Low-wage workers

Donald Trump speaks before a crowd of supporters.

The Dickensian Politics of Trump and His Fellow Scrooges The Dickensian Politics of Trump and His Fellow Scrooges

Political misers still refuse to make it their business to improve the lot of the working poor.

Dec 24, 2015 / John Nichols

Refugees arrive by boat in Athens, December 18, 2015.

What Can You Actually Do for Syrian Refugees? What Can You Actually Do for Syrian Refugees?

Trump wants to ban refugees fleeing ISIS and civil war. Here’s how to welcome them instead.

Dec 22, 2015 / Daniel Moattar

FIFA President Sepp Blatter pauses during a news conference at FIFA headquarters.

Sepp Blatter Is Suspended for Eight Years, Compares Self to Mandela Sepp Blatter Is Suspended for Eight Years, Compares Self to Mandela

FIFA’s chief has been suspended for eight years, but the drama is just beginning.

Dec 21, 2015 / Dave Zirin

Bangladeshi garment workers rally in Dhaka, demanding salary increases and an Eid al-Adha bonus, September 17, 2015.

‘When We Made Mistakes in Our Sewing, They Slapped Us’ ‘When We Made Mistakes in Our Sewing, They Slapped Us’

Bangladeshi garment workers are still struggling to win the safe and humane workplaces they deserve.

Dec 21, 2015 / Michelle Chen

Start Making Sense: Barbara Ehrenreich Explains Why the White Working Class Is Dying—Literally

Start Making Sense: Barbara Ehrenreich Explains Why the White Working Class Is Dying—Literally Start Making Sense: Barbara Ehrenreich Explains Why the White Working Class Is Dying—Literally

Also Rebecca Solnit on the Paris climate agreement and John Powers on Canada’s Justin Trudeau.

Dec 17, 2015 / Podcast / Start Making Sense and Jon Wiener

Pre-K Student

Day-Care Costs Can Drive a Family Into Poverty Before a Child Reaches Kindergarten Day-Care Costs Can Drive a Family Into Poverty Before a Child Reaches Kindergarten

But they'll probably impoverish her teacher first.

Dec 7, 2015 / Michelle Chen

How Debt Collectors Ruin Lives

How Debt Collectors Ruin Lives How Debt Collectors Ruin Lives

They can dock your pay and ruin your credit—and the industry has only grown in recent years.

Dec 2, 2015 / Michelle Chen

A worker stuffs newly made toys at the production line of a factory in suburban Shanghai.

The Other Side of Black Friday Price Tags The Other Side of Black Friday Price Tags

Throughout the Global South, underpaid workers face wage theft and injury to meet Western consumers' demands.

Nov 25, 2015 / Michelle Chen

A California parolee wears a GPS tracking device on his ankle.

How Prison Reform Could Turn the Prison-Industrial Complex Into the Treatment-Industrial Complex How Prison Reform Could Turn the Prison-Industrial Complex Into the Treatment-Industrial Complex

The private prison industry is exploiting prison reform efforts by shifting from brick-and-mortar carceral facilities to outsourced social services.

Nov 20, 2015 / Michelle Chen

A marcher holds a sign at the Coalition of Immokalee Workers's rally for just working conditions in Florida tomato fields, November 16, 2015.

In New York, Farmworkers Rally for 1 Cent of Dignity In New York, Farmworkers Rally for 1 Cent of Dignity

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has won battles with McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, Chipotle, and Taco Bell. Is Wendy’s next?

Nov 18, 2015 / Daniel Moattar

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