South Coast Working

UMass LEC produces South Coast Working Podcast

Working voices continue to resonate on the "South Coast Working" podcast. 

From construction trades to nursing home workers, "South Coast Working" is a podcast that promotes the voice of working people and those who continue to build the South Coast each and every day. From the docks to the mills to the classrooms to the roadways, working people add a voice and life to the region. 

Examples of podcasts in this series include: "Diversifying the Construction Trades on the South Coast", which is hosted and produced by Andrea Muraskin, a Bay State-based audio producer. 

Construction work is one of the few careers left in the United States where a person can make a good living without a college degree. However, it's also one of the few fields available to high school graduates with a workforce that's still predominantly white and male. So, what will it take for women and people of color to get a bigger piece of the pie, land the construction jobs that offer the best wages, benefits, and safety standards- union jobs- and benefit from Massachusetts' building boom? 

In this episode, you'll meet Tara Williams, who brought herself and her children out of poverty through determination and a brand-new career in the building trades. You'll learn about the training program where Tara got her start, and Vineyard Wind, the first-in-the-nation green energy project that's bringing new union construction jobs to the South Coast. Also covered is the shadow side of the construction economy- the exploitation of undocumented workers- and efforts to bring their employers to justice. 

Another episode presented at a critical moment was entitled "Union Strong in Nursing Homes in The Age of Covid," Is hosted and produced by independent journalist Kortni Smyers-Jones. In the early months of the pandemic, health care workers were lauded as heroes, especially those who worked with the most vulnerable- the elderly and people who need comprehensive care. From March to September 2020, nursing home residents made up 40% of COVID-19 deaths. Nursing home residents are at high risk because of their age, higher rates of pre-existing illness, and the close quarters they live in. However, a report published in the journal Health Affairs found that nursing homes in New York State where workers were unionized had a 30% lower mortality rate than facilities where workers were not unionized. 

So, why the difference? In this episode, journalist Kortni Smyers-Jones speaks with study co-author Adam Dean of George Washington University, healthcare workers, and union leadership to get answers.