An L.A. Story: Unions Show Signs of Life

https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/06/in-los-angeles-unions-show-signs-of-life

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

6 November 2014

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The minimum wage issue has been debated endlessly, with arguments both for and against its effectiveness. An increase, tested in some states and enacted in others, immeasurably betters the quality of life for low-income families.

Bangladesh's Chance to Get It Right

https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/23/bangladeshs-chance-to-get-it-right

Amy Yee

The New York Times

23 April 2014

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Bangladesh has often struggled maintaining safety in the workplace. But a new effort ensures that Bangladeshi workers are trained about how to better follow security and safety restrictions to create a safer working environment.

Can School Heal Children in Pain?

https://medium.com/bright/can-school-heal-children-in-pain-d9ef3abb9176

James Redford

Bright Magazine

1 June 2015

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Adverse childhood experiences — like assault, emotional abuse, observing domestic violence — can fundamentally alter a child’s body and brain. Lincoln High School teachers are taking in a "trauma-informed care" approach to their teaching to help those vulnerable students whose brains have been altered due to violence, abuse, or assault.

Changing Course

http://ctmirror.org/2015/01/21/changing-course

Arielle Levin Becker

The Connecticut Mirror

21 January 2015

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Science suggests that having a secure relationship with a caregiver can help protect a child’s brain and body from the effects of adversity. A Connecticut program for young children who have experienced trauma or other challenges has gotten results by focusing on that relationship – and the things that can interfere, including depression, family violence, and a parent’s own history of trauma.

Germany is the first European country to free Syrian refugees from a draconian bureaucratic “trap”

http://qz.com/488413/germany-is-the-first-european-country-to-free-syrian-refugees-from-a-draconian-bureaucratic-trap

Cassie Werber

Quartz

26 August 2015

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Since 2003, the Dublin Protocol has stopped migrants from traveling through Europe to auspicious countries before claiming asylum. However, many migrants travel by sea—which is more perilous and has led to high rates of death. Germany is the first country European country to break from the Dublin Protocol by letting in Syrian refugees.

Living-wage' movement growing in region

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/wage-523783-living-long.html

Margot Roosevelt

Orange County Register

1 September 2013

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In the past five years, as federal and state minimum wage levels failed to keep pace with the cost of living, and as the recession took its toll, the living wage movement has accelerated. Across the United States, more than 125 cities and counties have enacted ordinances or passed ballot initiatives to lift the wages of the working poor.

How one city cut violent crime by 60 percent

http://www.fayobserver.com/article/20131222/News/312229757

Greg Barnes

Fayetteville Observer

22 December 2013

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Areas of High Point, North Carolina have suffered from crime, poverty, and neglect, until the city began implementing Operation Ceasefire, a policing program that uses data collecting, community support against crime. High Point is now leading the country in its success of Operation Ceasefire, boasting dramatic reductions in violent crimes, domestic abuse, robberies, and drug-related offenses.

Immigrants Welcome Here

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/19/immigrants-welcome-here

David Bornstein

The New York Times

19 February 2014

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Immigrants are increasingly settling in the United States, but their cultural adjustments present economic and social challenges. Different states have started welcoming initiatives to aid in foreigners in their transition. Welcoming Tennessee has organized community gatherings and public talks, and has publicized how immigrants can contribute to their new neighborhoods.

In Florida Tomato Fields, a Penny Buys Progress

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/25/business/in-florida-tomato-fields-a-penny-buys-progress.html

Steven Greenhouse

The New York Times

24 April 2014

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For decades, migrant workers in Florida have been employed under dreadful conditions, picking produce without breaks under extreme temperatures and women being sexually harassed. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has demanded that growers increase wages, mandate rest breaks, and prohibit sexual harassment. The Coalition has partnered with big food companies, notably McDonald’s, Yum Brands, and Walmart, which have pledged to buy only from growers who follow these standards.

In Famine, Vouchers Can Be Tickets to Survival

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/27/in-famine-vouchers-can-be-tickets-to-survival

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

27 October 2011

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World Concern, a Seattle-based Christian humanitarian group, provides people around the world with vouchers they can use in select markets, rather than the traditional emergency food aid of rice and other grains. In Dhobley, Somalia, the solution of vouchers quickens the process of receiving the food and contributes to the local economy.