This week on Economic Update, Prof. Wolff delivers updates on a New Zealand firm that succeeds with a 4 day work week, Vienna's public housing successes, Fordham adjuncts' union wins big, Burberry destroys millions of dollars worth of unsold product, precarious U.S. jobs worsen alcoholism among young and U.S. airlines raises profits by shrinking bathroom space.
In the second half of the show, Prof. Wolff interviews Cheryl Claude, a former Toys ‘R Us manager and organizer Charles Khan on the collapse of Toys ‘R Us.
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Cheryl Claude is an assistant manager at Toys R Us in Woodbridge, NJ. She has been with the company for 33 years and is one of thousands of Toys R Us employees not receiving severance after her store closes. Cheryl is helping lead the movement for severance pay for 33,000 laid off employees of the company. This movement, backed by Rise Up Retail, also calls for greater accountability of the Wall Street private equity firms, Bain Capital and KKR, that are responsible for the bankruptcy and liquidation.
Charles Khan is the Organizing Director at the Strong Economy For All Coalition, a Coalition of Labor Unions and Community groups focusing on legislative driven campaigns to fight for economic equality, equal funding of public schools, and corporate accountability in New York State. He specializes in campaign logistics, popular education, coalition building, direct action and grasstops organizing. He is a leader with the Hedge Clippers, a national organization dedicated to shining a light on the damage that private equity and hedge funds have on our communities and making sure they are held accountable. He is also an activist with BYP100. He has worked to advance a range of issues from Healthcare, to fighting the prison industrial complex, to the Fight For $15 and The Tax March.