KCRW
Karen Foshay is an investigative reporter with KCRW. She is a former senior producer at Al Jazeera America. Before joining Al Jazeera America, she was a producer for PBS, NBC and CBS and KPCC. She has been honored with more than 30 journalism awards, including two DuPont-Columbia silver batons, a George Foster Peabody and a Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism.
Cancer, Monsanto and the EPA RoundUp is the most popular weed killer in the world, and lately the most controversial. Millions of gallons of it are sprayed on playgrounds, farms and backyards all over California.
Cancer, Monsanto and the EPA RoundUp is the most popular weed killer in the world, and lately the most controversial. Millions of gallons of it are sprayed on playgrounds, farms and backyards all over California.
Anxiety and fear in a tiny town Immigrant communities across California have been rattled by news of increased raids and detainments by the Trump administration. In Arvin, an agricultural town near Bakersfield, the fear is particularly intense. Locals there say everyday life is all about hiding in plain sight. Karen Foshay reports.
The future of work: Injured and on your own More and more workers are employed in the so-called "gig economy" - as temp workers, part timers or independent contractors. But how many of them know what’s at stake when they get injured on the job?
The gig economy grows up We are fast becoming a nation of freelancers, temps and on-call hired help. In 2015 nearly 16% of workers had freelance jobs, a 10% jump from a decade ago. In fact, all of the net employment growth between 2005 and 2015 came from what's now referred to as the sharing or gig economy. Nearly a third of American workers have some kind of non-traditional gig, and by 2025 freelancers could make up half the workforce. This seismic shift away from 9-to-5 employment offers freedom and flexibility, but it comes with a steep price: few benefits, low wages, and little protection for the older workers who are increasingly drawn to the hustle. As the gig economy grows, will labor policy and protections keep up? We talk about the winners and losers in a world where more people are their own boss.
The future of work The nature of work is changing with serious long lasting consequences for both employers and workers.
Independent contractors signal the future of work Some years ago, 55-year-old Steve Chermock closed his furniture business due to injuries. He recently signed up to drive for Uber and Lyft, but there are no benefits like health insurance or worker’s comp. Temporary work without benefits accounted for all net job growth from 2005 to 2015, and most of those jobs went to the middle aged.
Workers at sea face ‘troubled waters’ with few protections Every day, giant cargo ships carrying millions of dollars in goods and hulking cruiseliners come and go from LA’s ports. With those ships come hundreds of seaworkers. Their jobs are not glamorous, in fact, they’re often extremely dangerous. Injuries and even death aren’t uncommon at sea. A KCRW investigation found that seaworkers have little recourse when things go wrong and often lack the most basic legal rights and protections. KCRW’s Karen Foshay reported this in a two-part series called “ Troubled Waters .”
Troubled waters: The secret world of arbitration Imagine losing a limb, going blind or almost dying on the job. And then imagine not being able to hold those responsible accountable. Welcome to the largely secret world of arbitration. It’s routinely used by companies worldwide to keep injured workers out of courts and out of the public eye.
Troubled waters: The secret world of arbitration Imagine losing a limb, going blind or almost dying on the job. And then imagine not being able to hold those responsible accountable. Welcome to the largely secret world of arbitration. It’s routinely used by companies worldwide to keep injured workers out of courts and out of the public eye.
Troubled waters: Low wages on the high seas Seafarers move millions of people and billions of goods around the world every year. It’s always been a dangerous profession, and that’s why it’s had global protections for hundreds of years. But some of those are unraveling thanks to a private system of justice that some say is anything but just.
Burned: Trafficking At only nine years old, "Diana" struggled under the weight of heavy food trays at a local pupusería in Pacoima. Often thought to be a relative working for family, Diana was in fact a victim of child labor trafficking. Purchased by a family friend for $10,000, she was smuggled into the US from El Salvador.
Burned: Getting away with it Maria Vazquez worked as everything from cook to accountant at her long-time fast food job on Crenshaw. Single and a mother to six, she worked long days without overtime pay. For over eight years, Vazquez endured, even in the face of continual sexual assault.
Burned: You're fired! When two unsolicited visitors showed up at Rafael Rosales' home, they passed on a message, this time they were nice but next time wouldn't be so pleasant. Captured on video by Rosales' nephew, the unwelcome men weren't collecting on a debt, they were threatening Rosales because he sought to collect on his.
Burned: Injuries on the Job Restaurant kitchens are full of knives, ovens, and pots of boiling water. The federal government reports tens of thousands of workers are injured in the kitchen every year. A cop or a teacher might file a workers comp claim. But often, that's not how it works for dishwashers and cooks, and injuries can go unreported for fear of being fired.
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?