All 58 articles by Stephen Franklin

• 11 Sep 12

• Features

  Hard Times For Turkish Dissenters

  Many tout Turkey as a model for "Arab democracy," but its human rights record raises troubling questions MORE »

• 09 Aug 12

• Features

  Freedom of the Press Remains Elusive in Turkey

  Though the government denies targeting journalists, more than 90 Turkish journalists have spent most of the last year behind bars MORE »

• 06 Aug 12

• Features

  Letter from the Syrian Border

  An on-the-ground report from the growing Syrian refugee camps in Turkey. MORE »

• 23 Jul 12

• Working

  Turkey Arrests Public-Sector Unionists Under Broad Terror Law

  ISTANBUL, Turkey—They were upfront and loud, not unusual behavior for discontented labor unions anywhere. They had... MORE »

• 19 Feb 12

• Working

  ‘There Is Not Enough Work’: Nearly Half of Mexicans Now Officially Poor

  OAXACA, MEXICO—The night is long and lonely and taxi driver Fernando has no choice but to... MORE »

• 02 Feb 12

• Working

  Below Soaring CEOs, Struggling Black and Latino Youths

  We hear much nowadays about the rich, and how rising inequality is a result of just how wealthy... MORE »

• 16 Jan 12

• Working

  Goin’ Backward in Indiana: Muncie’s Omen and the Push for ‘Right to Work’

  As Indiana legislators move closer to passing a "right-to-work" law, consider Muncie’s omen. This can be... MORE »

• 10 Jan 12

• Working

  More Than a Number: Troubling Trends Behind the Dropping Unemployment Rate

  So the unemployment rate’s drop last month means we’re heading out of this tunnel,... MORE »

• 01 Jun 11

• Working

  Welcome Home Vets: Your Jobs Are Long Gone

  By Stephen Franklin If you have ever spent time with the people fighting our wars today, you know... MORE »

• 24 May 11

• Working

  Iran’s Simmering Labor Struggle

  'Sooner or later,' an Iranian union organizer says, the country's precarious economy 'will blow up'—and... MORE »

• 04 Apr 11

• Working

  What’s Happening to Black Families?

  The new census figures dumbfound me. What’s happening to black families? Countless news reports, based on... MORE »

• 14 Mar 11

• Working

  A Mumbai Slum’s Quest for Dignity

  MUMBAI, INDIA—In the breathless heat, Fahim Vora begins his tour of India’s largest slum... MORE »

• 01 Feb 11

• Working

  Egypt’s Workers: All They Needed Was the Courage

  When they began staging their protests in downtown Cairo, it seemed so risky, so unimaginable, so likely to... MORE »

• 27 Jan 11

• Working

  What Are the Public Sector Unions to Do?

  In South Dakota, where union members in the private workforce are nearly a mirage, Republican lawmakers are thinking... MORE »

• 19 Jan 11

• Working

  To Organize Foreign Carmakers, UAW Must Build Transnational Labor Coalition

  After years of getting shut out of foreign car companies’ factories across the United States, the auto... MORE »

• 14 Jan 11

• Working

  You Are No One. You Are Without Papers.

  You are a worker and you are an immigrant and suddenly you feel unwanted, hunted, frozen out. You... MORE »

• 05 Jan 11

• Working

  Don’t Count on Tomorrow: The New Credo for the Unemployed

  Long ago, on New York City's docks, Frankie drilled into me the American credo about climbing the ladder... MORE »

• 13 Oct 10

• Working

  Sandy Pope: The Woman Who Would Rule the Teamsters

  Here are Sandy Pope’s credentials: She’s been a warehouse worker, truck driver and organizer,... MORE »

• 22 Sep 10

• Working

  Restaurant Opportunity Center Offers Ray of Hope in Dire Times

   Jose Oliva waited till close to closing time when he went up to the three workers and... MORE »

• 15 Sep 10

• Working

  A Workers’ Guide to the Messed-Up Economy

  You feel overwhelmed by campaign ads throwing somber-sounding economic claims at you, right? You don’t think... MORE »

• 09 Sep 10

• Working

  Why You Should Earn Less: the Company’s Argument

  Tom Michaud is no bargaining expert. He is an applesauce cook, earning $21.80 an hour after working 15 years at... MORE »

• 01 Sep 10

• Working

  The Long Trail North Turns Deadly for Migrants Hungry for Work

  Mexican gangs, lack of U.S. jobs make journey even more perilous Many of the 72 migrants found dead... MORE »

• 26 Aug 10

• Working

  A Brief History of Labor Unsolidarity: AFL-CIO and Change to Win

  As Laborers union heads back to AFL-CIO, the price of organized labor's big break-up seems bigger than ever... MORE »

• 18 Aug 10

• Working

  When We Can’t Afford to Be Sick: Access to Healthcare Drops Along with Economy

  Slowly but surely the evidence is pilling up to show what the Great Recession have done to our... MORE »

• 13 Aug 10

• Working

  We All Fall Down? America’s New Economic Reality

  Because economic reports can be confusing, let me summarize where we stand today. A very small number –... MORE »

• 03 Aug 10

• Working

  50 Years After Murrow’s ‘Harvest of Shame,’ What’s Changed?

  This is the last in a series of articles about migrant farmworkers in the U.S. For the... MORE »

• 29 Jul 10

• Working

  The Speed-Up in the Fields

  KALAMAZOO, MICH.–Amid the gentle rolling hills and lush emerald green fields of Michigan’s bucolic... MORE »

• 26 Jul 10

• Working

  These Stains Do Not Wash Away: An Immigrant’s Tale

  WHITE PIGEON, MICH.—In the spring she planted in the muck and then picked blueberries in the... MORE »

• 14 Jul 10

• Working

  How Would You Like Brigido Oregon’s Job?

  GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.—Brigido Oregon is a small man, so it is hard to imagine all the... MORE »

• 02 Jul 10

• Working

  Welfare: A Worsening Deal for Nearly Everyone Involved

  Ever since the economy took a nose dive, welfare has turned into even a worse deal for nearly... MORE »

• 28 Jun 10

• Working

  In Egypt, Arab World’s ‘Largest Social Movement’ Gains Steam Among Workers

  CAIRO, EGYPT—They banged rocks on metal barricades that pinned them to the sidewalk. They pounded drums.... MORE »

• 19 Apr 10

• Working

  Andy Stern: The Man With a Plan Who Lost His Way

  The reasons for Stern's resignation as SEIU president are unclear. His troubled legacy isn't. He could have been... MORE »

• 03 Mar 10

• Working

  Axed in a Flash: Surviving Life After Layoffs

  A friend got axed the other day, whacked after more than a dozen years on the job.  ... MORE »

• 24 Feb 10

• Working

  What Happens When the Poor Get Even Poorer?

  Report: Plight of poorer Americans signals 'True Great Depression' Let’s tally the workplace losses handed to... MORE »

• 19 Feb 10

• Working

  Open Season on Working Poor, as Tax Day Nears

  It’s time to fleece the working poor again. That’s what happens to numbers of... MORE »

• 11 Feb 10

• Working

  How Immigrants Help the Economy—and Unions

  CHICAGO—The meeting was about the need for immigrants to get counted in the upcoming U.S.... MORE »

• 20 Jan 10

• Working

  More Bad News From the Job Market

  You’ve been out of work for a year now and you are wondering what’s... MORE »

• 13 Jan 10

• Working

  Post-Migration America? Staying in Place in Dire Times

  The "black-plate people" were born more than 30 years ago, the last time the U.S. economy was almost... MORE »

• 04 Jan 10

• Working

  Up in the Air, With Nowhere to Go. What’s Your Lay-Off Story?

  They cry. They fumble for words. They are furious. They crumble into pieces. They fret about waking up... MORE »

• 24 Dec 09

• Working

  The Dollar General Deal: Report Alleges Abuses at Chinese Plants

  You need to buy a few things, and you're in a real hurry. Soap. Toothpaste. Stuff like that.... MORE »

• 17 Dec 09

• Working

  Who Are the Worst Corporate Scrooges of All?

  Our global economic blow-up has not only messed up the lives of mllions—it has made holiday... MORE »

• 10 Dec 09

• Working

  Where Have All the Labor Writers Gone?

  Consider the fate of the labor reporter. A long vanishing breed, there are only a few of them... MORE »

• 03 Dec 09

• Working

  Black, Urban Neighborhoods are Unemployment’s Epicenter

  If you drive a few blocks from Barack Obama’s Chicago home, you are plunged downward into... MORE »

• 25 Nov 09

• Working

  Waiting on the Street Corner, Waiting For a Miracle

  CHICAGO—Alejandro waits eagle-eyed on the street corner with the other day laborers. He has three small... MORE »

• 18 Nov 09

• Working

  Trucker’s Dream? Obama Reconsiders 11th-Hour Bush Decision

  You're tired. It’s dark. This part of the highway is tough driving. And the humongous truck... MORE »

• 11 Nov 09

• Working

  The Workers Behind the Burgers

  While you are considering a hamburger tonight, let me tell you something you probably weren’t thinking... MORE »

• 03 Nov 09

• Working

  U.S. Poverty: If Only We Knew How Bad It Really Is

  You’re sure we’ve been sliding downhill, steadily downward into greater poverty. But you wonder... MORE »

• 23 Oct 09

• Working

  On a Night Train in Egypt, Where Poverty is a Traveler Too

  CROSSING EGYPT BY TRAIN—On a rack above me in a crowded train hurtling through the night,... MORE »

• 16 Sep 09

• Working

  Step Up and Play the (Jobless) Recovery Game.

  We are going to play a little card trick, so I will need your total attention. Hands off... MORE »

• 09 Sep 09

• Working

  They Pick Empty Pockets: Study Finds Wage Theft Rampant

  As Adam Kader sees it, workplace thievery has changed since the recession began. When the U.S. economy... MORE »