Allow me to introduce myself
Who: My name is Aria Velasquez, but I also go by A.J. Pronouns are she/her. I’ve been a member of the Writers Guild of America East since 2017. I’m a mid-career journalist with a lot of thoughts and questions about work. I also have a lot of thoughts and questions about multiple Real Housewives franchises, but I try to keep those confined to the group chat. It’s better for all of us this way, trust me.
What: A Substack newsletter. This seems obvious by virtue of you reading it on this platform.
Where: Where am I? Currently Chicago. Where will this newsletter be focused? Mostly on the United States because that’s where my knowledge base is. I know that our struggles as workers transcend borders, but this is a one-woman show for the time being. And I don’t know a whole lot about organized labor outside of the US to speak on it authoritatively. I’m always open to learning, though, and I have a habit of checking out hefty non-fiction books from the library and taking months to read them. So if you would like to add to my reading list, leave me a comment with your recommendation and I’ll get around to it in six months or so after I finish reading The Power Broker.
When: Ideally this newsletter will publish bi-weekly (the bi-weekly that means “every other week,” not “twice a week”). I say that with the necessary caveats, like “shit happens” and “sometimes life gets in the way” and “I have a full-time job that occupies most of my weekday daylight hours and I try to use my weekends to enjoy myself in the city I now call home.” Because if my options are “going to a new-to-me restaurant in Chicago” and “working late at night,” 9 times out of 10, I’m going to the restaurant. The 10th time is when I come to my senses and give myself the “You have food at home” lecture in my bathroom mirror. It’s a fine line to walk, pushing myself to be consistent without overexertion and burnout. We’ll see what happens.
Why: Because there’s not enough labor coverage out there. It’s just that simple. Yes, strikes are big in the news right now (WGA, SAG-AFTRA, Starbucks, nurses in Chicago, municipal employees in Los Angeles…), but strikes are a small part of the overall picture of labor. Probably the most exciting part, but a small part all the same. Strikes are the option of last resort, Plan Z if you will. There’s a whole alphabet of plans before that that answer questions of the “What the hell happened here?” and “Did it really have to come to this?” (In matters of corporate greed, the answer to that second question is almost always a resounding yes.)
How: Hmm… well for now, from the comfort of my own home and wherever my legs can take me. But in the future, I hope there will be some opportunities (and funds) for front line reporting. If you know of anything I should go to in person or any way to fund it, let me know.