Category: Economy
Intuit will pay millions to customers tricked into paying for TurboTax
State attorneys general just reached a $141 million settlement with the Silicon Valley juggernaut. Victims will receive up to $90 each. by Justin Elliott, ProPublica May 5, 2022 ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Millions…
‘The fight has just begun’: Amazon Labor Union
The loss came on the heels of a landmark vote at a separate Amazon facility in Staten Island which formed the company’s first-ever union in the United States. by Andrea Germanos, Common Dreams Tuesday, May 3,…
How your shadow credit score could decide whether you get an apartment
The vast tenant screening industry is subject to less regulation than credit scoring agencies, even though experts warn that algorithms could introduce racial or other illegal biases that can prevent people from getting housing. by Erin…
Senate GOP Agenda Would Hike Taxes on Poorest 40% by Average of $1,000
By contrast, the plan unveiled by Republican Sen. Rick Scott would not increase taxes on the top 1% by a single penny. by Jake Johnson, Common Dreams Monday, March 7, 2022 The policy agenda that Republican…
In San Francisco, hundreds of homes sit vacant
In spite of a growing Department of Homelessness with an annual budget of $598 million, eligible people still wait months or even years after being approved for assisted housing. Meanwhile, hundreds of units remain unused. by…
Tlaib, Jones bill could cut US child poverty 2/3
“With the Senate failing to extend the CTC, we must do more to protect our young people,” said Rep. Mondaire Jones. “By creating a universal, monthly child allowance, the End Child Poverty Act will do exactly…
Restaurant owners got 30 times more federal Covid aid than workers
“If the subminimum wage for tipped workers persists, the restaurant industry is unlikely to recover from its growing labor crisis, regardless of how much money the federal government hands out to business owners.” by Kenny Stancil,…
Reno Seeks to purchase motels as affordable housing instead of letting developers demolish them
The mayor of Reno did little to stop the razing of motels that housed low-income residents or to replace lost units. Following a ProPublica investigation, that may change. by Anjeanette Damon For more than…
Vicious circle: Tribal broadband program hindered by lack of broadband
by Camila Pedrosa, Cronkite News January 20, 2022 Washington – Tribal advocates told a Senate panel this week the federal government’s effort to fund expanded broadband infrastructure in Indian Country overlooked a fundamental issue. Many tribes did…
Lessons in Starbucks rising
by Wade Rathke January 14, 2022 Marble Falls You have to keep these things in perspective of course. Winning union elections in two of Starbucks 9000 stores is not exactly an example of…
‘Can’t afford’ Build Back Better? US billionaires saw $1 trillion wealth boom in 2021 alone
A new analysis shows that Sen. Ron Wyden’s proposed tax on billionaires “would be more than enough to cover the expansion of the child tax credit in the Build Back Better Act.” by Jake Johnson, Common…
Forget Manchin. Sanders says entire Democratic Party must show ‘guts’ against corporate interests
The focus of the party, says the Vermont senator, must be “to restore faith with the American people that they actually stand for something.” by Andrea Germanos, Common Dreams December 22, 2021 Stressing a need to…
UMW coal miners’ union rebukes Manchin for effort to kill Build Back Better
“Manchin has lost the coal miners with this latest betrayal,” said one labor reporter. by Julia Conley, Common Dreams Tuesday, December 21, 2021 The push for passage of the Build Back Better Act got a…
Amid deadly tornado, texts show Amazon threatened to fire driver if packages not delivered
“I’m literally stuck in this damn van without a safe place to go with a tornado on the ground!” by Kenny Stancil, Common Dreams Friday, December 17, 2021 More damning information about last week’s deadly workplace…
Starbucks union drive spreads to Mass, Ariz,
‘Next!’ “We want the company to succeed,” organizers of the Mesa unionization effort said, “and we want our work lives to be the best they can be.” by Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams Friday, December 17, 2021…
Build Back Better verges on collapse as Manchin attempts to kill child tax credit
“Put the bill on the floor and make him explain that he voted it down because he wanted to cut all of the money for families with children,” suggested one progressive commentator. by Jake Johnson, Common…
All-cash companies. Too good to be true?
Even if these companies are not intrinsically predatory, their play for the most part seems to be using their databases to get around the exorbitant real estate agent, appraisal, and closing fees, and I suspect collect…
Sinema targeted over tax break for rich
“It’s time for her to decide who she works for: Arizonans, or private equity billionaires.” by Jake Johnson, Common Dreams Tuesday, December 7, 2021 A group of wealthy investors and business leaders who support progressive…
Utah makes welfare so hard to get, some feel they must join the LDS church to get aid
Utah’s safety net for the poor is so intertwined with the LDS Church that individual bishops often decide who receives assistance. Some deny help unless a person goes to services or gets baptized. by Eli Hager,…
As executives hike prices, US corporations rake in biggest profits since 1950
“Prices are high,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown, “because corporations are raising them—so they can keep paying themselves with ever-larger executive bonuses and stock buybacks.” by Jake Johnson, Common Dreams November 30, 2021 New data released by…
Suspicious of fixes for affordable housing and health care
by Wade Rathke November 19, 2021 New Orleans A headline that promises to offer a “fix” for those of us who want affordable housing and healthcare has to rate as a “must read” in my…
The celebrity-backed green “Fintech” company that isn’t as green as it seems
Aspiration is among a group of companies that provide banking and financial services, and promise to help the environment. But so far its marketing is greener than its reality. by Carson Kessler November 17, 2021 You…
Manchin leads charge against Biden’s electric vehicle tax credit
“Manchin thinks being pro-labor is un-American.” by Julia Colney, Common Dreams Monday, November 15, 2021 Advocates for both workers’ rights and climate policy are condemning Sen. Joe Manchin’s latest statements opposing provisions in the Build Back…
Reno developer plans to demolish motel that serves as housing lifeline
Jeffrey Jacobs has been buying and demolishing Reno motels for years. He promises the low-income tenants who live there he’ll find them a better place. Displaced residents of the Castaway Inn paint a fuller picture of…
