In some cities, domestic workers are entitled to contracts. Many never get one.

Sep 25, 2023
In Chicago and other cities, contracts outlining pay and scheduling are mandated for domestic workers. Why won’t some employers sign them?
House cleaner Magdalena Mrowca loads her vacuum into her car. A Chicago ordinance requires written contracts for such workers, which is meant to protect them and professionalize a devalued industry, advocates say.
Esther Yoon-Ji Kang/WBEZ

Fallout from pandemic job loss: Workplace lawsuits

Apr 13, 2021
Many people have lost jobs due to the pandemic. Some are suing their former employers.
The pandemic has disrupted ties between many workers and their employers. A labor attorney says some companies are taking the opportunity to discard workers who are older, disabled or marginalized.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Amazon workers vote no on unionizing Bessemer, Alabama, warehouse

Apr 9, 2021
The warehouse has been the site of a protracted, very public fight to organize.
A sign encouraging workers to vote in the union election hangs outside the Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, Alabama.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

New rule lets companies treat some employees as gig workers

Jan 7, 2021
Usually there are lots of benefits and protections that come with being an employee instead of a gig worker, like being paid the minimum wage.
An Uber Eats delivery worker rides an electric scooter in Manhattan in 2020.
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Undocumented workers in Wyoming struggle to get workers' comp

Apr 8, 2019
Wyoming is the state with the most dangerous workplaces.
Attorney Steven Dwyer said more undocumented workers are seeking his help with cases related to workers' compensation for on-the-job injuries, including one worker who is $17,000 in debt from medical bills incurred after he fell off a roof.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

GM shifts gears in Ohio, winding down production at Lordstown plant

Mar 8, 2019
For 1,500 workers, the road ahead is an uncertain one.
As the final Chevy Cruze shift ended, some workers gathered outside the plant to protest GM’s decision to put the facility in “unallocated” status.
Adrian Ma/ideastream

When it comes to free speech, employers have the upper hand

Aug 18, 2017
In the week since a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville lead to deadly violence, some of the participants have been outed online and even fired from their jobs. Now, more protests and counter protests are springing up around the country. While the first amendment protects speech — including hate speech, the freedom to express your […]

For public good, not for profit.

Small businesses fight against proposed Minnesota laws

Oct 16, 2015
Minneapolis mayor's plan for fair scheduling reform has hit roadblocks.