Economy

March 23, 2015 - The fast-food chain has refused to join the Fair Food Program, which promotes more humane labor standards for Florida's tomato pickers.

March 23, 2015 - In its bid to become the world's largest auto manufacturer, VW is trying to out-Toyota Toyota. Its Chattanooga plant provides a window into the state of the art of brutal productivity-maximizing "lean management" schemes.

March 4, 2015 - In sprawling metros of the South, residential segregation influences school quality, housing options, and transportation, and a disconnect often exists between low- and moderate-income neighborhoods and the location of good jobs.

February 26, 2015 - A strike among oil refinery workers continues into the fourth week as negotiations continue. The strike was sparked by concerns over safety standards.

February 20, 2015 - This week Walmart announced it would boost starting wages for employees to $10 an hour by next February. Some view the modest increase as a victory for workers' organizing efforts -- but others see it as an attempt to deflect the growing movement for a more substantial wage hike.

February 20, 2015 - While governors in the Southeast are pushing for offshore oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic, elected officials in other East Coast states are fighting the proposal, saying the potential cost is too great.

February 10, 2015 - In a new report, "Tar Heel Power Brokers," Facing South/Institute for Southern Studies ranks the top 101 most influential special interests in North Carolina politics through a combination of lobbying power and political spending in N.C. state-level elections. These four interactive graphics tell the story of these power brokers' influence in state government.