Marketplace All-in-One

With remote work taking on new facets and establishing a greater foothold on society, more companies are cutting down the pay of employees who move to less-costly areas of the country. We unpack some of the questions surrounding remote work and geography-based pay with Peter Cappelli of the Wharton School’s Center for Human Resources. Drew Matus of MetLife Investment Management talks the markets with us as numbers show consumers might be getting a little more excited.

More than 10,000 John Deere workers are on strike to demand better pay and benefits. It’s the latest of a growing list of labor actions, as unions feel emboldened amid a worker shortage. Marketplace’s Nova Safo joins us to talk about it. The Biden administration announced extended, 24/7 hours for the Port of Los Angeles this week, but what will it actually take there to help loosen the kinks in the supply chain? The FDA released guidelines to help Americans reduce their sodium intake.

From the BBC World Service: Italy has brought in one of the strictest COVID passes for workplaces in the world. Employees and employers could face fines if they fail to use the digital passes.

As you have probably heard, or maybe experienced, there is a global shortage of computer chips. And carmakers, in particular, have been feeling the pinch. Without chips, they can’t make cars, which means there have been fewer cars available on the lot, and the ones that are there may not be what people want. This week, the chief operating officer of Hyundai said his company is working on a way to develop its own chips. Not many automakers do that, so it’s a topic for “Quality Assurance,” where we take a second look at a big tech story. Marketplace’s Marielle Segarra speaks with Jessica Caldwell, executive director of insights at the car-shopping site Edmunds.

Historically, barbecue has been a cheap and delicious way to cook meat — principally by Black pitmasters who lived in poverty. Now, ‘cue joints win prestigious awards and can charge top dollar. But a lot of media attention has centered on white cooks, who make up a fraction of pitmasters. Marketplace’s Andy Uhler visited a few Texas barbecue restaurants to look at what some are calling the gentrification of barbecue. We’ll also tackle last week’s jobless claims, hear how the John Deere strike is affecting rural America and examine how climate change is likely to reshape migration.

The more Morgan Curtis learned about the source of her family’s multi-generation wealth — from gold mining, to fossil fuel investment, to slave ownership — the less she wanted anything to do with it. When she started to give away half a million dollars to social justice organizations in her late twenties, her dad told her he may write her out of her future inheritance. In this episode, we hear from them both.

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The former CEO of Safeway and the ex-CFO of Walgreens shared their testimonies of dealing with Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes at her trial this week. We spoke to the reporter who is covering the trial on what the two execs said and what it could mean for the trial going forward. Diane Swonk talks with us about the markets following a not-so-great jobs report and the government’s warning about the cost of keeping homes warm for the winter. The Federal Trade Commission has issued a warning to companies against the use of fake reviews, paid ratings, and deceptive online endorsements.

Developers created about 20,000 new apartment units this year in buildings that used to serve some other purpose. It’s a process called adaptive reuse, and it’s been a big deal in 2021. We take a peek into all the conversion. The upcoming increase in Social Security payments is the biggest it’s been in decades, but what could it mean for seniors? We also examine some of the dynamics behind all that turnover in the restaurant and hospitality industries.

From the BBC World Service: The Turkish lira hit a record low as President Erdogan ordered a new round of dismissals at the country’s central bank, in another row over interest rate policy.

As you’ve probably noticed, your regular host Molly Wood is off the show. She has been creating a new Marketplace podcast called “How We Survive” about tech solutions to the climate crisis. This season is all about batteries. They’re key to getting us off fossil fuels. But most batteries in the world right now need lithium, a metal that’s only obtainable through mining. Marketplace’s Marielle Segarra speaks with Molly Wood about her visit to a lithium mining lab.