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times, I'm likeable borrow this- is a daily for more than five hundred this coup minors in rule alabama have been on strike in one. The longest work stoppages in american history, routes between us and the people who are keeping us there, who don't want to give us a great contract, is one word or words to a billionaire, but as the store drags on. The minors are discovering that neither political party is willing to fight for I can see some lines were first time I could say some line today. My colleague like

core creating has the story of one corner in how the strike hasn t formed his view of amerika in politics, singing. The long standing united workers are mere monday august twenty seconds, Michael tell me about this strike. This strike is arguably the biggest labour story in the country, and yet it

getting very little attention just to give you a sense of the scale there's about nine hundred coal miners who walked off the job in April, two thousand and twenty one and they haven't the mac cent wow. It's rare that people are willing in this day and age, to leave their job and take risk and go on strike, but to go on strike for more than here I mean more than five hundred days. That's just unheard of so I decided to go down there and talk to the workers and try to understand exactly what had made them take to the picket lines. To stay out there for so long to who did you end up? Speaking with in alabama?

strike. This isn't rudeness there s the forum on Cyprus. I spoke to call minors of every type of minors that had been there for generations- minors, different ages, races, backgrounds, I'm also up to one thousand homes a year on just my w two lol wow, that's twenty thousand hours a year, so you and daddy all had different stories to tell but many things in common, which was their commitment to. Staying on strike until they felt they were going to get a fair deal. We get

some things in water for us to get them back where they're supposed to be, and now it's time for them to give back, and I wish they will spend one week underground with us, and I think it will take two days that one week phenomenon understand we're bargaining in good faith should be definitely don't cross. The line go back to work or stay in a fight day is probably going to be back in that coma and we were going to be getting what we're supposed to have. So that's what the game and one of the people that ain't spinning allow timeless was a call. My worker name, braxton right.

If you want to go ride around your yeah, it wouldn't take much for a great opportunity to practice. Thirty nine years old. He grew up in this part of central alabama and he has settled and raised a family here and when I was in alabama he it took me on a tour of way lives that helped me quit the and you have a flavor that you like this one was called melon time valentine. I don't know what kind of marijuana it is, but it it actually tastes pretty decent, and I don't mind mistake. Braxton smoke that minor for many many years and his experience at the mine and just growing up in that part of it Burma really helped me understand what this fight at the mine. What this strike was really all about. This scheme is this? It's a call seen them

This is the absolute curricular. Color seems homely man yeah, but our boy, craig, is personally wanted their scope I guess we're really about the second best. Coal in the world just got a loan for about forty minutes away from Birmingham, which is a few towns away from the coal mine near braxton works one of the coal companies they called road in coal or of the EU every once in a while, you tap in road and coal company. He pulls up from pictures and allow the features from western balkans lot em in all these towns round here spring up, because of course they were basically extensions of the culture. These as breast and later explained. The town I live in was barton is actually a coma. town. It got it's name from they claim they found a block of coal that way to turn so they named barton.

And then, when blocked and burned down, they moved it just west of Boston. So then it became west blocked him, and so, like many other people in his community a couple of years after he graduates, high school braxton entered the co sorry when I went to the coal mines, they start amount at eighteen dollars an hour, and I was working forty eight hours a week and a lot of times? I could work up sixty hours. If I wanted to know so twenty one years old and I went from making- probably thirty two thirty, four thousand a year to making like sixty thousand a year. You know with overtime, so that's a pretty good job fur You know for a guy, the other asian, and he knows we're rural alabama, and it is- I mean from here it's two thousand and five. He is at this call mining company called Jim water resources. When me and

got married is when I decided I wanted a career instead of fino it. I guess he settled. down I was I run allowed until I met her. That's one outside I wanted to make a full career out of it and that's when I started can even harder to try to you move up in a company and so braxton with sees himself spending his life it in his company making. Great living, and what is the state of the mining industry when he enters into those five? Will coal is in decline? I'd states is no longer using it as its primary energy source and his transitioning to greener energy sources, so, overall the industry is troubled when he starts and yet he still being paid very, very well and making

for people in central alabama, an enormous amount of money, and the reason for that is pretty bull in washington, the coal operators and the miners chiefs led by John L, louis meat to sign a condom Ending nine months turmoil in the coal deals with coal cold are part of an extremely powerful union. When the united mine workers of america, one of the oldest story labour unions in history. United mine record of america again and calmly them off again. The go ahead and the grave and against the red is concentrated opposite every fade a labour union nor a voluntary associations of work and

They are quite militant. They dont back down and as a result of that, they have been able to gain very high wages and good benefits for their workers over time. We have made no, we have been admitted on labour and we benefited our citizens I wonder I blame you, know coal mining. Would you often do with only a high school education offers? Quite a comfortable? Middle class life many minors on their homes, but cars centre, kids to call it and a lot of ad is attributed to workers union and what is break sense relationship to the union to interesting when he started he was not a member of the union. From the time I started,

I always liked working with the the older union gas, but he had enormous admiration for the union workers and how they thought and how they thought about their jobs and how they thought about the power and when, in. And stay had you know a learned so much from the generation that built and started those coal mines ice got to work with four years, I made a lot of really good friends and allies and a lot just. You know sitting around listening to the stories that some of the you know, the the old hands would tail, and I think that was probably my favorite part the job was just listen to the yeoman learning stuff about the comments from them and eventually he becomes a member of that union It happened in a way that was

it's a bit unusual, but not unexpected, given what was happening in the coal industry at the time explained that what do you mean well in two thousand and fifteen, the coalmining companies working for Jim walter resources, it's facing a ton of financial problems, it's weighed down with dead the price of coal had crashed. and they were laying off. People include braxton. You know I've started off in a low position and I had worked so hard for so many years to prove my college. In my ability to to run plant a moment. You know make decisions, they maintenance do all this other stove and then all of certain say No, we don't need you anymore. That part was really turf only. I took that pry the hardest of. Ah, you know that I had worked so hard to build up tomorrow. Position, and then they just. Let me go luck. I was nothing. Nobody

later, as these companies tend to do Jim walter resources, reorganizes itself gets a new name. It's called warrior met coal and it hires hundreds of miners back braxton is one of them, and this time he's hired into a huge job. I was little proud moment for me. No one you're, a union coal manner in a lot of people, cannot looked up to union call minors. Outta bed had a history of getting things down when it needed to be done. Ok. So now he's a member of this union which, as you ve said, he deeply admirers

How do things change for him as a result? Whelp even from the outset, this new lee organised company things are not as good as it used to be. In order for the company to come out of bankruptcy, the union was forced to agree to take very significant wage cuts and cuts their benefits. Then they assumed in the union leaders say they were told explicitly by this call company that once the company was doing better and had started turning

profit, their old wages and benefits would be restored. I started in April of two thousand and sixteen, I guess that's when we started realizing that this company had made a a major change, but it quickly became apparent that the company was not going to do that and braxton says they knew this in part, because the working conditions at the mine are much worse than before the bankruptcy. We worked with skeleton crews. I mean before the bankruptcy we had forty six union gas and then after the bank herbs- and we started back- we Add a twenty one union gas. So we're doing twice the work you know with less people. So you know that that was a big change, that the company disputes that saying conditions were safe and legitimate, but the union and braxton aren't happy with the way things are going, and this is all happening against the backdrop of the two thousand and sixteen presidential,

action, so you come back to the mine you're now a member of the union. This is two thousand and sixteen nationally. Coal mining becomes an issue in the presidential election between Hillary Clinton and donald trump. Were you paying attention to that end and if so, what was? Who is your thinking at the time there are was he no, not an oath? Historically, you know the the Democrats, It always supported in the union's, but they are not

sadly coal miners. So for many decades the coalmining union and democrats went hand in hand in the e. U m w a the united mine workers of america has been solidly democratic. The nineteen thirties. That union was the single largest contributor, the democratic party, now so yeah for a very long If you recall minor, he voted democratic, I'm the only candidate which has a policy about how to bring economic opportunity using clean, renewable energy as the key into call country. Of course that has changed because for the democratic party, a big issue is climate change, their efforts to combat climate change, all are not compatible, because we're going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business right tim and we're going?

make it clear that we all want to forget those people, those people, lambert, those mines for generations, so I too doesn't sixteen confirming unions. Worst fears were these statements made by Hillary Clinton. Elegantly later said she was misquoted, put it out of context, and personally I felt like She had become president. That way, we would have come mine's anymore, I think a lot of people about the same time It really seem to confirm what the commanders had been feeling, which is that they can count on the Democrats as their party any longer while goal is coming back. Clean girl has come on the other side of the isle. Donald trump see

on this moment. She wants the minds closed and she will never let them work again and uses that to become the champion of the grieved coal miner, let me tell you they're, going to start to work again. Believe me, you're, going to be proud again to be mine. It makes big promises but he's gonna save their jobs. Save the industry bring call back without hiding the business man, you know not a politician, you know, maybe he will look out for the workers and not just the interest of politicians Did you believe him back then that that, he would indeed save coal. Yes, sir, I may not have been

in co minors. You know, there's cadillac, another republicans, illness, because reunion and the Democrats don't want us because we run coal, I know so, as we've always been in kind of a hard spot that you know the now have a certain trump comes in and says he's going to save coal mines, I took it at tower that somebody hey somebody knows going to speak up for the coal miners. You know, but trump couldn't change the economics of coal and no matter how many regulations he rolled coal was in a death spiral and their industry and its fortunes did not improve and meanwhile at this reorganise.

His company, twenty twenty one comes along, and it's coming up to Tom too, you know for the the contract five years have passed and they remembered this company told them that when the next contract came around they would be at whole and the things that they had given up. They would get back again now the company disputes that and has put out statements to the effect that they made no such promises, but that's not how the union remembers it and they started to negotiate a new contract The company has not even put forth an effort of negotiated, so no a comb honours, always kind of been a respected. You know worker we ve always had proud and our work to get got to the point where we had no respect in the company but in the negotiations the company was not getting that where they were so no, we we worked through twenty twenty.

Through crown of ours, and on top of that there's a pandemic, you know were deemed essential workers were made to work. You know with Really not any kind of safety equipment other than we know just a normal stuff. We had before shire for work every day. It's the super dangerous job, every time they go down and that mine these workers with their lives as that she's coal, mining and that macarthur wise. You know, just stay another person in a turnover workforce that had no say or opinion about. Job or the work we were doing. hmm to feel like the company. had made a promise that they were now reneging on these workers could not something that and they fell like they had really been betrayed employer. Yes, it is really have been there and made betrayed the way we retreated.

and to see that, tired that we were no Can these long hours, sometimes seven days awaiting twenty eight? thirty days in a row that a day off in a tired of not in your family, we voice our concerns for the for four years, and it was a kind of of agreement that you know how they were ready for it. I you know this is night working out or gotta give. So that's why, on well. First, twenty, twenty one the miners decided to go on strike and we'll be right back from the backboard to the front office legacy. The true story of the l, a lakers, captures the remarkable rise and unprecedented success of one of the most I

on ec franchises in professional sports, featuring new, revealing interviews from players, coaches and exacts this ten part documentary serious chronicles this extra, mary story from the inside watch legacy the true story, the Allie lakers, now only hulu. I came across this article in the new york times about them me too movement in IRAN. I just wanted to know more. I wanted to understand more about infrastructure. Vaccine rule out I was reading about grandma's road tripping all over china about child care enough to use the modern love stories. She told me how important the crossword puzzle was to herd, and so then it started to become something that we shared the times always zooms in and connects me to people around the world, jordan from lana Georgia, my name is Lana fill and I've been us scrapper to the new york times from the time. I was a child one year in eleven months for eight years that new

at times, for me, is about the things I need to be aware of to navigate my life find out how the new york times can fit into your life at n Y times, dot com, slash life. So what has this strike been like day to day? Well, let me set the scene yeah, the first couple of weeks it was, it's pretty chaotic dismay and record alabama is sprawling. Minute goes on for hundreds of miles underground, and there are many men interest each location. You know you had ten to fifteen people walking with signs. That said, no contract, no co, and but this union did was to set a picket lines had free single entrance, with thirteen picket lines going if he took the

to drive. You know from one and visit our thirteen pig Once there was a hundred and twenty miles, I mean ages what in this place and when the replacement workers showed up the union. Workers. Let them know what they thought. He had salem hollerin, scab column. a scam, maybe a few other words and things got rowdy nerves lot and anger towards doing things got a little violet? There's a few instances what are you gonna get out of hand, the blue beard? Maybe Can the road you know, maybe slap in the future, Hours here they go by known shaken I'm a little bit about stood window or two That probably shouldn't happen. It was pretty ugly so day after day at the strike, there's the scene of

nice workers standing at all the entrances confronting the replacement workers and goes on for weeks and months. Will you didn't see? Were political leaders standing? armed with these unionized kilometers. Our governor was standing with the company For instance, the state police who were under the control of the republican governor t, ivy chaotic day work ostensibly send to keep the peace at the picket line. Buoyantly supporting the company, but minor, say the policing more intense, helping protect the replacement workers and to harass the unit pictures dented state neutral age and the judge to the side of the company. Then there is the case of this republic and judge who started placing injunctions on the union from after the company complained about them.

We're getting the injunctions just started, getting a little more strict each time, and this jump since really limited to less what the union could do on the picket line. Later they went from hundreds of people that could be there to like a handful and it really reduced their presence finally ghetto good old tub reveal one of their republican senators, tommy tub, urville, poor coach and even worse politician, former football coach, huge trump accolade, explicitly said that he will back the miners. Why not It is inappropriate for congress to way and on labour disputes, which are properly being resolved through the judicial system worker cause official line is that you know it's not his place or congress's place to get involved at a private business dispute. The miners are incredulous. I mean these are the Republicans that just a few years

ago said they had the miners backs. When I say that I support the coal industry, I guess they were telling the truth. You know they by supporting it industry and not the worker rights supported the company and not the worker matt, more clear as a straw goes own. The pitcher disc is clear as time goes on, I was at a moment and a process were. You started thinking, differently about republicans at that say so here I mean just given how donald trump and the republican party essentially ran on the backs of the aggrieved call minor in two thousand. Sixteen and here's a group of aggrieved call minors and they won't even talk to them. So this feels like a potential.

golden opportunity for democrats to show their support for these workers and start to make up ground after losing the com. Adding labour unions to trump you'd. Think so you know, Bernie sanders showed us. You know a good bit of support, better yeah. I guess he's more of an independent. Now there have been some democrats and independent Bernie sanders who have talked about this strike and have criticized the company, but it's nowhere near the attention has been paid by democrats to the strike that you might expect them to do good,

and the issues that his workers are raising. Thousands of amazon warehouse workers in alabama will vote on whether to become the company's first unionized facility and what's even more striking coal miners like braxton, is how Democrats reacted to a union effort going on just thirty miles away in bessemer at an amazon. warehouse. I'm welcome. Today. You have a delegation converse for dealing with these matters There was a congressional delegation that came to the facility and held a press conference We knew about a lantern. we do. There should be no intimidation. coercion, no threats! No can't! I union propaganda. President Biden waiting warning the company not to mess with you zation vote. You're right, not that of an employer, you're right, no employer can take that right away, so

make your voice her, which is almost unheard of for sitting president too, erectly way in an invitation, effort coming deliver cuts made supporting those amazon workers a big moment. These Democrat that's where the democratic party, the core of it as always, align itself with workers. and particularly unionized workers, so suzette doubly frustrating. Or is. It really is, I guess been industry that worry earn. You know, the lot of you don't want to get involved are almost to the point where men abandoned by both sides in a really with our struck. We have me we have been abandoned by both sides. Do you feel lights, You know for the Democrats, do you want

Extend that dilemma or do you feel that that is miss guided math, I think, is misguided, knew each party picks two main things. You know to Democrat, there's fossil fuels and abortion, and then republicans? Their big argument is more pro: fossil fuels no programme on an anti abortion is the boss you're so worried about these three items that they ve lost, focus on everything else. So a coal miner like braxton and his coworkers are in a very strange position. They were once a group beloved by Democrats. and then they were won over by republicans and now in their greater. The moment of need it for someone like braxton

you wake up and you realize neither party is your ally, that's right and without any put up a support. The strike is dragging on and on spent a year since the strike began, breaks needs a job in a kind of applaud. The amazon is a joke. Almost ironically yeah she gets a job at the amazon. Warehouse in bessemer has been trying to utilise this is the same warehouse right where the now failed. Unionization efforts happened and where democratic officials came out to show their support, exactly so I go in through their cattle hurting process of being heard and dora get through my three days: training for the first rate is enough. The next week and amazon in my cameo union. Sheridan everybody's cannot lookin at me funny.

For your camera, uniform. That's like our union colors, that's right and what is their working sorting boxes or can be overnight shift? He himself gets involved in the efforts the union eyes. at the bessemer warehouse well, and we need a lot of whom you know were curious. Know. Why did you go on strike? You know you're already make any this amount, We cannot explain to him, you never know what necessarily about the money you know a lot of it was the lack of respect that we used to have what was everything you ve told them through biggest They should join the union. What's the matter Then you tell them the solidarity. I mean, may just here I'm in a hurry. You need a union because it could do this better for you, this better, for you in she went on. You know what The union has been able to do and right now, you're only one voice at a time if you our union and your haven't- problem

you know you have your six million instead of one you dont use? Have you know you yourself? trying to fight a battle. You have an army of millions ready to support you in your fat? I mean if it weren't, for the solidarity of just the working class is you know we wouldn't been able to last Islam? You know when we put always serve The bulls: are you how we are we fi Democrat Republican. To you identify most, primarily as a union worker yeah. I mean that's what I now I consider myself a union worker, that's what I am gonna, if possible. That's what I'm gonna stay So where does that leave you politically?

kind of in the middle of the road. You know we ve had a lot of support from me, no local and state in a day essay chapters. You know the birmingham daresay chapter is shows tremendous support force. You know the withstand the essay, the democratic socialists of america, they're very pro worker. You know what I mean they support. Workers. It doesn't matter the industry, you know too, there were still a worker in a year we work and fossil fuel, but at the end of the day, we're still a worker that is important. He knows a worker in another industry. Do you feel like that as a worker as a Meyer, there's no place for you in mainstream political. station right now they are pretty much. I mean its election year. Eight part,

stands up and says you know we're gonna. Do this. We're gonna do that and in italy The four years you know is very rare. We ve seen enough if the thing happened they promised would happen. Let's begin another time of ought to actually see from either side just a change toward the workers of the country I mean just may. If average working class american, I can't say where either side is done, anything to help the working class so we go. I wonder how we should think about braxton story. Is this the story of a very unique set of circumstances, a dying industry, coal that has gotten caught between the chain, the identities of the two parties, or is this a story that we should think about differently? Is it a measure of just how much both parties have failed to speak to working

he bore like brass. And how do you think about that? So fractions, one worker in our burma at a coal mine? But when you think of what a worker like him means for politics, national politics in the politics of the working class someone they braxton, whose had this remarkable politically, he should be paid attention to you and you don't ever find your work you can I had this experience when I was in alabama reporting this story? And I was at a rally, the union halls and I looked out of the crowd.

And I was just struck by how diverse it was and how many different types of people there were black white women men and I thought wow like these people- have this one thing in common, which is that they are sticking with this fight I thought that is something really remarkable. Now we're not away and I believe so You might think I talked to workers all over the place. Workers are in unions were not an unions, they worked in manufacturing plants, they worked in walmart, dollar general and their stories are very similar. There seems to be this grand bargain. That's been broken. There was this notion

in this country that you get a job few shop in time. You do well You can be respected by employer, you can be paid fairly and you can advance, and that doesn't seem to be worth right now Then I just because we won't make. I was gonna doing why we want to we weight and I dont understand. Then we will not subject ourselves to mars. thank you. Now now, our this is the lack of real, then that happened today. We

It has been stronger than the one that allowed or no one does Over there, Young. I got Thank you very much. Thank you. The the Oh great back what we owe the future is a new book written by oxford. Philosopher, william, the cask call it offers a guide to making the future go better. For future generations, humanity's written.

Three spends only five thousand years. The yet unwritten future could last for millions more or it could end tomorrow. You can find out more about how to give future generations a world full of just I hope and beauty by learning more about this new book at what we owe the future dot com here's? What else you need today over? We gather the daughter of a adviser to Vladimir Putin was killed in what appeared to be car bombing inside rush, the instead is poised to be a new flashpoints in russia's war with ukraine, because the victims, father alexander, do get help she's the ideas behind russia's invasion and is an outspoken advocate of the war, ukrainian officials adamantly denied any role in her death and said it could be the result of an internal russian dispute. It was unclear whether it was dugan or his daughter

who was the intended to target of the blast. I certainly hope that if it as an attack on either one of those people that was an internal russian affair- and it wasn't something emanating from ukraine in an interview on Some- with cnn congressmen. Adam shift, the chairman of the house, intelligence company, so He hoped that ukraine was not involved. We have seen terrible war crimes by russia against ukraine and russia, be held accountable. Certainly would never want to see anything like an attack, on civilians by ukraine and hope that their applications are correct. To these Episode was produced by Diana whip era. Cookie The garrison it was edited by mark george contains original music by marian Lozano in Chelsea. The annual and

was engineered by marian Lozano. Our theme music is by Jim Bloomberg and then lands of wonderingly. the that's it. I'm likeable bar see them tomorrow.