In Season 10: Episode 15 of Beach Weekly, Lei Madrigal concludes this semester with news on worker strikes nationwide, CSULB’s commencement controversy and more.

On May 1, union workers at CSU campuses protested for better benefits, better working environments and better treatment. Student workers are also seeking improvements to their working conditions as over 4,000 students have recently filed for union representation. The CSU Employees Union is working on getting all campus workers the basic rights they deserve.

Worker strikes are also prevalent at a national level as the Writers’ Guild of America is pushing for better treatment of writers in film, TV, radio and online media. Workers in Los Angeles and New York City began striking on May 2 and are demanding more residuals from streaming and are trying to prevent being replaced by artificial intelligence.

A ban on backpacks went into effect last Monday at schools in Flint, Michigan. Instead of backpacks, students are required to use clear plastic bags to carry around their belongings in an effort to prevent violence on campus. Since the plastic bags are clear, they make it easier to identify weapons and other threatening contraband that a student could bring to school.

The state of New York will ban fossil fuel equipment in new construction starting in 2026 in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. The governor says that new buildings will use electric power to replace fossil fuels.

Last Wednesday, a seventh-grade student opened fire at a school in Serbia, killing eight students and a school security guard. Since the shooter is only 13 years old, he cannot be held criminally responsible but police detained his father because the shooter used his gun.

After outrage about CSULB’s commencement ceremonies, a protest group called Let ‘23 Walk was formed to oppose the university’s decision. This episode of Beach Weekly concludes with an audio excerpt of one of the main organizers of the protest group discussing the controversy.

Host: Lei Madrigal

Editor: Andy Nguyen

Producers: Leila Nunez, Isabel Silagy

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Beach Weekly S10E15: Worker strikes, School shooting in Serbia & more

Long Beach Current Podcasts

Beach Weekly S10E15: Worker strikes, School shooting in Serbia & more