All 298 articles by Kari Lydersen

• 07 Feb 12

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  The Golden Toilet Marches On, Inspires Calls for Development Reform in Chicago

  Tomorrow (February 8), Chicago residents will promenade into Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office with the golden toilet that... MORE »

• 01 Feb 12

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  Golden Toilet Does the Job in Chicago

  Nothing says unjust extravagance and squandering of taxpayer dollars like a golden toilet. At least the attempted delivery... MORE »

• 31 Jan 12

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  Chicago Mayor’s Facebook Town Hall Leaves Teachers, Parents Venting

  Last week Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel held a "Facebook Town Hall," part of his goal, as stated during... MORE »

• 26 Jan 12

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  ‘Get a Job’? Not So Easy for Teens, as Adults Snap Up Openings

  Teen employment rate of 26 percent is lowest since World War II—and much worse for African Americans ... MORE »

• 23 Jan 12

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  Lockout at Quebec Rio Tinto Aluminum Smelter Drags On

  About 780 workers at an aluminum smelter run by the mining giant Rio Tinto in Quebec are heading into... MORE »

• 20 Jan 12

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  Partial Victory Bittersweet for Laid-Off Bakery Worker at Center of Class-Action Suit

  Rolf’s Patisserie in a Chicago suburb wasn’t just the place Karen Leyva worked, it... MORE »

• 20 Jan 12

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  Letter From Colombia: In Plastic Surgery Capital, How Real is the New Face?

  MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA—The Santo Domingo neighborhood perched on a steep hillside in Medellin pulsed with color, commerce,... MORE »

• 19 Jan 12

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  Opposition Erupts as Chicago City Council Passes G8/NATO Summit Ordinances

  CHICAGO—The marble floor in Chicago City Hall vibrated as labor union members and other protesters stamped... MORE »

• 11 Jan 12

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  Republic Windows Redux? Chicago Bakery Faces Class Action Suit for Pre-Christmas Closure

  Almost exactly two years after workers at Republic Windows and Doors famously occupied the plant after the company'... MORE »

• 09 Jan 12

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  All in a Day’s Work…Behind Bars

  CHICAGO—Two men crouch on a lawn, hard at work gardening. Another man skillfully wields clippers against... MORE »

• 05 Jan 12

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  Working on Ice: The Pros and Cons of Antarctic ‘Summer’ Jobs

  Across the country people are buckling down this week to head back to their workplaces after holiday breaks ... MORE »

• 02 Jan 12

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  The Secret of Rocky Flats: The Never-Ending Story of a Cold War Plutonium Plant

  BOULDER, COLO.—When the Green Bay Packers score, fans pound thunderously on the corrugated metal wall of... MORE »

• 23 Dec 11

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  The Immigration Debate at Year’s End: Conflict and Contradiction

  President Obama promised immigration reform within his first 100 days in office, but needless to say that didn&rsquo... MORE »

• 21 Dec 11

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  Wage Theft at Mom and Pop Stores—and How to Fight It

  Maria Garcia started working at Huaraches Dona Chio, a popular  family-owned restaurant in Chicago, after befriending... MORE »

• 19 Dec 11

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  Baltimore’s United Workers Disrupt Christmas Shopping, Demand Stable Jobs, Better Wages

  On December 10, Christmas shoppers at the Gallery Mall in Baltimore were interrupted  by chanting and thousands of... MORE »

• 14 Dec 11

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  Brazilian Blowout Still a Threat, Feds Say

  Beauty salons are likely to see increased business with people getting ready for holiday gatherings, and salon gift... MORE »

• 12 Dec 11

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  As Durban Dust Settles, Pondering Emissions Reductions and Jobs

  As negotiators at the United Nations COP17 climate conference in Durban, South Africa, reached a deal at literally... MORE »

• 08 Dec 11

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  As Struggling Town Considers New Mine, Ex-Miners Look Back With Ambivalence

  SUPERIOR, ARIZ.—The fire that kids set in a creek more than three decades ago in Superior... MORE »

• 06 Dec 11

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  A String of Slaughterhouse Successes for UFCW

  Workers at the Farmland Foods meatpacking plant in Carroll, Iowa, make a starting wage of $11 an hour. Workers... MORE »

• 30 Nov 11

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  Hyatt Ultimatum in Chicago: Healthcare or Boycott?

  Workers at four Hyatt Hotels in Chicago, and at Hyatts nationwide, have for the past few years been... MORE »

• 29 Nov 11

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  San Diego Lifeguard Wins Gender Discrimination Lawsuit

  SAN DIEGO -- Alison Terry is one of the best swimmers to come out of San Diego, setting... MORE »

• 25 Nov 11

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  Another Class Action Lawsuit Against Walmart Warehouse

  With Black Friday sales beginning Thanksgiving at 10 p.m., Walmart expects to bring in many millions in sales... MORE »

• 18 Nov 11

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  Time to Turn Out the Lights on Black Friday?

  Next week, the frenzied competition between retailers and shoppers that is Black Friday—the day after Thansgiving,... MORE »

• 16 Nov 11

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  Unions, Activists Occupy Chicago City Hall Over Clinic Closing Plan

  Hundreds of lay-offs loom after City Council approves Mayor Emanuel's austerity budget Today (November 16) Chicago’s city... MORE »

• 14 Nov 11

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  Another NLRB Victory for Minneapolis Jimmy John’s Workers

  "Like knights in hipster armor the Jimmy John’s delivery team pedals on their mighty bicycle steeds... MORE »

• 10 Nov 11

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  Fit to Teach? Chicago Union Files Charges Over Standardized Test for Teachers

  At first the statements might sound innocuous, or even admirable declarations of a renegade and independent spirit: I... MORE »

• 09 Nov 11

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  Sterilizing Sea Lampreys and Destroying Dams: All in a Day’s Work

  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is the federal agency responsible for making sure endangered species... MORE »

• 04 Nov 11

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  Adjuncts vs. Admin: Columbia College Chicago Conflict Continues

  NLRB files complaints against school; trial set to begin early next year At Columbia College Chicago, an arts-... MORE »

• 31 Oct 11

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  Walmart Opponents Decry New Crop of Chicago Stores

  Walmart’s announcement two weeks ago that it is cutting health insurance for part-timers working less than 24... MORE »

• 27 Oct 11

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  Congress Approves Arizona Mining ‘Land Swap’: Job Bonanza or Environmental Disaster?

  Congress approves proposed mining deal The U.S. House of Representatives voted yesterday to approve a bill that... MORE »

• 24 Oct 11

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  The Case of the Disappearing Local TV Journalist

  Free Press ties station layoffs to 'covert consolidation' While meeting with journalism students in Boulder, Colo., this month,... MORE »

• 21 Oct 11

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  California Workers Take Walmart’s Warehouses to Court

  Juan Chavez and Everardo Carrillo are among thousands of immigrants who work unloading semi-trailer trucks in California's "Inland... MORE »

• 17 Oct 11

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  New Joe Hill Biography Explores the Man and the Martyr

  Did the executed IWW radical do more for labor movement while dead or alive? The basic facts removed... MORE »

• 13 Oct 11

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  Why Credit History Shouldn’t Be Used in Hiring Decisions

  On Tuesday the UNITE HERE union, along with other labor, consumer and civil rights groups, called on employers... MORE »

• 10 Oct 11

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  OSHA ‘Protection’ Program Leaves Much to Be Desired

  Coors, Bechtel, International Paper, Bayer, Georgia-Pacific, Tropicana, and more than 2,400 other companies nationwide are exempt from regular federal... MORE »

• 05 Oct 11

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  Plantations on the Playing Field: The Problem With College Sports

  Taylor Branch, renowned biographer of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., doesn’t lightly throw around allusions to... MORE »

• 03 Oct 11

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  Namibian Uranium Miners vs. Rio Tinto

  Namibian union uranium miners on strike against international mining giant Rio Tinto alleged in late September that a... MORE »

• 29 Sep 11

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  Reading, PA’s Sad New Claim to Fame

  The post-industrial city has country's highest poverty rate The name Reading, Pa., evokes images of a glorious industrial... MORE »

• 26 Sep 11

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  Colorado Teachers Fight New Evaluations

  BOULDER, COLO.—As teachers nationwide are under attack by Republican and Democratic politicians for their performance and... MORE »

• 22 Sep 11

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  Tyson Settles for $32 Million in Unpaid Meatpacking Wages

  The time it takes to put on and take off work clothes and safety gear may seem negligible... MORE »

• 19 Sep 11

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  Wal-Mart and Women: Skeptics Question New Initiative

  Last week, Wal-Mart announced the latest component of its relatively successful campaign to shift its image from corporate... MORE »

• 15 Sep 11

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  Free Trade and Union Struggles Heat Up in Mexico

  On Tuesday, September 13, hundreds of members of the Mexican Electrical Workers Union (SME) and their supporters ended a... MORE »

• 09 Sep 11

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  Closing the Decertification Window: NLRB Decision Applauded by Labor

  The National Labor Relations Board is changing labor law in "profound ways" If workers present an employer with... MORE »

• 07 Sep 11

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  Retirement Age Boost Pushes Italians Into Streets

  Italy is famed for the apparent life of leisure and camaraderie of its senior citizens, who—at least... MORE »

• 04 Sep 11

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  Seeking Union Rights, GE Janitors March on Labor Day

  Janitors working for GE at its Lynn, Mass. aircraft parts plant earn $24 an hour and have 401k and... MORE »

• 31 Aug 11

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  South Africa’s Vineyard Workers Are Ripe for Exploitation

  Many a business deal, romantic evening or other happy moments around the world have been sweetened by South... MORE »

• 29 Aug 11

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  New Rule: Bosses Must Inform Workers of Right to Organize

  Predictably, employers see NLRB action as 'gift to organized labor' Tomorrow, August 30, a rule will be published in... MORE »

• 25 Aug 11

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  More Assassinations and Bloodshed in Honduras Land Occupation

  In Honduras, an increasingly violent campesino land struggle against one of the country’s largest private landowners... MORE »

• 22 Aug 11

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  National Park and Forest Employees Fight Power with Passion

  ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, COLORADO–As I was watching aspens stir in the breeze on a wildflower-covered... MORE »

• 18 Aug 11

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  A Man, A Plan, A Canal: What Panama’s Massive Expansion Project Means for Labor

  The Panama Canal celebrated its 97th birthday on August 15 as its massive expansion hums along, as The New... MORE »