoned by Norfolk Southern, the government, opportunistic politicians, sensationalist media outlets, and self-serving attorneys, but we haven’t forgotten them. On the three-year anniversary of the day that changed their small-town lives forever, TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez was on the ground in East Palestine speaking with residents about their lives and needs today. Here is what they said…
Additional links/info:
Ohio Valley Derailment Mutual Aid Facebook page and fundraiser
Chemically Impacted Communities Coalition (CICC) website
Golomb Research Group (UCSD) website and East Palestine Health Effects Study website
Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, “America’s toxic future looks like East Palestine, Ohio, today” (click for a full list of all of Max’s East Palestine reporting for TRNN over the last three years)
Featured Music:
Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song
Credits:
Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor
Transcript
The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. A proofread version will be made available as soon as possible.
Jim Stewart (CNN Town Hall):
I’m angry. I’m angry about this. I lived in East Palestine for 65 years now that’s my home. My grandmother came from Germany. She lived in Palestine. My dad grew up there. My family’s grown up there. Now I live in a house that’s probably the closest of any of these, and it’s a shame I don’t feel safe in this town. Now you took it away from me. You took this away from this. You seem like a sincere man. I’m not calling you
by Maximillian Alvarez | Feb 2, 2026 | ICE, Minneapolis, Podcast, Politics and Movements: US, Prisons and Policing, video, Working People
Transcript
The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. A proofread version will be made available as soon as possible.
Speaker 1:
Alex Pretti was murdered while showing his humanity in the most clear way, helping another human. We ask for justice now. We demand eyes out of our communities. We demand investment in our future and not our capture. We demand that no money is invested in a machine that clearly threat to public justice and will murder with impunity.
Speaker 2:
Alex, he came to the rescue. I saw the video like 50 times like everybody else. A woman was being pushed down by a large man who was armed and he went to her rescue. He was beaten, he was sprayed, he was put to the ground and he was shot 10 times. And Alex’s boss is in that building right over there. And what did he do? He sends out a freaking tweet or whatever the hell it was. It was a political tweet saying, we acknowledge he worked for us. Shame. Yes, shame. What did Secretary Collins convey to over 450,000 VA employees? He doesn’t give a shit about any of ’em. I would say that Alex is a hero. He will be remembered as a hero, and we should all be very proud that he was a VA employee, that he was a federal employee. Thank you. We
Speaker 3:
Don’t want to stand idly by as our families are torn apart and our comrades are murdered, especially when our own institutions are profiting from this injustice. And as we mourn and grieve the tragic loss of our organizers,
by Maximillian Alvarez | Jan 28, 2026 | ICE, Minneapolis, Podcast, Politics and Movements: US, Prisons and Policing, Working People
On Friday, Jan. 23, around 50,000 people in Minneapolis, MN, engaged in a historic mass strike and day of protest to demand an end to ICE terror and President Donald Trump’s federal siege of Minnesota. Then, on Saturday, Jan. 24, an ICE agent shot and killed Alex Pretti, volunteer ICE observer and a registered union nurse who worked for the Veterans Health Administration. In this episode, we speak with Mary C. Turner, a registered nurse and a member of the Council of Presidents of National Nurses United, the largest nurse’s union in the US, which is forcefully calling for the abolition of ICE.Additional links/info:
National Nurses United: “Week of action in honor of Alex Pretti, RN and all others killed by ICE”
National Nurses United press release (1/24/26): “National Nurses United outraged by murder of VA registered nurse by immigration agents, demand abolition of ICE”
National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United website, Facebook page, Twitter/X page, and Instagram
Devon Lum & Haley Willis, The New York Times, “Videos show moments in which agents killed a man in Minneapolis”
Thomas Birmingham & Ari Bloomekatz, In These Times, “A staggering number of Minnesotans took to the streets Friday to demand ICE leave. The next day, ICE responded by killing another resident”
Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, “Trump plans massive military parade while cutting veteran jobs, benefits, & healthcare”
Maximillian Alvarez, Working People / TRNN, “Trump cuts leave VA hospital nurses and veteran patients in a crisis”
Credits:
Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor
Transcript
The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. A proofread version will be made available as soon as possible.
Maximillian Alvarez:
Alright, well welcome everyone to Working People, a podcast
by Maximillian Alvarez | Jan 22, 2026 | ICE, labor, Podcast, Politics and Movements: US, Prisons and Policing, Racial Justice, Trump, Working People
