Michael Grabell
The Corporations Trying to Ditch Workers' Comp
An Oklahoma commission ruled that a state law allowing companies to "opt out" of workers' comp and write their own plans was unconstitutional while similar bills in other states lose steam.
A Wild Night at the Workers' Compensation Expo
Hummer limos, go-go dancers, a live alligator, and glowing aliens in spandex can all be found at the national workers’ comp and disability expo. Journey into the little-known workers’ comp industrial complex.
The Destruction of Workers' Compensation
Over the past 25 years, the giant meatpacking company Tyson Foods has taken a lead in pushing for changes in workers’ comp in state after state—often to the detriment of workers.
What Is the NYPD Using Unmarked X-Ray Vans for?
The NYPD has a secretive program that uses unmarked vans with X-ray machines designed to detect bombs. ProPublica tried to find out more about it, but the NYPD refused to answer for three years. Now, a judge has stepped in.
A Bill to Protect Temp Workers
The bill will hold companies accountable for labor abuses by temp agencies and subcontractors they use.
Do States Need to Do More to Protect Temp Workers?
A California bill would hold companies legally responsible for wage and safety violations committed by their subcontractors and temp agencies.
Permanently Temporary: The Truth About Temp Work in America
Today’s blue-collar temp laborers face abuses similar to those of migrant farmworkers depicted in the iconic 1960 CBS documentary Harvest of Shame.
Why Isn't the Test That Saved My Baby Required for Every Newborn?
Dozens of babies die every year because hospitals do not perform a simple test that detects congenital heart defects. Seventeen states have yet to require the exam for newborns.
The Expendables: How the Temps Who Power Corporate Giants Are Getting Crushed
America is now dotted with “temp towns”—places where it’s difficult to find blue-collar work except through a temp agency and where workers often suffer lost wages, no benefits, and high injury rates.
Were Your Clothes Made in a Bangladeshi Factory?
After the deadly building collapse in Bangladesh, Walmart released a list of factories it had banned. But it has continued receiving shipments from two of them.