The Corporate Land of Oz

The Corporate Land of Oz

In L. Frank Baum’s novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the “wizard’ turns out to be a phony — just an old guy sitting behind a curtain, using his booming voice to spew nonsense in a vain effort to fool people. But now, a century after Baum’s...
What Obama Should Order Next: Paycheck Fairness

What Obama Should Order Next: Paycheck Fairness

When President Barack Obama talked about pay equity in his State of the Union speech last month and connected the dots between gender and low-wage work, advocates in the audience were ecstatic. Representative Rosa DeLauro, lead sponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act...
Obama Orders, But Not Enough

Obama Orders, But Not Enough

Some Federal contract workers will get $10.10 an hour. Giving a boost to their buying power. It’s a step, we suppose, in the right direction But U.S. workers need much more protection. Like a living wage that keeps pace with inflation, Paid sick leave without...
Tipping the Scales of Inequality

Tipping the Scales of Inequality

At a pancake house in Houston, Claudia spent two hours rolling silverware into napkins on a slow weekend night. Without any tables to serve, she wasn’t tipped to supplement her $2.13 hourly wage. Like many other restaurant employers, Claudia’s boss did not...