By: Zoe Denckla With all the parades, barbecues and back-to-school sales, it's easy to look past the purpose of this holiday weekend. So why is Labor Day Labor Day? As a response to poor working conditions including long days, little pay, and hazardous environments, on September 5th, 1882, members of the central labor union skipped work and took to the streets to demand better. By 1894, this became a national holiday recognizing workers' contributions to America’s economic strength and achievement.

Join us for a conversation with Margaret Nyamumbo, founder of Kahawa 1893. Margaret is a third generation coffee farmer and grew up on a farm in Kenya before immigrating to the USA.

This episode is part of a special series in collaboration with Gastronomica: The Journal for Food Studies  hosted by Gastronomica editorial collective member Paula Johnson.

Hello friends. This week we welcome our dear friend, Mary Beth White.

Hay dos versiones de esta historia, una en inglés y una en español. You can find the english version in the Meat and Three episode on unions. 

In honor of May Day (celebrated world-wide on May 1st), we bring you four stories about workers organizing and unionizing around the country. First, we’ll start in our own backyard: New York City.

It’s the final episode of our series on global trade, and we’ve got our eyes set on the future.

Tom Philpott of Mother Jones discusses his recent story about Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia and how he has steered the industry away from safety for workers.

Tom Philpott of Mother Jones discusses his recent story about Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia and how he has steered the industry away from safety for workers.  

A conversation with Lori Flores.