Segments From This Episode

• Let's do the (productivity) numbers

  Nonfarm business productivity was up 0.3% for Q3 after two quarters of declines. Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal and Stephanie Aaronson, director and vice president of the Economic Studies program at the Brookings Institution, explain.

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• Pilot contract negotiations go south at major airlines

  by Meghan McCarty Carino

  

  This week, pilots at both American and United Airlines rejected tentative contract deals, and Delta pilots voted to authorize a strike if negotiations break down.

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• Why this Buffalo manufacturer is “a little bit excited” about an economic slowdown

  by Kai Ryssdal, Andie Corban and Maria Hollenhorst

  

  The tight job market means it’s been years since Matt Gehman has hired new qualified employees at MMG Industrial and Metal Locking Service.

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• How the pandemic pushed this nonprofit worker to start her own businesses

  by Andie Corban and Maria Hollenhorst

  

  In addition to her day job, Jennifer Barton of Buffalo now sells mugs and other goods she makes, plus owns a community art studio.

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• As EV sales accelerate, battery makers face a new shortage of a crucial mineral: graphite

  by Andy Uhler

  

  The stuff in pencils accounts for more than half of the mineral demand in a lithium cell battery. Most graphite is imported from China.

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• A deadly threat to Miami’s survival

  Extreme heat in the city of Miami is only expected to worsen as days above 105 degrees become more common. On top of that, thousands of low-income households lack air conditioning or can’t afford to pay the bill. Marketplace’s Amy Scott reports.

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