Michelle Chen

Contributing Writer

@meeshellchen

Michelle Chen is a contributing writer for The Nation.

Is the Tide Turning Against Water Privatization?

Is the Tide Turning Against Water Privatization? Is the Tide Turning Against Water Privatization?

You can’t squeeze clean water out of dirty business.

Apr 27, 2015 / Michelle Chen

The Mediterranean Migrant Crisis Can’t Be Solved With Gunships

The Mediterranean Migrant Crisis Can’t Be Solved With Gunships The Mediterranean Migrant Crisis Can’t Be Solved With Gunships

The devastating migrant boat wreck in the Mediterranean reveals the failure of the EU's refugee policy.  

Apr 24, 2015 / Michelle Chen

Federal Contract Workers Just Went on Strike in DC

Federal Contract Workers Just Went on Strike in DC Federal Contract Workers Just Went on Strike in DC

The low wages the government pays its army of contract workers is exacerbating precarity in the labor force as a whole.

Apr 22, 2015 / Michelle Chen

Would You Rather Grow Old at Home With Your Family or Alone in a Nursing Home?

Would You Rather Grow Old at Home With Your Family or Alone in a Nursing Home? Would You Rather Grow Old at Home With Your Family or Alone in a Nursing Home?

How Ai-jen Poo’s radical vision for caregiving could remake our economy along more humane lines.

Apr 22, 2015 / Michelle Chen and Sarah Jaffe

New York City Just Outlawed Running Credit Checks on Job Applicants

New York City Just Outlawed Running Credit Checks on Job Applicants New York City Just Outlawed Running Credit Checks on Job Applicants

Why that’s a big win for the poor, people of color, and economic justice in general.

Apr 20, 2015 / Michelle Chen

McDonald's protesters fight for 15

Yesterday’s #FightFor15 Protests Were Big—and the Movement Is Only Growing Yesterday’s #FightFor15 Protests Were Big—and the Movement Is Only Growing

Yesterday’s strikers ranged from retail and fast food workers to adjuncts and caregivers—all those ousted from the 1 percent economy.

Apr 16, 2015 / Michelle Chen

If You Quit Your Job to Care For a Loved One, You Could Qualify for Unemployment

If You Quit Your Job to Care For a Loved One, You Could Qualify for Unemployment If You Quit Your Job to Care For a Loved One, You Could Qualify for Unemployment

But more often than not, states are preventing workers from securing unemployment benefits.

Apr 14, 2015 / Michelle Chen

Can Labor Bring Wall Street Back to Main Street?

Can Labor Bring Wall Street Back to Main Street? Can Labor Bring Wall Street Back to Main Street?

Wells Fargo workers are protesting the bank’s predatory practices.

Apr 13, 2015 / Michelle Chen

Are These Strikes a Sign of Growing Militancy Among China’s Workers?

Are These Strikes a Sign of Growing Militancy Among China’s Workers? Are These Strikes a Sign of Growing Militancy Among China’s Workers?

Workers’ willingness to take direct action could stem from a recognition that the golden era of Chinese manufacturing is on the wane.

Apr 9, 2015 / Michelle Chen

The Absurdly Rational Logic of Wages for Wives

The Absurdly Rational Logic of Wages for Wives The Absurdly Rational Logic of Wages for Wives

A radical re-evaluation of caregiving work—proposed in The Nation in 1926—is still potent today.

Apr 7, 2015 / Michelle Chen

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