All 349 articles by Mike Elk

• 19 Jun 13

• The ITT List

  RIP Michael Hastings: ‘We Punch Folks. They Punch Back. That’s the Deal.’

  Last winter, Michael Hastings emailed me asking me out for beer. I was beyond shocked—Hastings was... MORE »

• 12 Jun 13

• Working

  Strike Looms as Patriot Coal Walks Out on Negotiations

  Yesterday, according to the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), Patriot Coal walked away from the bargaining table,... MORE »

• 11 Jun 13

• Working

  Snowden Leak Highlights Few Whistleblower Protections for Intelligence Contract Employees

  On Sunday, The Guardian revealed that Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old information technology specialist employed by the federal contractor... MORE »

• 06 Jun 13

• Working

  BREAKING: OSHA Inspected Philly Building Collapse Site, But Did Not Shut It Down

  Yesterday, a four-story building undergoing demolition in Philadelphia’s Center City district collapsed directly onto the Salvation... MORE »

• 30 May 13

• Working

  Federal Worker Faces Deportation After Striking; Fox’s Workplace ‘Hunger Games‘

  Last week, Working In These Times featured the story of Antonio Vanegas, one of 200 federal contract workers... MORE »

• 29 May 13

• Working

  Judge Frees Patriot Coal To Eliminate Retiree Benefits for 20,000

  Today, in a decision long dreaded by union coal miners, a bankruptcy court in St. Louis agreed that... MORE »

• 28 May 13

• Working

  Cablevision Calls Cops on Workers, Hires Scalia’s Son to Challenge NLRB’s Authority

  On Thursday, 15 Cablevision workers who are also stockholders in the cable company were ejected from the annual shareholders... MORE »

• 27 May 13

• Working

  Toxic Leak Cover-Ups; West, Texas Police Accused of Obstruction; Picketers Turn Back Ship

  This week, the Chemical Safety Board, the main agency tasked with investigating and creating recommendations to prevent accidents... MORE »

• 22 May 13

• Working

  Top Democrats React to Low-Wage Federal Workers’ Strike

  “I work at Quick Pita in the food court of the Ronald Reagan Building. I work nearly 12... MORE »

• 19 May 13

• Working

  Texas Explosion Could Have Been Worse; Unpaid Interns Denied in Court; Regulator Had Honeywell Stock

  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and 27 other government agencies held a press conference on... MORE »

• 14 May 13

• Working

  Senator Calls Out White House for Logjam in Workplace Safety Rulemaking

  As workplace safety and health advocates figure out how to fix workplace safety regulations in the wake of... MORE »

• 13 May 13

• Working

  Gov’t Will Pick Up Tab For West, Texas Damage; Amazon, Bikeshare in Hot Seat for Wage Theft

  It appears that the government will be picking up the tab for the damage done by the West... MORE »

• 09 May 13

• Working

  In Wake of West, Texas Explosion, Safety Advocates Recommend Harsher Fines

  “My happiness was taken away in a matter of seconds,” says Adrianna Martinez of the death... MORE »

• 25 Apr 13

• Working

  Obama’s West, Texas Memorial Speech: No Mention of Workplace Safety

  Today, President Obama spoke at a memorial service at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, for the 15 people who... MORE »

• 25 Apr 13

• Working

  Texas Explosion: Gov’t Shared Info for Anti-Terrorism, But Not Workplace Safety

  The twin tragedies of last week—the Boston Marathon bombing and the West Texas Chemical and Fertilizer... MORE »

• 23 Apr 13

• Working

  How Soon Will West, Texas Be Forgotten?

  On Friday, as cable news networks sought desperately to fill airtime while waiting for the latest news in... MORE »

• 13 Apr 13

• Working

  Maine Gov. May Have Interfered With Unemployment Benefits; Issa Subpoenas DoL Nominee’s Emails

  Maine Governor Paul LePage was under fire this week after allegations emerged that he may have illegally pressured... MORE »

• 12 Apr 13

• Working

  Senators and Unions Call for Obama to Intervene in Patriot Coal Bankruptcy

  Charleston, WV–“I have been in the union for 40 years and I have never been as... MORE »

• 09 Apr 13

• Working

  Cablevision CEO’s Threats Prompt NLRB Complaint

  Last June, Cablevision workers in the Bronx voted against joining the Communications Workers of America by a landslide,... MORE »

• 30 Mar 13

• Working

  KFC Allegedly Fires Woman for Being Homeless; AFL-CIO Revamped; Cheating Scandal in Atlanta

  A KFC franchise has reportedly fired a Mississippi woman after learning she was homeless. From the Clarion Ledger: ... MORE »

• 25 Mar 13

• Features

  Camo-Clad Miners Follow Example of Moses

  The United Mine Workers of America feel certain God is on their side in the fight against Peabody Energy. MORE »

• 24 Mar 13

• Working

  Public Employees Made To Bring Own Toilet Paper; Labor Sec Discusses Hangovers; Lansing Fist Fight

  It appears one Missouri town has taken the war on public employees to a new extreme. From... MORE »

• 20 Mar 13

• Working

  Paid Sick Days Bill Has Unexpected Opponent: Comcast

  Last week, the Philadelphia City Council passed a bill that would require nearly all employers in Philadelphia to... MORE »

• 20 Mar 13

• Working

  Witness the GOP’s Vanishing SKILLS Act

  In a major push to rebrand the GOP as in touch with the need for jobs, House Republicans... MORE »

• 18 Mar 13

• Working

  Chris Hayes Replaces Ed Schultz; Perez Is Obama’s Labor Pick; House Nixes $10.10 Minimum Wage

  Many in organized labor lamented the announcement last week that union champion Ed Schultz—who in 2011 transplanted... MORE »

• 11 Mar 13

• Working

  Top Democrats Differ On Ending Subminimum Wage For Workers With Disabilities

  In his State of the Union address earlier this year, President Barack Obama called for increasing the minimum... MORE »

• 11 Mar 13

• Features

  Labor and Allies, Surprised By Obama’s $9 Minimum Wage Proposal, Scramble to Coordinate

  The president wants $9, Congressional Democrats want $10.10--but everyone's optimistic. MORE »

• 01 Mar 13

• Working

  N.Y. City Council Considers Yanking Cablevision’s License

  Earlier this month, Cablevision fired 22 union members who gathered outside a manager’s office in Brooklyn demanding... MORE »

• 27 Feb 13

• Working

  Union Leader Forbids Beer in Battle with Scab Company

  United Steelworkers Staff Representative Dennis Brubaker has a golden rule when running a picket line. “I never... MORE »

• 26 Feb 13

• Working

  Red, White and Blue-Washing: GE Backs Off Boast of 13,000 New Jobs

  WASHINGTON, DC--General Electric (GE) has often faced criticism from organized labor for pioneering the outsourcing of American jobs.... MORE »

• 25 Feb 13

• Working

  CA Country Club Workers Win Contract; Gov’t Safety Delay Killed 6; Did SCOTUS Prompt Union-Busting?

  After a nearly three-year struggle that included an unlawful lockout, Castlewood Country Club has comes to an agreement... MORE »

• 16 Feb 13

• Working

  Ft. Hood Hero Sues Army for Benefits; Trumka Calls Out White House; NYC Stadium Creates Bad Jobs

  The police officer who helped halt the Fort Hood shootings in 2009 told ABC News this week that she... MORE »

• 09 Feb 13

• Working

  An Apology for the Biggest Mistake of My Career as a Labor Reporter

  Recently, there has been a resurgence in vinyl records among my generation because of what some say is... MORE »

• 08 Feb 13

• Working

  Cop Sues for Overtime for Email Checking; Sweatshop Activists Target Selena Gomez; Wage Theft at JFK

  A Chicago police offer is suing the city for overtime pay after being forced to answer emails outside... MORE »

• 02 Feb 13

• Working

  Unions Anxious About Obamacare; Coal Company Sues Whistleblower; Boeing Strike Looms

  With more provisions of Obamacare sent to kick in this year, some unions are growing concerned about a... MORE »

• 01 Feb 13

• Working

  22 Cablevision Union Members Fired During Confrontation with Management (Updated)

  Around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning, four dozen unionized Cablevision workers gathered outside of an executive’s... MORE »

• 27 Jan 13

• Features

  Sports Authority

  Where sports and politics collide. MORE »

• 25 Jan 13

• Working

  Court Declares Obama’s NLRB Appointments Unconstitutional; Strip Club Safety; No More ‘Big Labor’?

  Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that President Barack Obama&rsquo... MORE »

• 23 Jan 13

• Working

  Time to Retire ‘Scabby the Rat’, Says Top AFL-CIO Official

  Go to any labor rally and you are likely to see a towering symbol of union pride: a 16... MORE »

• 22 Jan 13

• Working

  Will Immigration Reform Address H-2 Guestworker Recruiter Violations?

  With President Obama vowing to push immigration reform, guest worker advocates want to ensure that the H-2 visa... MORE »

• 12 Jan 13

• Working

  No Comp Time for Newtown Police to Cope with PTSD; ‘Wellness Cops’ at Work; NLRB Beefs Up Back Pay

  AFSCME is upset that police officers in Newtown are being denied workers’ compensation for time off... MORE »

• 05 Jan 13

• Working

  Bullets Poison Firing Range Workers; First Signs of PTSD in Newtown; UAW Conspired with Ford

  Guns not only pose a risk from the violence they inflict, but the lead content in their bullets... MORE »

• 31 Dec 12

• Working

  In the Coal Fields, A Novel Way to Get Rid Of Pensions Is Born

  This is part two of a three-part series, "Dying in the Coal Mines," which looks at how... MORE »

• 20 Dec 12

• Working

  A Grief-Stricken Randi Weingarten Engages Hesitant Unions on Gun Control in Wake of Sandy Hook

  “The teachers and the principals were absolutely heroic. So were the others, who were in lockdown, and... MORE »

• 19 Dec 12

• Working

  50 Years Later, Lessons of Deadly Robena Mine Explosion Still Unlearned

  This is part one of a three-part series, "Dying in the Coal Mines," which looks at how... MORE »

• 14 Dec 12

• Working

  Teachers Unions Respond to CT Shooting; Egypt Cracks Down on Unions; Federal Judges Sue Over Pay

  A school shooting in Newtown, Conn. today at Sandy Hook Elementary School stunned the nation and left 27 dead.... MORE »

• 07 Dec 12

• Working

  Right-to-Work Law Advances in Michigan; Unpaid Labor at NFL Games; Another Mining Accident

  Michigan appears poised to be the 24th state in the Nation to pass so-called “right-to-work" legislation, which... MORE »

• 30 Nov 12

• Features

  9/11 Mistakes Repeated in Sandy Clean-up, Say Worker Health Advocates

  OSHA has lowered safety enforcement for those doing Hurricane Sandy recovery work, despite hazards such as asbestos. MORE »

• 16 Nov 12

• Working

  In Leaked Docs, Honeywell Cites Obama Ties As Key to Anti-Union Strategy

  In These Times has exclusively obtained a leaked internal Honeywell document outlining an anti-union strategy that includes... MORE »

• 08 Nov 12

• Working

  Could Democrats Save Sensata?

  On Monday, the Bain Capital-owned Sensata factory in Freeport, Ill. laid off 20 of its remaining 50 workers as... MORE »