{"podcast":{"title":"Hot House with Richie Ray","slug":"hot-house-with-richie-ray-7087929","podcast_index_feed_id":7087929,"rss_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/fa64cb84/podcast/rss","website_url":"https://www.hothousewithrichieray.com/","image_url":"https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_nologo/41909097/41909097-1724877921431-bf76a417b1093.jpg","author":"Big Rich","episode_count":157,"summary":"\"Hothouse with Richie Ray” delves into the world of a city letter carrier, exploring the challenges and workplace issues that affect carriers. Richie educates both carriers and stewards, shedding light on the grievance process and the importance of union solidarity. Drawing inspiration from NALC members and podcasts like “From A to Arbitration,” “FedUp,” and “Classes Of Mail,” this show is a must-listen for those wanting a deeper understanding of the postal service and labor rights. Contact: hothousewithrichieray@gmail.com","last_synced_at":"2026-09-24T08:18:42.129895+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/hot-house-with-richie-ray-7087929"},"episode":{"title":"Episode 122: Brother Don Hess Duty, Sacrifice, and the Battle That Never Ended","slug":"episode-122-brother-don-hess-duty-sacrifice-and-the-battle-that-never-ended","published_at":"2026-07-18T08:30:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/hot-house-with-richie-ray-7087929/episode-122-brother-don-hess-duty-sacrifice-and-the-battle-that-never-ended","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/hot-house-with-richie-ray-7087929","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/richie809/episodes/Episode-122-Brother-Don-Hess-Duty--Sacrifice--and-the-Battle-That-Never-Ended-e3m7pd5","audio_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/fa64cb84/podcast/play/122987365/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-6-18%2F6a86d2c0-e0e0-e2bb-a3f9-3657f6199a64.m4a","summary":"This episode of Hot House with Richie Ray is more than aconversation it's the story of a union activist whose life was forever changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Brother Don Hess began his career as a city letter carrier in Staten Island and quickly realized that simply paying union dues wasn't enough. He chose to stand up, become involved, and eventually serve as the Shop Steward at RosebankStation. Along the way, he experienced the victories, frustrations, and sacrifices that come with representing letter carriers during one of the most difficult periods in postal history. As the world shut down and COVID-19 swept through the country, Don continued serving while postal employees delivered America's mail through uncertainty and fear. Then the virus struck him personally. After testing positive for COVID-19, Don's life changed forever. What started as an illness became a long-term battle that ultimately forced him into disability retirement. Even today, years later, he continues to live with the effects of Long COVID. In this deeply personal interview, Don opens up about union service, friendship, leadership, perseverance, and what it means when your career and your identity are taken from you through circumstances beyond your control. This isn't just a story about COVID. It's a story about sacrifice. It's a story about survival. And it's a reminder that behind every badge number is a human being.","meta_description":"This episode of Hot House with Richie Ray is more than aconversation it's the story of a union activist whose life was forever changed by the COVID-19 pan…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":8855,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/hot-house-with-richie-ray-7087929/episodes/episode-122-brother-don-hess-duty-sacrifice-and-the-battle-that-never-ended/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/hot-house-with-richie-ray-7087929/episode-122-brother-don-hess-duty-sacrifice-and-the-battle-that-never-ended.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}