The Um, Sir Podcast

Um, Sir… why is everything terrible, radioactive, and somehow still about bathrooms?

Emily and Samie are joined by Ryan Johnson, a veteran truck driver and Teamster, to unpack how trucking, labor rights, and basic human dignity collide. Ryan breaks down how trucking is structured to reward long hours, unpaid waiting time, and “pay by the mile” systems that leave workers absorbing all the risk — including the fight to secure something as basic as bathroom access.

The conversation escalates (quickly) into fracking, radioactive wastewater, and how hazardous materials are moved and dumped with little enforcement, putting workers and communities at risk. It’s bleak, sharp, and painfully funny — a reminder that everything is connected, and none of it works without labor.

SUPPORT
Worker-led labor organizations and strike funds supporting drivers, warehouse workers, and port labor.

Environmental justice groups fighting toxic dumping and injection wells, especially in Appalachia.

Local and national efforts pushing for enforcement of existing hazmat and labor laws (not just new bills).

Union-made goods
Waste: One Woman's Fight Against America's Dirty Secret by Catherine Coleman Flowers (2020)

LEARN MORE
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Basics of hazardous materials law, bills of lading, National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA)
How to read rail and truck placards