We don't need no water

Everybody’s talking about the warehouse fire.

I’m more interested in what led up to it.

Because people don’t just snap for no reason. Something builds—low wages, unsafe conditions, feeling like nobody is listening—and eventually that pressure shows up somewhere.

This episode breaks down what’s happening across the country and brings it back home to Georgia.

We’re comparing wages.
 We’re talking about who actually runs labor systems.
 And we’re asking the question nobody wants to ask—who is this system really working for?

Because in Georgia, we don’t just live with it.

We vote for it.

And most people don’t even realize that.

If work isn’t working for you, this is why.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Earlier this week in California, there was a fire. For all legal purposes, that was wrong. But the thing that the worker said is the reason why I want to have this conversation today. He said, all you had to do was pay us enough to live. All you had to do is pay us enough to live. Now in Georgia, we're having a conversation about raising the minimum wage. The minimum wage in California is over $16 an hour. In some industries, it's closer to $20. In Georgia, federal minimum wage is $7.25. Georgia State is $5.15. Now I know some people say, well, Nikki, California is expensive. That's why the minimum wage is so high. But there are people who are working full-time in Georgia who are still struggling to live. So this isn't just about cost of living. It's about whether at work is actually working. And it's not. A lot of that comes back to who is in charge of labor. In California, the labor leadership is appointed. In Georgia, we elect our labor commissioner. But right now, the current labor commissioner is in that position because she was appointed by the governor Brian Kemp. And she's sitting in that seat going to this election without a primary challenger. So that whole side of the aisle is aligned with the decision that Governor Kemp has made. And this matters. How you get to a position matters. How someone gets there matters. Because when someone appoints you, when someone is appointed, there's usually an alignment, a relationship, a direction, an agenda. And if we're focused on keeping Georgia number one for business, because that's their favorite line to say we are number one for business. And now they're throwing in we are the top state for talent and opportunity. But we still are not seeing anything about jobs. The labor commissioner here in Georgia is supposed to enforce wage laws, deal with wage that fix unemployment systems and make sure workplaces are safe, not just exist. And when your agenda is to be the top state for talent and opportunity, when your agenda is to be the best state and number one in business, when people feel like nobody is listening, that pressure doesn't just disappear. It shows up. Sometimes people quit, sometimes people speak out, and sometimes people burn things down. And then suddenly everybody's paying attention, but are we paying attention to the right thing? So when we talk about the warehouse fire, we have to stop talking about what happened, and we really need to start talking about what led up to it. Over five million workers are impacted by the Department of Labor here in Georgia. Whether people realize it or not, it impacts their paycheck, their job security, and whether workplaces are held accountable. The warehouse in the warehouse in California is going to get uninsurance money, and then that worker who made that statement, which was a protest, let's keep it what it was, is now facing arson charges. I'm running for labor commissioner because this office should actually work for people. I've lived what it feels like when sisters don't work. I had to figure things out without support, and I've spent years helping people build real income and real opportunities, even when they want to burn things down. So I'm not coming in this to maintain what's already broken. I'm not coming in here excited about being top state for talent and opportunity. I'm coming in to fix this. Because work should work for everyone, especially the people who keep Georgia working. And right now, for too many people in Georgia, it doesn't. My name is Zicki Bourchet and I'm running to be Georgia's next labor commissioner because work should work for everyone. Honestly, I don't want to burn it all down.