Economy
July 7, 2022 -
A U.S. House subcommittee recently held a hearing on how institutional investors' fast-expanding ownership of single-family rental homes is making affordable housing less accessible for renters and first-time homebuyers. Black neighborhoods and Southern metros are among those with the greatest share of investor ownership of single-family rentals.
June 17, 2022 -
Workers at state-subsidized Giti Tire, a Singapore-based company with operations in South Carolina, report exposure to toxic substances, forced overtime, and intimidation for pro-union views. Giti workers are in the midst of an organizing drive with the United Steelworkers, and a win could open the door to organizing in a state with the nation's largest tire manufacturing industry.
June 10, 2022 -
Facing South talked with Kim Kelly, a labor reporter and author of "Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor," about the lessons from the past her book holds for workers organizing in today's increasingly diverse South.
May 13, 2022 -
A number of states, including several in the South, are bucking the federal policy that allows companies to pay workers with certain disabilities less than the basic minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. The Biden administration recently took an initial step to address that pay disparity for tens of thousands of disabled workers nationwide, while a bill to end the practice is stalled in Congress.
April 22, 2022 -
The recently released "Poor People's Pandemic Report" details how counties with larger percentages of poor people — the vast majority of which are in the South — have been more likely to experience higher death rates during the COVID-19 pandemic.
April 20, 2022 -
This month marks one year since 1,100 members of the United Mine Workers of America went on strike at Warrior Met Coal in Brookwood, Alabama — a company that was formed from the bankruptcy of Walter Energy and that's now owned by hedge funds. A recent U.S. Senate hearing focusing on Wall Street greed featured testimony from striking Warrior Met miner Braxton Wright calling for passage of the Stop Wall Street Looting Act.
April 8, 2022 -
The U.S. is home to over 730 billionaires, with over 140 living in Southern states. The new budget proposal from President Biden calls on Congress to pass what's being called a "Billionaire Minimum Income Tax" that would levy annual gains in stocks and other assets held by the richest .01% — assets that are not taxed at all now unless they're sold.
