We're all asked what we want to be when we grow up, but it's hard to answer that question if we don't know exactly what our career aspirations entail. What does it take to be a financial guru? How do organizers organize? What does it really mean to be a political aide? To give you some insight into the ways your idols and peers get the job done, our series The Hustle will take you behind the scenes of different careers to give you an idea of what it's actually like to have your dream job.
It’s a tough time to be in journalism. Revenue sources are dwindling and new layoffs seem to be announced every day — and the COVID-19 pandemic sent another shockwave through the industry. That’s where Nastaran Mohit comes in. As organizing director of the NewsGuild of New York, Mohit works to unionize the staff at newspapers, magazines and online publications, so that reporters, editors and social media staff have access to the benefits and protections they so sorely need. The NewsGuild, a sector of the Communications Workers of America, represents more than 24,000 journalists and other media workers across the U.S. and Canada. Mohit has led successful campaigns to unionize publications including The New Yorker, the Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine and BuzzFeed. Here’s a window into the life of a busy union organizer.
7:45 a.m. Alarm goes off. I’m waking up later than I was before the pandemic, and grateful for the extra sleep. If I don’t get up on my own, my two pitbulls, Thor and Mingus, jump on the bed and lick me to death until I wake up, walk them and feed them. I make coffee and a bowl of oatmeal, flax and vegan protein powder. I drink a big glass of water, and take all my vitamins.
8:00 a.m. Open my laptop and catch up on the news. There’s so much COVID-19 information to digest, on top of all of the news happening across the media industry, the broader economy and the labor movement. Nearly 33,000 workers at U.S. news companies have been laid off, furloughed or had their pay reduced since the crisis began, despite the fact that Americans are turning to local, regional and national news in record numbers for life-saving information. Who is going to hold our city, state and federal government’s accountable during this unprecedented time, if journalists aren't able to do this essential work?
Then I turn to what I need to do to get up to speed for the day: following up with each of my organizing campaigns to make sure meetings are scheduled, assignments have been completed, and things are running smoothly and on schedule. I jump back and forth between spreadsheets, docs and multiple campaign chats on Signal, WhatsApp, and Slack.
8:45 a.m. One more cup of coffee, and then I get my workout in. I’ve always been somewhat of a fitness junkie, but it’s been really hard to focus on anything workout-related in the middle of this crisis. I force myself to get a 30-minute kettlebell circuit in, and feel a thousand times better afterwards. It clears my head and gets me focused for the day.
9:15 a.m. Make a shower and make breakfast for hubby and my step-kids (very hungry 12- and 15-year old boys). They’re home-schooling like everyone else, and have been doing their best to adjust. Breakfast is a time for us to all be together as a family before we hole up in our respective corners of the apartment for the day. I head to my “quarantine office,” our bedroom.
10 a.m. Although I’d much rather keep pajamas on, I throw on an acceptable “work shirt” over sweatpants for our Zoom staff meeting. We run through updates from all of our bargaining units, particularly those who have been hit hardest by the crisis.
11 a.m. Campaign call with NewsGuild members across the country who are demanding federal stimulus money for the news business. Journalists aren't accustomed to lobbying (and many are restricted from doing so because of overly restrictive newsroom “ethics policies”), so this is new terrain for many. Journalists know how important their work is to the communities they cover, and have put together a strong plan of action in just a few days. I’m beyond impressed, but not surprised!
12 p.m. Contract negotiations over Zoom for the next three hours. Before the pandemic, we were in the thick of bargaining contracts at over a dozen media organizations, which we’ve had to shift to video conferencing. So much of our work is normally based on face-to-face contact and communication, but we’ve embraced our “new normal” and found opportunities wherever we’ve been presented with challenges. Most of our members are already digitally-savvy, and so the transition hasn’t been as difficult as it has been for workers in many other industries.
After passing contract proposals across the “digital” bargaining table, we take a caucus with our bargaining committee and discuss management’s positions. Like many employers, they’re using the pandemic as an excuse to not only delay negotiations, but to cry poverty wherever possible. Our members are being asked to make a “shared sacrifice” during this pandemic, at a time when they’re working harder than ever, and they’re not buying it. We plan to bring the updates back to the full membership to review and discuss, and decide how we’re going to collectively respond.
3:15 p.m. Wrap up negotiations and start making calls. I have one-on-ones scheduled with a handful of reporters and editors from a campaign that has just begun. I try to schedule them in 30 minute slots, but each call goes over. People really want to vent, and I can’t blame them. This is such a stressful time. Sometimes organizing can feel a lot like therapy, and it can be a challenge to draw the line. Our job is to get workers to channel those gripes and grievances into concrete action that they and their colleagues can take together. Forming a union in your workplace is one of the most empowering things you can do.
4:45 p.m. I receive a call from a nanny who I’ve organized with over the years who has lost all of her income in the last four weeks in the midst of the pandemic. She’s worked for a family in Park Slope for over 12 years, and they haven't continued to pay her, or give her severance. This is a “liberal” Brooklyn family, and I’d like to say I’m surprised but I’m not. Care work has always been essential, undervalued and disrespected. She doesn't qualify for any kind of government relief, and has no idea how she’s going to pay her rent. My mother-in-law is also a domestic worker, and her employer hasn’t paid her either. Workers are suffering everywhere, and not only need immediate relief, but desperately need the tools to fight.
5:15 p.m. I realize I haven't figured out what I’m gonna make for dinner and I have another call at 6. My husband has been doing a lot of the shopping and cleaning while I’m working long days, so I try to commit to making something really good for dinner every night. I’m Iranian, and he’s Colombian, and the kids love both cuisines, so tonight I prepare a Kroresht (Iranian stew) and basmati rice, with a big batch of arepas. Kids and hubby are satisfied, so I head back to my quarantine office for my 6 p.m call.
6 p.m. Jump on the phone with a worker leader from one of our campaigns. Luckily, no layoffs or pay cuts have been announced at the digital media company where she works, but she’s concerned they may be on the horizon, and her co-workers are getting cold feet about the campaign. I’ve asked her to facilitate this week's organizing meeting, so we do a dry run so she’s more comfortable in the role. Some of her more skeptical colleagues will be attending the meeting, and she’s worried she won't have all the right answers. I remind her she already knows these issues inside and out, and that organizing isn't always about having all of the right answers. We have to meet people where they are, hear their concerns, and build a shared vision for our workplace, together.
6:30 p.m. Organizing training over Zoom with an underground campaign that's underway. Turnout on the call is pretty good and everyone is really engaged, which is really nice to see. Some reporters are really stressed seeing the cuts across the industry, and the increased workload, and I’m really happy to see they’re continuing to commit the time necessary to keep building the campaign. We spend two and a half hours reviewing organizing basics, discussing workplace issues, role-playing difficult conversations with colleagues and answering questions.
9 p.m. My eyes feel like they’re about to fall out from being in front of the computer all day, and my back is killing me. I remember I promised to return a call from a nurse who reached out from a non-union hospital in Pennsylvania. A friend put her in touch because she was having a really difficult time securing personal protective equipment (PPE) and was threatened by her hospital administrators for demanding it. I look up her hospital to see what union local I can connect her with, as a start. This is one of our biggest challenges as organizers during this moment — we have thousands of “hot shops” (workplaces that are ripe for organizing), and not nearly enough organizing capacity to meet the demand. The labor movement has enormous challenges ahead of us if we’re going to use this crisis (and the suffering of millions of working people) as a moment to get organized on a massive scale.
__9:30 p.m.__After my call, I jump on a FaceTime with my family, which is a daily practice we’ve committed to. My mom is lonely, and my brothers are both stressed about their small businesses. Despite that, we know how privileged we are to be safe and healthy. I feel better knowing we’re all safe.
10 p.m. My step-sons have turned our dining room table into a ping-pong table. They ask me to play one game before we go to bed, and even though I’m really not in the mood, I jump in. My husband is also an organizer, and the kids are starting to get tired of hearing about COVID-19 and organizing all day long. They just want to live normal lives and have fun, and we have to remember that.
10:30 p.m. Jump back on my laptop to finish up emails. I know I shouldn't be working this late (especially when we preach about the importance of “work-life balance”) but the line between work and life is a really unhealthy blur, as I’m sure it is for so many people working from home right now. It’s a daily challenge, and one that I have to work on. My husband forces me to get off the computer and call it a day.
11:45 p.m. Get into bed and try my best not to look at the news on my phone. What keeps me up at night isn’t just the thought of how many people are suffering and dying from this crisis. It’s thinking about the opportunities we need to seize upon if we’re going to build the world we want, and need, when this crisis is over.
I put on some nature sounds on my Calm app, and force myself to think about something positive until I fall asleep.
Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: What to Know About Your Rights to Unionize
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