A Conversation with Daisy Pitkin & Jeff Grabelsky of the Worker Institute at Cornell, Industrial Labor Relations School

About today's episode...

Join Michael in his discussion labor union organizer Daisy Pitkin as they discuss her riveting new book, On the Line, A Story of Class, Solidarity, and Two Women’s Epic Fight to Build a Union which details the efforts of two brave women to unionize industrial laundry workers in Phoenix, Arizona. Daisy documents this bold five-year campaign as well as detailing all the ways US labor laws are rigged making it nearly impossible for workers to achieve basic workplace fairness.

Joining Michael as a co-host and commentator is Jeff Grabelsky. Jeff is the Associate Director of the Worker Institute at Cornell, Industrial Labor Relations School where he co-coordinates the Institute's Strategic Leadership Initiative. Jeff began his career in the labor movement working and organizing in the steel industry in 1973, has been a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) for over thirty years, and is the former national organizing director of the Building and Construction Trades Department (AFL-CIO).

About the Guests

Daisy Pitkin

Daisy is the National Field Director for Starbuck Workers United. She has spent over twenty years as a community and union organizer, working first is support of garment workers around the world, and then for US labor unions organizing industrial laundry worker. Her essays have been awarded the Montana Prize, the Disquiet Literary Prize, the New Millennium Award, and the Monique Witting Writer’s Fellowship. She grew up in rural Ohio and received her Macalester College and her MFA from the University of Arizona. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA.

Jeff Grabelsky

Jeff Grabelsky is the Associate Director of the Worker Institute at Cornell and co-coordinates the institute's Strategic Leadership Initiative. He develops and delivers education and training programs and provides research and technical assistance in all aspects of union affairs. Jeff has taught in the Cornell / NYS AFL-CIO Union Leadership Institute since its founding in 2000. The programs he has worked on have reached over 300,000 unionists nationwide.

Host

Michael Zeldin

Michael Zeldin is a well-known and highly-regarded TV and radio analyst/commentator.He has covered many high-profile matters, including the Clinton impeachment proceedings, the Gore v. Bush court challenges, Special Counsel Robert Muller’s investigation of interference in the 2016 presidential election, and the Trump impeachment proceedings.In 2019, Michael was a Resident Fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he taught a study group on Independent Investigations of Presidents.Previously, Michael was a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice. He also served as Deputy Independent/ Independent Counsel, investigating allegations of tampering with presidential candidate Bill Clinton’s passport files, and as Deputy Chief Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives, Foreign Affairs Committee, October Surprise Task Force, investigating the handling of the American hostage situation in Iran.Michael is a prolific writer and has published Op-ed pieces for CNN.com, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Hill, The Washington Times, and The Washington Post.Follow Michael on Twitter:@michaelzeldinSubscribe to the Podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/that-said-with-michael-zeldin/id1548483720