The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "U.S. Labor Department" ...
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"Human Trafficking in America"
In this series, Kansas City Star reporters find that the U.S. is way behind in its efforts to squash human trafficking. If found, many victims are denied assistance and sometimes deported, placing them right back in harms way. Reporters also find that U.S. authorities, despite spending millions of dollars, have only located a small portion of the victims they estimate to be here.
Tags: U.S. Department of Labor; Coaltion to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking; Giant Labor Solutions; slavery; Border Patrol; Office of Alien Smuggling Interdiction
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Betrayed
A former health inspector and environmental health specialist is now permanently disabled because of his exposure to toxic mold at his workplace, the Southern Nevada Health District's Environmental Health Wing, and he's not the only worker affected. Although his employer knew the problem existed (and was serious, as they are the agency that investigates and shuts down mold-infected sites) they fought correcting the situation, refused to re-locate infected workers, and contested their disability claims.
Tags: Mold; Air quality; Southern Nevada Health District; Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies at UNLV; rashes; Keck School of Medicine Environmental Sciences Laboratory at USC; Public Employees Retirement System of Nevada; U.S. Department of Labor Family and Medical Leave Act; Dan Pauluk; Apergillus; Stachybotrys; Yellow Rain; Aflatoxin; Saddam Hussein; Biological Weapons
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Wrongdoing in Wilmer-Hutchins
Using a hidden camera and the unpaid help of a mold remediation expert, reporters at KDFW exposed severe problems with the Wilmer-Hutchins district high school. News cameras also caught the district using illegal immigrants instead of mold remediation specialists to repair building problems. The investigation also lead to the discovery of mismanagement and fraud in the school district's leadership and its financial records. As a result of this report, a state education agency audit followed, along with investigations by the FBI, IRS, U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour division, and the Federal Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Throughout the investigation, district officials denied any wrongdoing, refused to hand over documents, and were eventually charged with tampering with evidence in the federal investigations.
Tags: standardized testing; bonds; mismanagement of funds; Wilmer-Hutchins school district
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Dying to work
This story looks at the high number of Mexican-born workers that get killed working in heavy industries. The story focuses on Mexican workers that have fatal accidents almost four times more as compared to American workers. As the reporters found out many of these deaths was mainly due to the fact the Mexicans did not speak English or did not go into treatment since they were illegally in the country.
Tags: Mexican immigrants; illegal immigrants; cheap labor; Mexican workers; OSHA; U.S. Department of Labor; worker death rates
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Opportunity of Exploitation?
These stories deal with how a company, Maxi Staff Inc., used promises of good pay, great housing and the chance to escape poverty and high unemployment to recruit laborers for Puerto Rico to work in U.S. meat processing plants. The stories revealed how, once they were in the United States, the laborers' dreams turned to dust and they found themselves in an unfavorable economic situation. The company charged recruits for the recruits' flights to the U.S. They were put in substandard and unsanitary housing. Workers made less money than they had originally been told, often making less than $100 for a 40-hour week. Recruits who fell ill or got injured on the job were fired and evicted from their housing with 48 hours notice.
Tags: Maxi Staff Inc.; poverty; unemployment; Puerto Rican Laborers; U.S. meat processing plants; U.S. Department of Labor; Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration; Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources; Ronell Industries; Empire Kosher; Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry; Catholic Social Services; Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations; Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church; U.S. Department of Labor's Employment Standards Administration Wage and Hour Division; OSHA; Puerto Rican recruits; Pennsylvania Statewide Latino Coalition
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Labor's front lines
The story tells the struggles of workers in Chicago -many of them Latinos-, a struggle to become unionized and have access to better salaries and working conditions. Franklin explains the unions have lost a great part of the power and influence they had in the 1950's. In the struggle to gain power and influence back, Chicago is a key city because it is "an old-time labor town." In the story, Franklin introduces several leaders of the new union movement, Margarita Klein, Joe Romano, Kina McAfee, Joe Isobaker and Javier Ramirez.
Tags: Jewish Workers Committee; National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice; DePaul University Students Against Sweatshops; Union of Needle and Textile Employees; National Production Workers Union Food and Commercial Workers Union; United Steelworkers of America; American Federation of Labor; U.S. Justice Department; Chicago and North Illinois District Council of Carpenters; Northwestern University; University of Illinois; Service Employees International Union
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ALJ Faces Bar Complaint on Theft Allegation
The Legal Times reports on the case of Daniel Slattery Jr., a new administrative law judge in the U.S. Department of Labor who faces a formal complaint by the D.C. Office of Bar Counsel. Bar counsel alleges that he stole more than $10,000 from an Irish social group called the Ancient Order of Hibernians in America Inc. The story examines the role administrative law judges play in the legal system.
Tags: administrative law judge; legal; government; justice system; U.S. Department of Labor; Office of Bar Counsel
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ULLICO Labor Movement Stock Scandal Coverage: Global Crossing: Labor's Questionable Windfall; A Black Eye for Labor; Labor Chieftans' Secret Stock Deal
This is a collection of three articles that exposed a major scandal in the U.S. labor movement, involving union leaders who made hundreds of thousands of dollars by manipulating the purchase and sale of stock in ULLICO, Union Labor Life Insurance Co.
Tags: Global Crossing; labor; union leaders; ULLICO; Union Labor Life Insurance Co.; Labor Department; labor unions
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Boon or Bonndoggle? Visa Programs hurt U.S. Workers, foster abuse
The Star investigates America's two largest worker visa programs, both designed to bring skilled workers to the US, and reports on a system riddled with fraud and abuse. McGraw also examines the issue of top US jobs--particularly in the hard sciences--going to foreign workers.
Tags: Immigrants; Labor; Visas; INS; H-1B program; Permanent Alien Certification program; Labor Department; foreign-born professionals; Mastech; foreign students; engineering; physical sciences
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Made in the USA
A three-month investigation by U.S. News & World Report found that as many as half of all women's garments made in America are produced in whole or in part by factories paying less than minimum wage, flout federal safety laws and require workers to spend 60 hours or more at their sewing machines per week.
Tags: Immigrants; sweatshops; garment workers; federal labor laws; child labor; U.S. Labor Department; contractor; apparel industry