On Saturday, with Pittsburgh bracing for an arctic blast, forty baristas gathered for a picket line in front of the Bloomfield Starbucks to complete the first month of their strike. They stayed warm with hot cocoa, coffee, and line dancing lessons.

As a self-employed labor reporter, I don’t have paid sick days, so I need your help to take two weeks off for the holidays.

For three years, people doubted my reporting on scandals within the UAW and attacked me personally.

“Can I just take a moment and say: my strategy was flawless this week. Like everything went perfectly to plan,” texted Brooks. “It feels really good. Like how [I] imagine it feels to  epically dunk on another player in basketball.”