Rick Wartzman
Fast Company
Los Angeles, CA, United States
Contact Rick
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Rick:
Walmart’s increased starting pay is a good start but still not enough. Here’s why
Under CEO Doug McMillon, the retail giant has hiked pay multiple times, and yet many workers still don’t make a real living wage. → Read More
Despite recent pay hikes, many American workers are still a long way from a living wage
Even at the current rate of pay increases, it would take a full 10 years for a worker in the 20th percentile of the wage distribution to earn a living wage of $20 an hour. → Read More
Are you being paid enough to live on? This new tool will tell you
‘For US,’ the tool of a new nonprofit, is designed to help businesses across the country determine if their salaries are actually living wages. → Read More
Commentary: Which big companies really treat their workers well? California aims to keep score
By certifying 'high-road employers' based on 18 metrics, and giving preferences to high scorers, the state hopes to raise the bar. → Read More
“We were shocked”: RAND study uncovers massive income shift to the top 1%
The median worker should be making as much as $102,000 annually—if some $2.5 trillion wasn’t being “reverse distributed” every year away from the working class. → Read More
New proposal to steer nation through COVID-19 crisis would give a voice to frontline workers
Today, scholars from Harvard Law School’s Clean Slate for Worker Power project and the Roosevelt Institute unveil a plan that channels the indignation—and expertise—of those who are underpaid while taking on the risks during this perilous time. → Read More
Big business has pledged to not always put shareholders first. The coronavirus will test that promise.
As a brutal recession takes hold and the crisis spurs new business practices, will companies really look out for their workers’ interests? → Read More
‘Just Mercy,’ the new Michael B. Jordan drama, wants to spark a criminal justice revolution
The creators of the movie, which recounts the struggles and triumphs of attorney Bryan Stevenson, have put together a $10 million social action campaign called Represent Justice to change hearts and minds in support of criminal justice reform. → Read More
‘Just Mercy,’ the new Michael B. Jordan drama, wants to spark a criminal justice revolution
The creators of the movie, which recounts the struggles and triumphs of attorney Bryan Stevenson, have put together a $10 million social action campaign called Represent Justice to change hearts and minds in support of criminal justice reform. → Read More
America’s top CEOs say they are no longer putting shareholders before everyone else
In a monumental step toward setting broader standards for corporate leadership, the lobbying group Business Roundtable is endorsing stakeholder capitalism. Is it achievable? → Read More
America’s top CEOs say they are no longer putting shareholders before everyone else
In a monumental step toward setting broader standards for corporate leadership, the lobbying group Business Roundtable is endorsing stakeholder capitalism. Is it achievable? → Read More
Fox in the hen house? Why Trump’s latest appointment has labor advocates so alarmed
Despite a long career as a corporate lawyer, Eugene Scalia was tapped to head the Labor Department, raising concerns about whether he’s able to prioritize the interests of working Americans. → Read More
Facebook cofounder Chris Hughes has a $2.5 trillion plan to lift up the working class
Hughes, who made waves with his call to break up the company, helps lead the Economic Security Project, which is building support for boosting tax credits for working people. → Read More
Facebook cofounder Chris Hughes has a $2.5 trillion plan to lift up the working class
Hughes, who made waves with his call to break up the company, helps lead the Economic Security Project, which is building support for boosting tax credits for working people. → Read More
Workplace tracking is growing fast. Most workers don’t seem very concerned
While the specter of employers widely abusing workers’ privacy looms large, it doesn’t appear to be much of a real issue in most offices, factories, and shops across the country. → Read More
Workplace tracking is growing fast. Most workers don’t seem very concerned
While the specter of employers widely abusing workers’ privacy looms large, it doesn’t appear to be much of a real issue in most offices, factories, and shops across the country. → Read More
New study shows what your community needs to do to survive the impact of automation
Every state requires multiple sets of strategies, per this analysis by Walmart. → Read More
When it comes to investment giants furthering social good, many see a disconnect between words and action
BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard control an enormous share of the S&P 500, giving them unprecedented clout. And yet they rarely use all their power to push companies on the world’s biggest challenges. → Read More
These high schoolers visited the heartland and re-imagined America’s future
I traveled with 19 high school students to study the fall of industrial America and to remake Diego Rivera’s Industry Murals. → Read More
To B or not to B? That’s the question for companies who seek to “balance profit and purpose”
With the proliferation of B Corps–those 2,600 companies certified for meeting the highest environmental and social standards–some are questioning whether this model could actually be counterproductive to business having a positive impact overall. → Read More