Category: Uncategorized

Walmart's widely reported empty shelves are due to chronic understaffing and erratic scheduling, according to one assistant store manager. Photo via Flickr.

In an exclusive interview with Salon’s Josh Eidelson, an assistant store manager at Walmart has come forward to expose a litany of abuses facing employees at the world’s largest retailer. The manager detailed problems ranging from chronic understaffing and inadequate hours to lack of overtime pay for managers working more… Read More»

Photo by pennuja/Flickr

Yesterday, the White House released a report highlighting how updating the federal minimum wage to $10.10 and indexing it to inflation is critical in closing the gender wage gap. Women make up 55 percent of all workers who would benefit from Congress enacting such a wage hike. The report comes… Read More»

One in five American households holds education debt,i posing an increasingly large threat to our economic recovery. As politicians at the federal, state and local levels consider possible solutions to this growing crisis, one government agency finds itself at the center of the student loan debate. The U.S. Department of… Read More»

Paying low wages is not a necessity, it’s a choice. When these guys opened their burger joint, they chose to do better. “We did this because, in our mind, it was the right thing to do. This is too hard a job to pay minimum wage. So far, we haven’t lost… Read More»

Phofo by j.reed/Flickr

In Josh Eidelson’s latest Salon story, which highlights Target’s glossy new unionbusting video, we find out that there’s a reason Target and other employers invest in these kinds of tactics: they work. Big time. In 2011, employees at Target’s Valley Stream store on Long Island voted against forming a union… Read More»

Downtown Louisville, KY. Photo via Wikimedia.

On March 13, 2014, the Louisville Metro Council voted 26–0 to pass the “Ban the Box” ordinance in Louisville. The unanimous vote is the culmination of two years of hard, persistent work by many community members, groups, organizations, elected officials and Kentucky Jobs with Justice. Read my email interview with… Read More»

Original photo via Wikimedia.

Last week, by a vote of 26-0, the Louisville Metro Council unanimously approved a measure to “ban the box” from job applications for positions with the city. Thanks to the measure, people applying for jobs with the city or its vendors will no longer be required to fill out an application asking if… Read More»

On March 6, students at 20 campuses around the country delivered letters to their school’s administrators asking for increased disclosure about the details of these partnerships.

On March 6, amid growing concerns that schools are receiving kickbacks from banks selling products and opening branches on their campuses, students at 20 campuses around the country delivered letters to their school’s administrators asking for increased disclosure about the details of these partnerships. Currently, colleges and universities are only… Read More»

Photo by krystian_o/Flickr

Recently, Evan Soltas and I debated the role of unions in the U.S. economy and the reasons for their decline. In doing so, I primarily focused on the macroeconomic benefits of unions – for example raising wages and reducing poverty for all workers. Unions, however, do more than ensure workers… Read More»

The call for outsourcing or contracting out of government services is often made through an appeal of cost savings to taxpayers. Since the Great Recession, state and local governments facing budget challenges are increasingly shifting the delivery of public services – from school bus drivers to accountants and trash haulers… Read More»