[THEME MUSIC]
COY WIRE: Hello, lovely people.
Wonderful Wednesday to you.
It's #YourWordWednesday.
Follow me, @coywire, on Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok
and put your unique vocabulary word in the comment section
of my most recent post, and we'll choose one fun one
to work into tomorrow's show.
Last week, word from @BradyEEllison
was "exorbitant," meaning "unreasonably high price."
We're starting out today with news out of Los Angeles, where
half a million students can't go to school
because of a workers' strike.
The union representing school custodians, cafeteria workers,
bus drivers, and other support staff
is forcing the nation's second-largest district
to be shut down.
Teachers are also participating in a strike
this week in solidarity.
And here's what the union wants--
equitable wage increases, more full-time work,
respectful treatment, and increased staffing.
The union workers have an average salary
of $25,000 a year, and most work part
time, which has led to staffing shortages,
according to the union.
The cost of living in LA is relatively high.
Now, the superintendent of the school district
says they've tried to negotiate in good faith,
but California law prevents the school system
from putting itself in a position
that could lead to bankruptcy.
And if they gave in to all the demands of the union, well,
they say that's exactly where they'd be.
While some argue that the school workers' strike this week
would negatively impact students,
the district is trying to offset that by offering
help to families by opening 24 grab-and-go food sites,
having 154 schools provide student supervision, plus about
120 city-run sites at libraries, recreation
centers, and other locations.
[SCHOOL BELL RINGING]
- More than half a million kids will
not be going to school today.
The second-largest district in the nation,
more than 1,000 schools in all,
- --so much noise
- --shut down by this strike, called by the union that reps
the bus drivers, cafeteria workers, special-ed assistants,
and custodians, like Jose Tovar, whose current wage puts
him below the poverty line.
JOSE TOVAR: We're not asking for the world,
but just, you know, to live above water.
MAX ARIAS: 1 in 3 of our members is
either homeless or has been houseless while working
for LAUSD.
- The union is demanding large pay hikes,
more full-time jobs, more staff and, quote,
"respectful treatment."
Some parents are sympathetic.
JENNA SCHWARTZ: We have some of our most underpaid workers
doing some of the most challenging
jobs on our campuses.
- The district made an offer, including a pay rise,
but only half the 30% demanded.
ALBERTO M. CARVALHO: Under California law,
we cannot drive the school system
into a bankruptcy position.
And if we were to acquiesce to all the demands,
that is exactly where we would be.
That is not legally allowable.
- So half a million kids don't go to school,
while the adults argue.
JOSE TOVAR: I support my kids, and, ultimately,
I feel that they're probably being left behind
in a battle between adults.
- Apparently, it's gotten ugly.
- Save our youth.
- The district calls this strike illegal,
claiming it's all about the money, not the other stuff.
ALBERTO M. CARVALHO: We have not been
presented with compelling evidence
that there's widespread abuses.
Are there issues?
Yes.
Each one of them is vigorously investigated,
and consequences are applied.
- During the strike, there will be some child care provided
at a few schools and parks and boxed lunches
for the many who rely on free school meals.
- Fight for justice.
- The union claims 96% of its 30,000 or so members
who work in the district voted for this, a strike
scheduled to last three days.
So barring any breakthroughs, there's no school till Friday.
COY WIRE: 10-second trivia.
Which of these insects belongs to the genus bombus?
Beetle, butterfly, bumblebee, or bookworm?
[TIMER BEEPING]
Bzz.
Time's up.
Bumblebees, if you please, belong to the genus Bombus.
Some folks may think bees just randomly fly around feeding
on flowers, pushing around pollen,
and then hang out in the hives making honey.
Turns out these insects are organized,
smart, and coachable.
A recent study shows that bees can be trained
to solve puzzles, and other bees can
study a demonstrator bee to then accurately
solve the puzzle themselves.
No wonder bees are able to divvy out responsibilities in hives
with specific jobs and roles to strategically
live their daily lives.
Let's learn more now how for bees
teamwork makes the dream work.
- Check this out.
These bumblebees learned how to solve a puzzle.
Then they taught their friends how to do it.
The prize?
Sugar.
Researchers studied bumblebee colonies
to see if they develop social learning,
also known as learned behavior.
Scientists designed a two-option puzzle box
that could be opened by pushing a red tab clockwise
or a blue tab counterclockwise.
One set of bees, called the demonstrator bees,
were trained to use the blue or red tab.
Other observer bees watched, and when it was their turn,
most bees chose the same option they had
observed from the trained bee.
One professor said, our research shows, however,
that new innovations can spread like social media memes
through insect colonies, indicating that they can
respond to wholly new environmental challenges much
faster than by evolutionary changes.
The researchers concluded that bees,
like humans, are capable of culture
by socially learning behavior.
COY WIRE: Today's storytelling, a 10 out of 10,
is a tale about tater tots.
Now, don't get me wrong, it's super important to eat mostly
fruits and vegetables and minimally processed
healthy foods that are good for our body and mind.
When I played in the NFL, my motto was "eat for purpose, not
pleasure," but all of us, pro athlete or not,
we have to eat some treat foods every now and then, right?
Tater tots were invented back in 1953 in Oregon
as a way to keep potato scraps from going to waste.
Let's go be spectators in Portland now to learn more
about the history of the tot and to see some wild and tasty
tater creations.
ANDREA DAMEWOOD: The food scene in Portland
is really eclectic right now.
When you're able to walk into a restaurant and see,
like, they're doing what now with tots, I gotta try that.
One of the things that we do best
is feel-good, exciting, high-low junk food.
It's always going to be an element of Portland.
And people love to eat that stuff.
I mean, who doesn't want tots with mac and cheese
and fried chicken on it?
If you can think about the cuisine, we have a tot for it.
So there's ox bottom, which coined the term "tacho."
- Order up.
[SERVICE BELL DINGS]
ANDREA DAMEWOOD: That obviously has a Mexican bent to it.
There's a Japanese restaurant, Boxer Ramen,
and they do an okonomiyaki tot that is savory and is served
with bonito flakes, which are fish flakes that kind of dance
in the heat.
There's Korean tots, Cajun tots, Greek tots.
I'm starting to feel like Bubba and Forrest
Gump talking about shrimp.
- Lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp--
ANDREA DAMEWOOD: We basically have all of the tots.
Tater tots were invented in Oregon in the 1950s,
and that was the Ore-Ida company.
And they took a look at a lot of potato scraps that they had
and said, here's a way to monetize them.
And so they formed them into these tots,
and they're now the tots we know and love today.
- Heartbreak Hotel.
Beware of the bacon.
- Oh, look at that.
COY WIRE: In its own way, it's kind of a version of eating
local still in a very hilarious, frozen-food way,
because Ore-Ida is an Oregon company.
- Cheers.
ANTHONY BROWN: Well, a tater tot is very versatile.
So I was thinking, how do I make this dish tater tots?
House-made salsa.
How do you elevate tater tots?
We'll do tacos.
As more and more people are doing things with tots,
I feel like the bar went from here to up here,
so I feel like I need to, you know--
just to stay relevant and make sure
that we're still crushing it.
ANDREA DAMEWOOD: I think most people who come to Portland
are into food.
Pound of tots, grilled onions, bacon, and cheddar cheese
with the fried egg on top.
Brunch in a bowl.
This is a place where if you like to eat,
and you also want to be able to walk it off in between meals,
this is it.
This is the spot.
- Uh, Coy?
COY WIRE: Oh, sorry, Jeremy.
I was in deep tot.
I want to thank everyone for commending my dad jokes
and asking me to do more of them.
I don't always tell dad jokes, but when I do, he laughs.
And now, special shout-out going to Utah today--
Kanab High School in Kanab.
We see "U-tah."
Did you know that Utah is nicknamed the Beehive State?
Coming from the belief that each person works together
to support one another.
You better "bee-lieve" we appreciate you.
Much love and many blessings.
I'm Coy Wire, and we are "CNN 10."
[CLOSING THEME MUSIC]