Regardless of the benefits and drawbacks of fast fashion, it is important that we start living sustainably and use the right ingredients to make our clothing. The path we are on now will have long-term negative effects on the earth’s resources, resulting in waste in underdeveloped areas of the world, as well as other profound negative consequences.Continue Reading

Although most Americans may not be too familiar with IATSE (the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada), the works its members do, from lighting in motion pictures to broadcasting sports events, is central to American culture. IATSE is a labor union consisting of multiple locals and divisions, representing tens of thousands of workers. The COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down nearly every Hollywood production, proved the necessity of worker negotiations and rights. Many craftspeople lost their jobs or were put in unsafe conditions. Now, as more and more members return to work, they’re fighting for better set environments than pre-pandemic.Continue Reading

Millions of Americans lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but one key demographic may remain home even after the quarantine ends: women. Since the start of the pandemic, women have been leaving at a rate 4 times greater than their male counterparts. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, 617,000 women left the workforce in September 2020, compared to 78,000 men. This great disparity isn’t just a consequence of gender inequality in the workplace. It’s a result of the forced division of labor between men and women in nuclear families, pressuring women with children and other family obligations to prioritize the needs of others over their own professional fulfillment.Continue Reading

“Factories with Fences” and “American Made” boasts UNICOR. Better known as the Federal Prison Industries program, UNICOR makes nearly half a billion dollars in net sales annually using prison labor, paying inmates between 23¢ to $1.15 per hour. Despite already earning one-sixth of the federal minimum wage, inmates with final obligations must contribute half of their earnings to cover those expenses. UNICOR, in addition to other government-owned corporations and private prisons, makes millions upon millions of dollars using nearly free prison labor.Continue Reading

About a year ago, I wrote this article about why the Fed was raising rates in trying to engineer a soft landing. The objective was to prevent an overheated economy and high inflation rates, given the record unemployment levels among other things. The theory goes that tight labor markets lead to wage growth. Wage growth leads to high inflation. Raising rates might prevent that. This was the sentiment at the Fed over a year ago.Continue Reading