Let's keep this thing running, shall we?

Hello friends, comrades, countrypeople. I want to start this message with a heartfelt thank-you to the folks who have supported my work this past many months. The messages I receive about the impact that my work has had on people is frankly unreal. Journalism is a weird industry, full of really earnest people trying to do decent work with criminally low budgets. I am no exception.

Despite these challenges, in the past six months, I have...

• Spent a significant time out in the field reporting from protests, picket lines, and vigils, posting video, audio, and writing to Youtube, Bluesky, Instagram, and this newsletter
• Worked on local and national stories about workers' rights, immigration, and community organizing
• Shared my thoughts on the current state of the world in opinion pieces, photo essays, and other commentary

I absolutely love what I do—I wrote about this recently—and I consider it the privilege of a lifetime to be entrusted with the stories of ordinary people who do extraordinary things.

I want to keep doing it. All of this work takes time, resources, and energy to complete, and without your help, I wouldn't be able to commit so much of my week to working on them. I want to be able to do this full-time and not worry about where the next rent payment is coming from.

To that end, I am coming to you, hand in hand, with a request: will you become a paid subscriber to Words About Work for as little as $5/month?

My lofty (but hopefully attainable) goal is to raise enough funds to upgrade my gear, keep the newsletter hosted and alive, and ensure that I've got what I need to work through 2026 without worry. A paid subscription gets you access to the entire post archive, early-release episodes of my podcast, The Union Bug, and exclusive interviews, conversations, and other things.

Here's what I'm looking at. With...

• 250 paid subscribers, I could cover the bulk of my bills and do this newsletter with its various side projects almost full-time
• 300 paid subscribers, I could breathe a little easier and focus more time on the newsletter, rather than split my time between freelancing and this project
• 500 paid subscribers, I could travel more in Southern California for my reporting and really update my gear
• 750 paid subscribers, I could travel extensively outside the state of California to cover movements, strikes, and worker stories nationwide
• 1000 paid subscribers, I will fly anywhere in the U.S. to personally fight your boss
• 5000 paid subscribers, I will fly anywhere in the U.S. to personally fight your boss…in a steel cage match

I would love to reach a few of these milestones in the next month. If you can't afford a monthly subscription and still wanna kick something my way, that's great!! I have a number of options for you—you can Buy Me a Coffee at the link in my About page, or drop a couple bucks in my GoFundMe for gear upgrades and rental assistance.

However you decide to support this publication, I want to say thanks. I love this nutty job, I love the people that I get to meet as a result of it, and I'm so glad to get such support from folks.

Until next time,

Mel