Union membership fell in 2021, despite high-profile campaigns. Where do workers go from here?

Jan 31, 2022
Just 10.3% of Americans belonged to unions in 2021, and the rate for private-sector employees was 6.1%.
Just 10.3% of Americans belonged to unions in 2021, and the rate for private-sector employees was 6.1%.
Jason Redmond/AFP/Getty Images

Calls for unionization are brewing at Starbucks

Sep 1, 2021
Three stores in Buffalo are attempting to create the first-ever union at the coffee giant, and the time appears right.
A group of Starbucks employees is trying to create the first-ever union in the company's history.
GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images

China's competitive coffee shop scene keeps owners on their toes

Jun 21, 2021
Nearly 19% of small and micro-sized businesses in China shut down during the pandemic. What does it take for a coffee shop to stay standing?
Keiichi Nakayama said his coffee shop, Rumors, was the first in Shanghai to specialize in hand-poured coffee more than a decade ago.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace

What happened to America’s public toilets?

Apr 13, 2021
In an excerpt from her new book, science journalist Chelsea Wald writes on the unintended result of a movement to ban pay toilets.
In her new book, “Pipe Dreams: The Urgent Global Quest to Transform the Toilet,” Chelsea Wald explores the problem and promise of toilet technology.
Christof Koepsel/Getty Images

Starbucks turns 50 after year of pandemic challenges

Mar 30, 2021
Starbucks has become a place to meet, work or grab a cup of coffee. But that became a harder sell during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Starbucks' last report of quarterly results showed same-store sales down about 5% in the U.S.
Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images

Starbucks sees grounds for optimism as sales in China rebound

Jan 27, 2021
The coffee giant has been able to weather the pandemic by expanding its drive-thru and online ordering.
Starbucks has the resources to weather the COVID-19 slowdown, one analyst says. Above, a woman wearing a face mask walks past a Starbucks in Beijing on Jan. 30, 2020.
Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images

Corporations offer to help with vaccine rollout

Jan 22, 2021
Some of these companies have expertise, resources or logistical capacity that the federal government may lack.
Vaccine distribution at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Some major sports venues are joining the effort to prevent infections.
Scott Eisen/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Starbucks and Home Depot permanently raising wages

Nov 19, 2020
A growing number of people across the country and the political spectrum support raising the minimum wage. Is this a sign of a bigger shift?
Starbucks is boosting starting salaries to help attract and retain new employees.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Starbucks is closing stores and shifting operations amid COVID-19

Jun 10, 2020
The coffee chain giant said it’s lost $3.2 billion in revenue since the onset of the pandemic.
A Starbucks in Maryland with curbside pickup and ordering. Starbucks announced it will add more options like this to accommodate social distancing.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Starbucks is winning afternoon customers with cold brew

Jan 29, 2020
It's typically a sleepy time of day for restaurants but snacking is on the rise.
Offering something customers typically don't want in the morning hours, like iced coffee, is one way to draw in customers.
Courtesy of Starbucks