
Kari Lydersen is a Chicago-based journalist, author and assistant professor at Northwestern University, where she leads the investigative specialization at the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. Her books include Mayor 1%: Rahm Emanuel and the Rise of Chicago’s 99%.

Labor
A New Climate Rule Could Change the Face of America’s Railways
An alliance of labor and environmental groups is taking on the rail industry to pass a rule that would create both zero-emissions trains and good union jobs.
Kari Lydersen

Climate
Can Mayor Brandon Johnson Create a Green New Deal for Chicago?
Johnson ran on a promise to make environmental justice central to policy making. Now that he’s in office, organizers expect him to deliver.
Kari Lydersen

Viewpoint
Brandon Johnson Won the Race for Chicago’s Mayor By Loving and Fighting for the City
Johnson defeated a conservative opponent in Paul Vallas and will take office as a strong supporter of progressive politics and workers’ rights.
Kari Lydersen

Viewpoint
After a Stunning Election, the Future of Chicago Is Up for Grabs
Incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot is out and voters now face a choice between former public school teacher Brandon Johnson and corporate education reformer Paul Vallas.
Kari Lydersen

LaborCover Story
The Case for Nationalizing the Railroads
Workers say now is the time to do the impossible.
Kari Lydersen

Why Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Is Facing an Uphill Battle for Re-Election
Accusations of broken promises may spell a dim outlook for incumbent Lori Lightfoot, community organizers say.
Kari Lydersen

Labor
Nurses in the U.S. Are Suffering "Moral Injury"
The pandemic and staffing crisis have left healthcare workers with invisible wounds.
Kari Lydersen

Labor
As Illinois Coal Jobs Disappear, Some Are Looking to the Sun
While Illinois phases out coal, clean energy jobs hold promise—both for displaced coal workers, and those harmed by the fossil fuel economy.
Kari Lydersen

LaborFeature
In the Coal Mines, Workers Are Dying to Make a Living
Mining companies increasingly rely on cheaper contractors who face longer hours and higher risk of accidents.
Kari Lydersen

Labor
Over Mayor Lightfoot’s Objections, Chicago Is Set to Finally Enact an Elected School Board
Despite some qualms with the legislation, public education advocates are cheering the embrace of school democracy over mayoral control.
Kari Lydersen

Labor
Warehouse Workers Are on the Front Lines of the Covid Crisis. They're Worried They'll Be Passed Over for the Vaccine.
Low-wage warehouse workers, many of whom are temporary, are demanding access to the vaccine.
Kari Lydersen

Feature
Hospital Food Workers and Janitors Are Stuck In a “Death Trap”
Overlooked workers are risking their lives to keep the healthcare system running. Now, they're fighting back.
Kari Lydersen

Dispatch
These Blue-Collar Trump Supporters Think the Economy Is Great. Your Move, Democrats.
At Trump’s Milwaukee rally, supporters boasted that he’s ushered in an economic miracle. Democrats face the challenge of convincing them otherwise.
Kari Lydersen

Labor
Why Are Chicago Teachers Striking Against Mayor Lori Lightfoot? They’ve Been “Lied To” Before.
Kari Lydersen

Labor
Chicago Teachers Are Threatening To Strike Against New Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Here’s Why.
Kari Lydersen

Viewpoint
A Historic Election in Chicago Cracks the Machine
The old guard is on the way out, and a progressive future for the city is coming into focus.
Kari Lydersen

Feature
Mayor 1% Rahm Emanuel Will Not Be Missed in Chicago
Emanuel will be remembered for his arrogance, impatience and disregard for regular Chicagoans.
Kari Lydersen

Labor
In a Landslide Vote, the LA Times Just Unionized, Upending a Long Anti-Labor History
Kari Lydersen

Labor
Opponents of School Privatization Are Very Worried About a New Law in Illinois. Here’s Why.
Kari Lydersen

Culture
At the Bullfrog, Those Left Behind by the Global Economy Find Relief—and a Place to Talk Trump
In a Jamestown, N.Y., hotel and bar, down-and-out former factory workers seek solidarity and camaraderie—often expressed in shared rants about immigrants or liberals.
Kari Lydersen

Feature
The Heroin Crisis We’ve Ignored
A compassion deficit afflicts Black and Latino users.
Kari Lydersen

Labor
Chicago Window Workers Who Occupied Their Factory in 2008 Win New Bankruptcy Payout
Kari Lydersen

Labor
Chicago Car Wash Workers: Owner Took Their Tips, Said They Were His
Kari Lydersen

Labor
New Play Chronicles the Toll of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Workers
Kari Lydersen

Labor
Railroad Work Is Getting More and More Dangerous. These Workers Want To Change That.
Kari Lydersen

Labor
“It Is Right to Resist”: The Revolutionary Art of Pilsen’s Jose Guerrero
Kari Lydersen

Dispatch
Yoopers Have Road Rage
Michiganders are up in arms about a proposed mining road
Kari Lydersen

Labor
Union-backed Sue Sadlowski Garza Claims Win Over Rahm Emanuel Ally in Southeast Chicago (Updated)
Kari Lydersen

Labor
Bernie Sanders Endorses Chuy Garcia, Calls Chicago Election a ‘Political Revolution’
Kari Lydersen

Feature
With Chicago Tired of “Mayor 1%,” Chuy García Could Actually Win His Runoff with Rahm Emanuel
While money poured into the recent mayoral and aldermanic elections, voters showed that they are tired of business as usual.
Kari Lydersen

Feature
Chicago Progressive Groups Aim to End Rahm Emanuel’s City Council Stranglehold
Two Chicago coalitions are working to elect progressive candidates in the 2015 elections—and build an enduring movement.
Kari Lydersen

Labor
Remembering the Deadly Donora Smog
Kari Lydersen

Dispatch
Chicago’s Cop Watchers
Youth stand up to police violence.
Kari Lydersen

Labor
Rank-and-File Rail Workers Rebel Against Single-Person Crews
Kari Lydersen

Labor
Chicago Movers Stage Groundbreaking Strike
Kari Lydersen

Labor
Want To Take Back Chicago? Here’s How, Say Activists
Kari Lydersen

Labor
Despite Promised Jobs, Desert Town Opposes Giant Copper Mine
Kari Lydersen

Feature
Amara and Goliath
It's official: Rahm Emanuel has a challenger.
Kari Lydersen

Labor
A Brief, Bikeable 150-Year History of Labor Uprisings
Kari Lydersen

Labor
Deep Miner: ‘One Mistake and You’re Dead’
Kari Lydersen

Labor
Shutting Down the (Closed) Schools to Prison Pipeline
Kari Lydersen

Feature
Chicago’s Hidden Stop-and-Frisk
A lack of data makes police profiling difficult to prove in Chicago, but the arrest of two Latino outreach workers suggests it's alive and well.
Kari Lydersen

Labor
Despite Community Pleas, Three Chicago Schools Slated for Privatization
Kari Lydersen

Labor
Railroad Workers Unite in Chicago
Kari Lydersen

Labor
Community Members, Including Former Chicago Bull, Unite To Save School From ‘Turnaround’
Kari Lydersen

Feature
Chicagoland, Episode 5: Startups vs. Shootouts
The latest episode of the CNN miniseries ultimately lets Mayor Rahm Emanuel off the hook for Chicago's rifts.
Kari Lydersen

Feature
The ACA Could Be the Death Knell for Chicago’s Public Mental Health Clinics
In 2012, Mayor Emanuel's budget forced half the city's public mental health clinics to close; now the remaining six are in danger, too.
Kari Lydersen

Labor
Candlelight Vigil at Cook County Jail Shines Light on Chicago’s Mental Health Crisis
Kari Lydersen