“As many grocery store workers and gig economy shoppers work without protection as demand for groceries soars from millions of Americans staying home, we speak with a personal shopper who worked for the delivery app Instacart. Instacart workers went on strike in late March to demand the company implement appropriate safety measures and give them…
“As the number of coronavirus cases in the United States passes 1,300 cases with 38 deaths, more than 30 million workers lack access to paid sick leave. President Trump addressed the nation Wednesday night, saying he will expand sick leave as part of emergency response to the virus. But the same day, Republican senators blocked…
“In Nevada, a majority-Latino, majority-female union reflects the changing face of U.S. organized labor and the state’s increasingly diverse population. Last year, the union was also the most effective Latino voter turnout operation in the state, where Democrats won up and down the ballot. John Yang reports on what this voting bloc wants to hear…
“Thousands of General Motors employees are entering their fourth week on strike, with workers demanding better pay, protections of healthcare benefits and a commitment from GM to keep jobs in the U.S. The collective action, now the longest auto worker strike in the last 50 years, came out of a shared frustration over GM’s outsourcing…
“As UAW workers stand on picket lines across the country, teachers prepare to strike in Chicago, and thousands of healthcare workers with Kaiser Permanente plan to strike in October, we speak with longtime labor reporter Steven Greenhouse, author of the new book “Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor.” Among…
“A recent Gallup poll shows that 64 percent of Americans approve of labor unions, surpassing 60% for the third consecutive year and up 16 percentage points from its 2009 low point. That is the highest union approval rating Gallup has recorded over the past 50 years. AFSCME President, Lee Saunders spoke with Roland Martin about…
“The gig economy has created many opportunities for securing temporary work with companies like Uber and Taskrabbit. But despite the increased flexibility short-term employment provides, it doesn’t pay off for everyone. Social entrepreneur Terrence Davenport, who coaches low-income clients on the digital economy, shares his brief but spectacular take on life and work in rural…
“Forty years ago, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act made it illegal for employers to deny a woman a job, a promotion or higher pay because she is pregnant. But a new investigation found cases when workplace conditions put pregnant women at physical risk. William Brangham speaks with Tasha Murrell, who suffered a miscarriage in 2014, and…
“Amazon made headlines Tuesday when it became the second American company, after Apple, to reach $1 trillion in value. Amazon’s founder and chief executive, Jeff Bezos, is the richest man in the world, with a net worth of more than $167 billion. But what’s behind that wealth? What about its workers? The working conditions in…
“A growing number of Americans are relying on side jobs or freelance “gigs” for income. And while tech companies such as Uber and AirBnB make this type of independence more accessible, journalist Sarah Kessler writes in her book, “Gigged: The end of the job and the Future of Work,” about some of the downsides for…