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Connections

Coming up on Connections: Tuesday, December 14

There are now nearly 33,000 Starbucks locations around the world. Here, a Starbucks logo hangs in the window in Homestead, Pa.
Gene J. Puskar
/
AP
There are now nearly 33,000 Starbucks locations around the world. Here, a Starbucks logo hangs in the window in Homestead, Pa.

First hour: Author David Cay Johnston on his new book, "The Big Cheat"

Second hour: What does the Starbucks unionization victory in Buffalo mean for the labor movement?

Journalist and author David Cay Johnston's newest book is an effort to pull together all the ways that Donald Trump and his family scammed the country for their own enrichment. The book is called "The Big Cheat"; it casts a wide net, from Trump's international business dealings, to the transparent scamming of Trump family foundations, even to the ways that Trump was willing to steal from his own average supporters, some of whom were living in poverty. Our guest:

  • David Cay Johnston, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author of "The Big Cheat: How Donald Trump Fleeced America and Enriched Himself and His Family"

Then in our second hour, last week, workers at a Starbucks store in Buffalo voted to unionize. It's the first Starbucks union in the country. Those in favor of the union call it a symbolic victory for the labor movement -- one that could pave the way for additional unions at Starbucks stores. They say it comes at a time when labor shortages give workers an upper hand to determine what they want from their jobs. Spokespeople for Starbucks say their stores function best when they are able to work directly with employees. What does the union victory in Buffalo mean for the labor movement, especially in the context of worker shortages and pandemic changes? Our guests discuss it:

  • Kent Gardner, chief economist for the Center for Governmental Research
  • LaRue Heutmaker, Buffalo-area Starbucks employee who helped organize the union
Connections
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
Emmarae Stein is the production assistant for "Connections with Evan Dawson."