A few weeks ago, we brought you a story about Southern autoworkers trying to chart a new path for labor in the South. But it’s not only autoworkers trying to make change in a region long known for its hostility to organized labor.
This week in OtherWords, we hear from Katherine Charles, a federal call center contractor in Florida who helps patients get connected to health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. But the pay is so low and the benefits so poor, Katherine writes, that she can’t afford care for herself. That’s why Katherine and her coworkers are organizing to unionize their company — and in the process, win better protections for all federal contractors.
And in another story of inspiring Southern activism, we hear from Kelsea McLain, a reproductive health advocate in Alabama. Kelsea shares her own story of facing a decision on abortion in the years before Roe fell, only to see an already challenging landscape for reproductive health turn downright hostile when it did.
Kelsea shares what new restrictions have meant for the clients she serves — but also how groups like hers are pulling together to win back their freedoms to make their own health decisions.
Also this week, Jim Hightower says we need more working class lawmakers.
New This Week…
It’s Time To Put Americans’ Health Decisions Back In Our Own Hands | Kelsea McLain
Getting reproductive care wasn’t easy in the South even before Roe fell. Now it’s an emergency.
I Keep the Affordable Care Act Working. Why Can’t I Afford to See My Own Doctor? | Katherine Charles
We need to make sure federal contractors like my employer are creating good jobs with livable wages, decent benefits, and the right to unionize.
We Need More Working Class Lawmakers | Jim Hightower
We’d take better care of ourselves with policies written by plumbers, housekeepers, and child care workers than lawyers, bankers, and ideologues.
In Case You Missed It…
Trump’s Corporate Tax Cuts Paved the Way for Inflation | Lindsay Owens
The former president made it more profitable for companies to gouge us. When those cuts expire next year, we’ll have an opportunity to get our money back.
‘Bluelining’ Leaves Climate Vulnerable Communities Without Home Insurance | Jessica Garcia
Insurers are pulling out of areas prone to climate risk — even as they insure the fossil fuel companies contributing to that risk. These communities deserve better.
The Big Business of Obesity and Shame | Sonali Kolhatkar
Big business profits by plying Americans with unhealthy foods — and profits again by peddling weight loss drugs. What we need is regulation, not shame.
This Graduation Season, Debt Relief Still Feels Out of Reach for Young Borrowers |
The Biden administration is moving to cancel debt for borrowers who’ve been in repayment for decades. What about those paying steep college costs today?
