To be an ironworker means being connected to a type of labor that's more than 5,000 years old. Ancient Egpytians worked with iron from meteorites. Iron ore, carbon and limestone are combined in a blast furnace to make usable iron.

In this episode, ironworker Francisca Pamela shares her perspective on union labor, managing family and work, and the strength of women in the trades.

Link to Ironworkers Local 580

Discussion Questons:

1. What are your fears at work?
2. What is dangerous about your job?
3. Would you work a job that requires being at high elevations?
4. Some professions attract mostly men or mostly women. Which of these non-traditional jobs are you interested in?
5. How do you think having children changes your work?
6. Where is iron present in your life?
7. What would happen if you got hurt at work?
8. What something you learned by doing it, but prior to that, it was very difficult?

Please send suggestions for future guests to projectlaborpodcast@gmail.com.

Our instagram is @projectlabor. Leave a comment or question and we’ll be happy to answer.

Music by Brotheration Records

Project Labor is a 501c3 nonprofit organization incorporated in the state of New Jersey. All donations to Project Labor are tax deductible in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code.

Help get the word out with a small donation here. Thank you.

Joe Bongiovanni is the ultimate lifeguard. He's done hundreds and hundreds of rescues. He's now in charge of the Asbury Park beach. He's been protecting people for almost six decades.

In this episode, we talk about what kinds of people work as lifeguards, what do they think of the work, and what are some of the tough and fast decisions they have to make.

Please send suggestions for future guests to projectlaborpodcast@gmail.com.

Our instagram is @projectlabor. Leave a comment or question and we’ll be happy to answer.

Music by Brotheration Records

Project Labor is a 501c3 nonprofit organization incorporated in the state of New Jersey. All donations to Project Labor are tax deductible in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code.

Help get the word out with a small donation here. Thank you.

Scott’s the very informative manager of BCaf, a cannabis dispensary in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. With his big arms and intense eyes, you could tell Scott has built things. For more than twenty years, he worked building TV and movie sets. When you notice his “I’ve Got Drugs” pins, and you see him carefully drop his reading glasses into place, you start to see a fuller picture of a well-rounded man, a lifelong student who’s built a career on trust: in himself, in his colleagues, and in hard work. Not only is BCaf a unique dispensary, but Scott’s also a one of a kind guy.

Discussion Questions:

• What laws do you think should change?
• Do you think you will have the same interests when you are in your fifties?
• How would you describe Scott’s philosophy of work?
• Why do you think dispensaries are so common?
• Research: People are expected to work into their sixties, but some physical jobs can be very difficult at that age. What are some promotions a person may get to have less physical responsibilities later in life?

Please send suggestions for future guests to projectlaborpodcast@gmail.com.

Our instagram is @projectlabor. Leave a comment or question and we’ll be happy to answer.

Music by Brotheration Records

Project Labor is a 501c3 nonprofit organization incorporated in the state of New Jersey. All donations to Project Labor are tax deductible in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code.

Help get the word out with a small donation here. Thank you.