Shaun Richman, a Labor Studies Expert at the State University of New York (SUNY) Empire State College and author of “Tell the Bosses We're Coming: A New Action Plan for Workers in the Twenty-First Century,” joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and reflected on the significance of U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh coming from a union background when so many other labor secretaries came from the business sector.
Richman argued the labor secretary picks for the Obama and Clinton administrations were bureaucrats and technocrats who did little for the labor movement. He also pointed out that Hilary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2016, reportedly picked Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz as her Secretary of Labor. Schultz has engaged in numerous union busting tactics with his own workers.
Discussion then turned to Starbucks closing two union stores and history of the company’s litigation of labor law violations. He also spoke about the passage of the Fast Food Recovery Act in California, which establishes standards for wages, working hours and conditions for fast food workers in the state.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.