Workers’ Justice in America Series: Exiting the System Companion Guide
📘 Companion Guide Series: Workers’ Justice in America Series: Exiting the System
Each guide includes:
🎧 Episode Summary
🧭 Key Themes
📝 Reflection Questions
📚 Resources for Further Learning
🎤 Action Steps
💬 Quote to Carry
Episode 1: You’ve Been Exited
Title: You’ve Been Exited – Workers’ Justice in America (Ep. 2) Series: Exiting the System
Description: This episode explores the emotional and legal terrain of workplace injustice in the U.S.—from the failure of litigation to the trauma of termination. It challenges euphemistic HR language and calls for a more honest, healing-centered approach to worker justice.
Theme: Naming harm and reclaiming dignity after workplace trauma
Reflection Questions:
What phrases have you heard around termination? How did they land?
What does emotional justice look like in the workplace?
Have you ever experienced or witnessed workplace harm? How was it addressed—or ignored?
What phrases have you heard around termination or “exiting”? How did they make you feel?
What does justice look like to you—not legally, but emotionally and relationally?
How do you think trauma shows up in the workplace? What would a trauma-informed response look like?
Action Steps:
Host a listening circle
Share your story using #YouveBeenExited
Start a workplace justice reading group
Quote to Carry:
“Justice isn’t a courtroom outcome—it’s a community commitment.”
.Key Themes
Litigation as a limited path to justice
Workplace PTSD and invisible trauma
Language as a tool of power and erasure
Solidarity and storytelling as resistance
📚 Resources for Further Learning
Legal & Advocacy
National Employment Law Project (NELP) – www.nelp.org
Workplace Fairness – www.workplacefairness.org
EEOC Complaint Process – www.eeoc.gov
Mental Health & Trauma
The Nap Ministry (rest as resistance)
Trauma Stewardship by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky
Mental Health America – www.mhanational.org
Organizing & Solidarity
Labor Notes – www.labornotes.org
United for Respect – www.united4respect.org
Healing to Action – www.healingtoaction.org
🎤 Listener Action Steps
Share your story anonymously or publicly using the hashtag #YouveBeenExited
Host a listening circle with coworkers or community members
Start a workplace justice reading group or trauma-informed HR campaign
Support local labor organizers and mutual aid networks
💬 Quote to Carry
“Justice isn’t a courtroom outcome—it’s a community commitment.”
Episode 2: Built to Exclude
Title: Built to Exclude – Workers’ Justice in America (Ep. 2) Series: Exiting the System
Description: Who was never meant to be protected?
In Episode 2 of Exiting the System, we trace the racial and class foundations of U.S. labor law—from the exclusions of domestic and agricultural workers in the 1930s to today’s gig economy and undocumented labor force. This isn’t just history—it’s the blueprint for why so many workers are still left behind.
🎧 Featuring: ▪ The Wagner Act and Taft-Hartley’s legacy ▪ How race and class shaped labor protections ▪ Stories of resistance from excluded workers ▪ A call to reimagine justice beyond inclusion
#WorkersJustice #LaborHistory #ExitingTheSystem #YouveBeenExited #PodcastSeries #SolidarityNotSilence
Theme: The racial and class foundations of labor law
Reflection Questions:
Who was excluded from early labor protections—and why?
How do these exclusions show up today?
Action Steps:
Map your state’s labor laws and exclusions
Invite a local historian or organizer to speak
Create a visual timeline of labor resistance
Quote to Carry:
“The system isn’t broken—it’s working as designed.”
Episode 3: Justice Without a Courtroom
Title: Justice Without a Courtroom – Workers’ Justice in America (Ep. 3) Series: Exiting the System
Description: What happens when the legal system fails workers? They organize. They resist. They build justice from the ground up.
In Episode 3 of Exiting the System, we spotlight workers who’ve reclaimed power outside the courtroom—through walkouts, mutual aid, and solidarity networks. This episode features real-world examples of grassroots organizing and asks: What does justice look like when it’s built by workers, for workers?
🎧 Highlights: ▪ Amazon warehouse union wins ▪ Restaurant worker centers and hotline campaigns ▪ The power of collective action and community care
#JusticeWithoutACourtroom #WorkersJustice #LaborOrganizing #ExitingTheSystem #SolidarityNotSilence
Theme: Organizing wins and worker-led justice
Reflection Questions:
What does justice look like outside the legal system?
What risks and rewards come with organizing?
Action Steps:
Interview a local organizer
Launch a solidarity campaign
Build a mutual aid map for your community
Quote to Carry:
“Justice is a collective act.”
Episode 4: Trauma at Work
Title: Trauma at Work – Workers’ Justice in America (Ep. 4) Series: Exiting the System
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmj5CDbtZ83atRrCpn6OTUcF8x1fyJrHT
Description: Some wounds don’t show up on a timecard. They show up in panic attacks, sleepless nights, and the quiet dread of Monday morning.
In Episode 4 of Exiting the System, we name what most workplaces won’t: trauma. From chronic bullying to retaliation and sudden termination, workplace-induced PTSD is real—and rarely acknowledged. This episode explores how harm manifests, how workers are healing, and what trauma-informed workplaces could look like.
🎧 Highlights: ▪ What workplace trauma really looks like ▪ Why most HR systems aren’t equipped to respond ▪ How workers are naming pain and building support ▪ A vision for trauma-informed culture and care
#TraumaAtWork #WorkersJustice #MentalHealth #ExitingTheSystem #SolidarityNotSilence
Theme: Naming and healing workplace-induced trauma
Reflection Questions:
How has work impacted your mental health?
What would a trauma-informed workplace look like?
Action Steps:
Create a peer support circle
Advocate for embedded mental health resources
Host a workshop on trauma-informed HR
Quote to Carry:
“Work shouldn’t break us—it should build us.”
Episode 5: The Language of Labor
Title: The Language of Labor – Workers’ Justice in America (Ep. 5) Series: Exiting the System
Description: “You’ve been exited.” “Quiet quitting.” “Culture fit.” These aren’t just phrases—they’re stories. Stories about power, control, and the quiet ways workplaces rewrite reality.
In Episode 5 of Exiting the System, we unpack the euphemisms and coded language that shape how we experience work, harm, and justice. From HR spin to worker resistance, this episode explores how language can obscure harm—or become a tool for truth.
🎧 Highlights: ▪ The hidden meanings behind workplace language ▪ How euphemisms protect power and erase harm ▪ Workers reclaiming language to speak truth ▪ A call to build a vocabulary of dignity and repair
#LanguageOfLabor #WorkersJustice #HRLanguage #ExitingTheSystem #SolidarityNotSilence
Theme: How workplace language shapes power and perception
Reflection Questions:
What euphemisms have you heard at work?
How does language obscure or reveal harm?
Action Steps:
Build a glossary of workplace euphemisms
Host a storytelling night on “words that shaped us”
Create a zine or spoken word piece
Quote to Carry:
“Words don’t just describe—they decide.”
Episode 6: Reimagining the System
Title: Reimagining the System – Workers’ Justice in America (Ep. 6) Series: Exiting the System
Description: We’ve named the harm. Now we imagine the repair.
In the final episode of Exiting the System, we explore what worker-centered justice could look like—from trauma-informed HR to worker-led governance and community accountability. This is a vision-forward episode that invites listeners to dream, design, and act.
🎧 Highlights: ▪ What a just workplace could include ▪ Real-world examples of worker-led innovation ▪ A call to build systems rooted in dignity and care
📘 Full companion guide series now available 🔔 Subscribe for future projects and reflections
#ReimaginingTheSystem #WorkersJustice #LaborRights #PodcastFinale #SolidarityNotSilence
Theme: Visioning worker-centered justice and repair
Reflection Questions:
What kind of workplace do you want to build?
What does shared power look like in practice?
Action Steps:
Draft a worker-centered policy wishlist
Host a community design lab
Create a visual map of “systems we want”
Quote to Carry:
“Exiting the system isn’t just about leaving—it’s about creating something better.”