Business

Teresa, 31, worked at a pork processing plant in Nebraska for five years until injuries to her shoulder forced her to quit. She still has pain and can only work part-time.

National

Working 'The Chain,' Slaughterhouse Workers Face Lifelong Injuries

11:48am August 11, 2016

by Peggy Lowe

Workers at American slaughterhouses and meat processing plants perform thousands of repetitive motions every day. The work often lead to invisible, yet painful and lasting injuries to their bodies.

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Nathaniel May (under sink) and his crew with Aurora Custom Builders goes through the final check list on a kitchen renovation outside Boston.

There's A Home Renovation Boom, But Good Luck Finding A Contractor

11:01am August 11, 2016

by Chris Arnold

With rising home prices and low interest rates, Americans are spending a record amount of money fixing up their kitchens, bathrooms and man-caves. But a lack of skilled workers is limiting the boom.

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Greta Horner holds a photo of her and her husband Ed taken a few months before he died.

Fines For Meat Industry's Safety Problems Are 'Embarrassingly Low'

9:40am August 11, 2016

by Luke Runyon

Slaughterhouses, while safer than decades ago, are some of the country's most hazardous workplaces. They are fined by the government for safety violations, but those fines may not be big enough.

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Justino DeLeon, 58, stands in front of his home in Pharr, Texas. A former watermelon picker; he retired from farm work when he fell off a melon truck and hurt his arm.

In South Texas, Fair Wages Elude Farmworkers, 50 Years After Historic Strike

9:34am August 11, 2016

by John Burnett

Farmworkers in South Texas marched 200 miles for better wages and working conditions. But the strike ultimately failed, and workers today face the same problem: growers who systematically underpay.

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Economy

Retired Professor Tries To Teach Robots To Sew Clothes

7:58am August 11, 2016

by Jacob Goldstein

Atlanta company SoftWear is trying to create a robot that can sew. If the project succeeds, it could have a huge effect on the global economy, and clothing manufacturing could return to the U.S.

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Rep. Dingell Presses Clinton To Talk More About Trade Issues

7:58am August 11, 2016

Hillary Clinton addresses the economy in a speech on Thursday. Steve Inskeep talks to Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell, who represents Michigan's12th district, who says trade is a big issue there.

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China Angered By Britain's Delay In Approving Nuclear Power Deal

6:17am August 11, 2016

China warns Britain to stop delaying a nuclear power plant deal, which it says could cost the country future Chinese investment. Britain's new prime minister wants to examine the project.

A robot arm at a Nissan assembly plant in Brazil.

Presidential Campaigns Are Talking Around The Robot In The Room

4:49pm August 10, 2016

by Marilyn Geewax

Candidates are talking about taxes and trade, but not about the tsunami: the massive wave of automation that will transform the workplace.

Slaughterhouses Often Face Meager Safety Violations, Critics Say

4:28pm August 10, 2016

by Luke Runyon

Hundreds of thousands of people go to work each day preparing the beef, pork and poultry that ends up on our dinner tables. Their workplace is among the most hazardous in the country. Slaughterhouses — while safer than they were decades ago — can exact a steep price from workers. As it tries to enforce safety rules, the government fines the businesses for violations, but one former official calls those fines ineffective and "embarrassingly low."

Economy

Oil #1: We Buy Oil

3:16pm August 10, 2016

We're getting into the oil business. We go to Kansas, and negotiate with a preacher to buy 100 barrels of crude.

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