In These Times

E-ZPass Workers Face Stiff Resistance to Unionizing

By Akito YoshikaneFourteen employees at a New York City customer service center for E-ZPass, the electronic toll… more

Street Vendors Protest Stifling Regulations—and Start to Organize

Face uphill battle against bureaucracy, 'net of restrictions' By Akito YoshikaneThe success and popularity of upscale food… more

Image Problem: Unions Losing American Popularity Contest, Survey Says

Only 41-percent of Americans now view unions favorably, Pew poll says—a huge decline since recession began By Akito… more

Will the Olympics Be Good for Vancouver’s Less Fortunate?

By Akito YoshikaneThe Olympics have been touted as a boon to both the civic pride and the… more

In Thailand, Migrant Workers Struggle With New Verification Policy

By Akito Yoshikane For years, migrant workers from Laos, Burma and Cambodia have traveled to neighboring Thailand for… more

Amid Toyota Recall, UAW Rallies Against Company’s Factory Closing

By Akito Yoshikane It's been a bad few months for Toyota, after faulty pedals caused a recall and… more

Workers Suffer as Japan Airlines Goes Bankrupt, Gets Bailout

15,700 lay-offs, huge pension concessions roil JAL workforce By Akito Yoshikane These days, it seems like the airline… more

Record Number of Americans Now on Food Stamps

By Akito Yoshikane The number of Americans living on food stamps has soared amid rising unemployment and a… more

To Play or Not to Play? All Four Major Pro Sports Leagues Face New Labor Contracts

By Akito Yoshikane Sports wonks know that 2010 will be a blockbuster year for the MLB and NBA… more

UN Gives Nod to Worker Co-Ops, as Cleveland Communities Embrace Model

By Akito Yoshikane The year might be winding down, but United Nations member states are already looking three… more

Uptick in Japan’s Union Members Mirrors U.S. Trend

By Akito Yoshikane Despite the financial downturn in Japan, the unionization rate in the world’s second largest economy… more

Coal vs. Climate: In Copenhagen, Miners’ Union Tries to Balance Interests

By Akito Yoshikane A sense of urgency looms over Copenhagen as nearly 200 nations gather to discuss a… more

Baseball Players Association Is Rarest of Things: A Strong Union

By Akito Yoshikane Baseball fans are accustomed to watching battles on the diamond field. But showdowns between the… more

Dear USA Today: Asian-American Unemployment More Nuanced Than You Think

By Akito Yoshikane … more

After Protests, A Win for Illinois Graduate Students

By Akito YoshikaneGraduate instructors at the University of Illinois are back in the classrooms Wednesday following protests… more

Oil Giant BP Slapped With Record Fine for Workers’ Safety Violations

By Akito Yoshikane An oil company like BP strives for record earnings, not record fines. But a recent… more

Still Crazy After All These Years: UN Condemns Cuba Embargo, Again

By Akito Yoshikane Few issues warrant discussion at the United Nations for 18 consecutive years. But that's what… more

Temp Workers Squeezed Most in Tightening Job Market

By Akito Yoshikane Of all workers hurt by the ongoing global financial crisis, temporary workers are the most… more

Imported Chinese Laborers’ Work Conditions Shock Caribbean Nation

By Akito Yoshikane A group of Chinese laborers who protested unsettled payments and abject housing in the Republic… more

Change of Heart at WTO? Globalization Doesn’t Help Poor Workers, Report Says

By Akito Yoshikane Global trade has surged in the developing world, but that hasn't helped workers find jobs,… more

‘CARE Act’ Would Close U.S. Child Labor Loophole, Get Kids to School

By Akito Yoshikane While most students in the United States return to school this fall, hundreds of thousands… more

NBA to Use Replacement Refs During Labor Lockout

The National Basketball Association will start pre-season games this Thursday, but the usual referees won't be calling the… more

As Climate Talks Continue, Labor Looks for Seat at Table

With hundreds of heads of state at the United Nations summit on climate change in New York this… more

Malawi Child Laborers Suffer Nicotine Poisoning

Children as young as five in Malawi’s tobacco industry are exposed to nicotine levels equal to smoking 50… more

International Union Slams Iran for Labor Violations

Iran has dominated plenty of news cycles this year for its nuclear ambitions, contested presidential elections and detention… more

Japan Election Signals Workers’ Anger, Insecurity

The saying goes that whenever the United States catches a cold, Japan sneezes. For the last half century,… more

NYC Campaign Controversy Overshadows Realities of Garment Industry

New York City Councilman John Lui—three weeks away from the city controller election he hopes to win—… more

Could Stimulus Packages Improve Gender Equality?

In response to the financial crisis, governments around the world have spent “stimulus” money to promote job growth… more

Former UN Diplomat Denied Immunity in Labor Lawsuit

A federal judge in Manhattan denied diplomatic immunity for a former UN ambassador in a civil suit filed… more

Around the World, Forced Labor Persists

Forced labor—slavery, debt bondage and human trafficking—is not a thing of the past. Last week I wrote about… more

UN Tackles Forced Labor in Myanmar

The United Nations and Myanmar haven’t agreed on most issues. The military junta’s blocking of international relief in… more

Global Recession Hitting Women Harder Than Men

The financial crisis has been trying for working women and men alike. But with gender disparities in unemployment… more

Around the Country, Unions Battle City Governments

With the concessions deadline having passed for officials of Chicago’s Teamsters Union and the American Federation of State,… more

Amid Global Financial Turmoil, Cooperatives Show Resilience

The United Nations observed the 14th annual International Day of Cooperatives on July 4, just a few days… more

Reach Out and Rob Someone

After federal investigations into the $4 billion prepaid phone card industry found deceptive practices, state officials and Capitol Hill are finally cracking down on companies more

vol. 32, iss. 12   

The Cho Show

Margaret Cho knows how brutal Hollywood can be. In 2000, in her critically acclaimed one-woman comedy show, "I'm the… more

vol. 32, iss. 06    asian americans, gender, media

Day Laborers Sue Chicago

On Dec. 5, two day laborers, in conjunction with the workers' rights group Chicago Committee for the Right to… more

vol. 32, iss. 02   

Public Libraries For Profit

The trend of farming out public libraries to a private, profit-oriented business has raised concerns because libraries have long been considered democratic bodies built on the cornerstone of information diversity, transparency and intellectual freedom more

vol. 31, iss. 12    corporations, privatization