Exporting Clothes, Importing Safety

http://roadsandkingdoms.com/2015/exporting-clothes-importing-safety

Amy Yee

Roads & Kingdoms

28 August 2015

Text / Under 800 Words

Bangladesh, whose garment industry is second only to China’s in size, is responding to both international and domestic pressure and undergoing the most radical revamping of worker safety it has ever seen, in large part due to consumer and client pressure.

Two Years After Rana Plaza, Are Bangladesh's Workers Still at Risk?

http://www.thenation.com/article/two-years-after-rana-plaza-are-bangladeshs-workers-still-risk

Amy Yee

The Nation

22 May 2015

Text / 1500-3000 Words

After a major fire, labor standards in Bangladesh are improving, but workers must have a voice if these changes are to be sustainable.

The Questions We Share

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/08/07/the-questions-we-share

David Bornstein

The New York Times

7 August 2014

Text / 1500-3000 Words

Is there a way to frame conversations so that people actually listen to one another? Ask Big Questions fosters large group questions and discussions about social problems on university campuses to inspire young people.

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

Text / 1500-3000 Words

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.

From Our Prison to Your Dinner Table

http://www.psmag.com/business-economics/from-our-prison-to-your-dinner-table

Graeme Wood

Pacific Standard

3 March 2015

Text / 1500-3000 Words

In prison, most inmates are alienated from social practices and can be a tax burden for the states. The Colorado Correctional Industries is a program that positions inmates in different forms of labor such as making stuffed toys, farming fish, picking fruit, tending livestock, and creating crafts to be sold at grocery stores. The program makes inmates into taxpayers instead of tax burdens and offers skills that are useful for future employment once they leave prison.

Health Care for a Changing Work Force

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/01/health-care-for-a-changing-work-force

David Bornstein

The New York Times

1 December 2011

Text / 1500-3000 Words

America’s system of health care is based on an old industrial-era model, without taking into account a decentralized, mobile, independent workforce that remains largely unprotected without health and unemployment insurance. The Freelancers Insurance Company, based in New York State, offers competitive premiums by having their executives receive salaries at low wages. The model keeps costs under control, which in turn makes health care more accessible to independent workers.

Most Bangladeshi garment workers are women, but their union leaders weren't. Until now.

http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-09-16/most-bangladeshi-garment-workers-are-women-their-union-leaders-werent-until-now

Bruce Wallace

Public Radio International (PRI)

16 September 2015

Radio / 5-15 Minutes

After years of banning labor unions in Bangladesh, garment workers unionized to fight for higher wages and safer working conditions. For women, this isn't traditionally a space they were welcomed in, but now they’re holding their own meetings to ensure women’s safety is ensured on the job.

Once forced to study in secret, this Indian professor inspires a generation of female students

http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-06-08/once-forced-study-secret-indian-professor-inspires-generation-female-students

Sonia Narang

Public Radio International (PRI)

8 June 2015

Radio / 5-15 Minutes

Rama Arora defied tradition and secretly pursued her PhD as a young woman in India, succeeding at becoming the first female professor at a women's college. Now she is inspiring more Indian girls to further their educatione, so they can help bring about greater equality in society.

Out of India's Trash Heaps, More Than a Shred of Dignity

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/12/out-of-indias-trash-heaps-more-than-a-shred-of-dignity

Sarika Bansal

The New York Times

12 June 2013

Text / 800-1500 Words

Throughout India, wastepickers – people who scour landfills for garbage they can sell to recyclers – live at the bottom of society. But the city of Pune did something radical: with the help of a collective, they did away with expensive garbage trucks, and now all household garbage is collected by wastepickers with pushcarts. Pune saves millions of dollars each year and recycles more – and the wastepickers have decent wages and social standing. The concept is now spreading globally.

Safety Nets for Freelancers

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/06/safety-nets-for-freelancers

David Bornstein

The New York Times

6 December 2011

Text / 1500-3000 Words

Many independent workers feel that the battle for affordable health insurance is one they are losing. The Freelancers Union is working to provide protections for “contingent” workers that go beyond just health care.