ProjectLabor The Grind A year-long series on the myriad ways workers are being shortchanged, revealing the exploitative and dangerous labor conditions behind our holidays and rituals — from New Year’s resolutions to Christmas shopping. Image: SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES Investigations InvestigationHealth, Labor Stretched Thin Personal trainers are frequently overworked, undertrained, and underpaid by their gyms. James HannahamSlate MagazineJanuary 6, 2016 InvestigationBusiness, Labor I Was a Super Bowl Concession Worker What it’s like making less than $13 an hour to serve $13 beers at one of the biggest games on Earth. Gabriel ThompsonSlate MagazineFebruary 9, 2016 InvestigationImmigration Spring Break’s Cleanup Crew It’s the worst time to be a hotel housekeeper in Miami. The rest of the year’s pretty bad, too. Michelle ChenSlate MagazineMarch 25, 2016 InvestigationImmigration Consider the Cable Guy Your cable installer used to be employed by Comcast or Time Warner. Now he’s joined the 1099 economy — and an app schedules every moment of his day. Virginia Sole-SmithSlate MagazineApril 15, 2016 InvestigationImmigration, Justice The High Cost of Unpaid Leave Paid family leave doesn’t just support gender equity in the workplace. It may also prevent babies’ deaths. Virginia Sole-SmithSlate MagazineMay 6, 2016 InvestigationBusiness, Immigration The Rockets’ Red Glare The vast majority of the world’s fireworks come from China. And sometimes they explode early, with deadly consequences. Kathleen McLaughlin & Noy ThrupkaewSlate MagazineJuly 1, 2016 InvestigationImmigration Good Crop, Bad Crop Workers picking America’s produce face rampant wage theft. The Department of Labor is barely using its toughest tool to stop it. Gabriel ThompsonSlate MagazineAugust 2, 2016 InvestigationBusiness, Labor, World Nike Says It Empowers Women Around the World But the young women who make its products in Vietnam are intimidated, belittled, and underpaid. Maria HengeveldSlate MagazineAugust 26, 2016 InvestigationBusiness, Labor, Politics How Charter Schools Bust Unions By intimidating teachers. By scaring parents. And sometimes by calling the cops. Hella WinstonSlate MagazineSeptember 29, 2016 InvestigationBusiness, Immigration, Labor Dark Meat Work more days. Carve more turkeys. Don’t get hurt. What poultry workers endure in the frenzied weeks before Thanksgiving. Gabriel ThompsonSlate MagazineNovember 21, 2016 InvestigationBusiness, Labor, World ‘We Are Nothing But Machines to Them’ Three years after a deadly collapse, Bangladesh's apparel factories have safer structures — and working conditions so oppressive they're killing people. Anjali KamatSlate MagazineDecember 15, 2016
InvestigationHealth, Labor Stretched Thin Personal trainers are frequently overworked, undertrained, and underpaid by their gyms. James HannahamSlate MagazineJanuary 6, 2016
InvestigationBusiness, Labor I Was a Super Bowl Concession Worker What it’s like making less than $13 an hour to serve $13 beers at one of the biggest games on Earth. Gabriel ThompsonSlate MagazineFebruary 9, 2016
InvestigationImmigration Spring Break’s Cleanup Crew It’s the worst time to be a hotel housekeeper in Miami. The rest of the year’s pretty bad, too. Michelle ChenSlate MagazineMarch 25, 2016
InvestigationImmigration Consider the Cable Guy Your cable installer used to be employed by Comcast or Time Warner. Now he’s joined the 1099 economy — and an app schedules every moment of his day. Virginia Sole-SmithSlate MagazineApril 15, 2016
InvestigationImmigration, Justice The High Cost of Unpaid Leave Paid family leave doesn’t just support gender equity in the workplace. It may also prevent babies’ deaths. Virginia Sole-SmithSlate MagazineMay 6, 2016
InvestigationBusiness, Immigration The Rockets’ Red Glare The vast majority of the world’s fireworks come from China. And sometimes they explode early, with deadly consequences. Kathleen McLaughlin & Noy ThrupkaewSlate MagazineJuly 1, 2016
InvestigationImmigration Good Crop, Bad Crop Workers picking America’s produce face rampant wage theft. The Department of Labor is barely using its toughest tool to stop it. Gabriel ThompsonSlate MagazineAugust 2, 2016
InvestigationBusiness, Labor, World Nike Says It Empowers Women Around the World But the young women who make its products in Vietnam are intimidated, belittled, and underpaid. Maria HengeveldSlate MagazineAugust 26, 2016
InvestigationBusiness, Labor, Politics How Charter Schools Bust Unions By intimidating teachers. By scaring parents. And sometimes by calling the cops. Hella WinstonSlate MagazineSeptember 29, 2016
InvestigationBusiness, Immigration, Labor Dark Meat Work more days. Carve more turkeys. Don’t get hurt. What poultry workers endure in the frenzied weeks before Thanksgiving. Gabriel ThompsonSlate MagazineNovember 21, 2016
InvestigationBusiness, Labor, World ‘We Are Nothing But Machines to Them’ Three years after a deadly collapse, Bangladesh's apparel factories have safer structures — and working conditions so oppressive they're killing people. Anjali KamatSlate MagazineDecember 15, 2016