Economy

August 2, 2012 - In the spotlight over its advocacy against same-sex marriage, the Georgia-based fast-food chain has also faced at least a dozen employment discrimination lawsuits over the years -- including one from a Muslim fired after refusing to pray to Jesus, and another from a longtime manager terminated because her boss thought she should be a stay-at-home mom.

August 1, 2012 - Organizing projects underway in Nashville and Memphis bring together labor, community and faith groups to challenge a status quo that keeps the state and region near the bottom of the economic ladder.

July 30, 2012 - In debating what it takes to succeed in business, President Obama and Mitt Romney talk as if we were still in an early 19th Century economy of small enterprises. But with megacorporations dominating American commerce, it's time to talk about tightening state corporation laws -- or replacing them entirely with a federal chartering system.

July 27, 2012 - Duke Energy is facing a credit downgrade, shareholder lawsuits, multiple investigations, and a legal move to reopen the regulatory proceedings that allowed it to take over Progress Energy in the first place.

July 13, 2012 - History shows that union membership has grown when labor has been on the offensive fighting for all workers. That's why SEIU organizer Rand Wilson argues that the movement's next fight should be for state laws requiring "just cause" before a worker is fired.

July 13, 2012 - The Affordable Care Act, called "Obamacare" by its opponents, provides for an expansion of the joint federal-state health care program for the poor. But many Southern governors say they will reject that expansion -- even though it would benefit their states' economies.

July 12, 2012 - Before its purchase by Wells Fargo, North Carolina-based Wachovia laundered over $378 billion for illegal drug organizations -- and paid just $160 million in fines. It's part of a broader and disturbing trend in the U.S. banking industry.