The Wisconsin Idea

DispatchRural America

"It's a Nightmare": Inside America's Rural Housing Crisis

Across Wisconsin, low-income people are struggling to find quality, affordable housing.

Jack Kelly

Labor

U.S. Labor Shortage? No, We Have a Crisis of Low Wages.

Don't easily believe claims that there's a lack of people to fill jobs. What's really going on is that employers aren't offering workers a living wage.

Heidi Shierholz

FeatureRural America

In Dairy Country, a Network of Hmong and Latino Workers Fight Covid-19

Dairy production in Wisconsin relies on immigrant labor, a contradiction in a state that has seen the rise of nativist, anti-immigrant politics.

Esther Honig

Labor

Get Rid of No-Strike Clauses and Stop Begging

The right to strike is the only thing that gives working people power. Let's stop bargaining it away.

Hamilton Nolan

Feature

The Congresspeople Standing Up for Their Trans Children

Trans people, who face relentless attacks on their right to exist, are nearly absent in federal representation. Reps. Marie Newman and Pramila Jayapal, both parents to trans kids, have their backs.

Heron Greenesmith

Culture

On the Air with All (or Most) Things Considered

To mark the 50th anniversary of National Public Radio, we revisit this 1979 story on the station and its flagship program "All Things Considered," which at the time was known as "Sesame Street for adults."

Beth Bogart

LaborFeatureClimate

This Old Steel Mill Town is Now a Hub for Green Energy

Sick of poison runoff and toxic beaches, a former steel town near Baltimore fights for clean jobs.

Dharna Noor

Rural America

As Meatpackers Stoked Fears of a Shortage, U.S. Meat Exports Increased

Citing imminent shortages, the meat industry lobbied to keep packing plants open as Covid-19 tore through workers’ ranks. At the same time, U.S. meat exports increased.

Madison McVan

Viewpoint

Biden’s Infrastructure Plans Are a Good Start—But We Must Ensure Democratic Control

President Biden has laid out an ambitious agenda for rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure. To succeed, the projects should be put under public ownership.

Thomas M. Hanna