Welcome back to the Unionize Yoga Podcast. In this episode we have Part Two of our Interview Series with CorePower Yoga Union. The union has been working to organize throughout the majority of the pandemic. Unionizing is never easy, let alone in a pandemic where we have to stay apart from one another. There’s much to learn from them. Last week we talked with Alice Klein – a teacher-organizer out in Seattle. And this week we’re talking with Sam Winkelmann – another teacher-organizer in Georgia. This interview with Sam was recorded at the start of April – knowing that timeline can help make sense of some of the points raised. At the end of the interview, we’ll have an update from Sam on where they are right now in their organizing. 

 In this episode, you’ll hear some of the same (but not entirely) ground being covered as was last week. However, the topics are told from a different perspective and with different information. And these are the critical topics to discuss and organize around. We don’t just talk about them once with one person and then that’s enough. We have to think about them from different angles and perspectives, regularly and deeply. We’re trained for this as yoga practitioners. We don’t do the poses of our practice once and then never again. We practice them often. They can feel so different and teach us new things even if we’ve done them many times before. There are lessons to be learned here in how we approach our ongoing work and thoughts that must continue to be thought and rethought, and then acted upon.

Hope you enjoy.

 Note: Sorry everyone, there's 5 mins of empty audio at the end of this podcast. Sigh. We're very DIY over here and this is how the cookie crumbles sometimes. We'll work on it for the future to not happen again!

Articles to on CorePower Yoga Union's efforts:

The Defector article by Amy Pedulla:
Inside the Fight to Organize CorePower Yoga
https://defector.com/inside-the-fight-to-unionize-corepower-yoga/

The Guardian article by Sarah Jaffe (who will appear later this season):
Married to the job: how a long-hours working culture keeps people single and lonely
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/apr/15/married-job-long-hours-working-culture-single-lonely-love

Men's Fitness Article:
Fitness Trainers Are Organizing to Flex More Muscle in Their Workplaceshttps://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a34717653/fitness-trainers-labor-organizing-unions/?ltclid=4446a845-f894-49ae-a017-070d33144c50

Follow CorePower Yoga Union on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cpy.union/

Email us if you have any questions at: unionizeyoga@gmail.com

Link to Organize with Unionize Yoga! We're always looking for volunteers:
Sign-Up to Organize
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfifsEptFTtYlHQHfSbPSDl-rMvc08aOGntdBTR0vXSvvjrQQ/formResponse
---
This is the Unionize Yoga Podcast. We are a clearinghouse on organizing, moving beyond the studio system, forming coops, and a space to share resources that uplift teachers. At least once a month you’ll hear a conversation with someone doing this critical organizing of making our industry and working conditions more equitable.