Outside the Supreme Court during the Kavanaugh confirmation vote, we heard from Senators and advocates, but most importantly, we heard from survivors of sexual assault.
Recent pieces address how Trump administration moves threaten the census response rate, AIDS prevention efforts, and other crucial work that depends on science; delve into statistics on sexual assault in the US; investigate the working conditions behind Ivanka Trump-branded clothing and accessories; and consider how human bodies and healthcare systems maintain themselves.
Public Health Practice
Worth reading: Tuberculosis activism, “locker room talk,” and Clean Air Act enforcement
Recent pieces address activism to improve the fight against tuberculosis; speaking up against sexual harassment and assault; and more.
New Jersey’s growing temp industry is rife with labor violations, worker mistreatment; advocates in North Carolina demand safer conditions for poultry plant workers; former Wells Fargo workers sue over aggressive sales quotas that led to fraud; and an investigation into northern California’s marijuana industry finds rampant sexual abuse and assault.
California
Report: Lower wages, labor violations part of the ‘race to the bottom’ world of subcontracting
Hardly a day goes by lately without another story on companies like Uber and their model of classifying workers as independent contractors while treating them more like traditional employees and sidestepping traditional employer responsibilities. It’s a model that has serious implications for workers’ rights and wages. However, there’s another form of employment that may be even more damaging to hard-fought labor standards: subcontracting.
Vox explores the mental health impact of medical errors on health care workers; California policymaker announces efforts to protect women janitors from sexual assault; farmworkers call on fast food chain Wendy’s to join the Fair Food Program for better wages; and a judge upholds a worker’s social media rights.
The Center for Investigative Reporting exposes discriminatory hiring practices within the temporary staffing industry; a worker dies in another chemical facility explosion in Houston; a new Amnesty International report links tech giants to child labor; and Amazon is cited for failing to report workplace injuries.
Women in the trucking industry face severe sexual harassment, rape and retaliation; advocates call out chemical giant DuPont on their safety consulting business; home health care workers gain new wage protections; and Texas cities take action on living wages.
New investigative series examines the toll of occupational illness and the lack of federal protections; OSHA steps up its efforts to protect nurses; women janitors face sexual assault and rape risks on the night shift; and IKEA reports that raising wages worked so well, the company is set to raise them again.
Drug Safety
“Alcohol was the weapon of choice for these men”: Peer groups may be key to stopping campus rape
Some men think it’s okay to rape if they do it by getting their victims too drunk to offer much resistance. Can their peers change such behavior by speaking up?