Esther Yoon-Ji Kang, Author at Marketplace

When Foxtrot and Dom's grocery stores closed, local vendors were left scrambling

by Esther Yoon-Ji Kang

May 21, 2024

Hundreds of vendors were caught off guard when Outfox Hospitality abruptly shut down stores in Illinois, Texas and the Washington, D.C., area.

Justin Doggett, owner of cold brew company Kyoto Black, fills a pouch with coffee. Doggett is one of dozens of local vendors affected by the closings of Foxtrot and Dom's stores in late April.

Esther Yoon-Ji Kang

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After fleeing violence, many Venezuelan migrants seek work but lack permits

by Esther Yoon-Ji Kang

Nov 21, 2023

Some have temporary protected status, but work permits can take time. Those who arrived after July 31 can’t work legally.

Venezuelan migrants sign in at a refugee job fair in Chicago. But attendees who arrived in the U.S. after July 31 could not apply for jobs.

Esther Yoon-Ji Kang/WBEZ

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Want to make friends from a different economic class? Try your local Applebee’s

by Esther Yoon-Ji Kang

Oct 20, 2023

Full-service chain restaurants attract people from different income brackets and represent a way to break down class barriers, research shows.

James Williams enjoys a lunch date with his wife at an Applebee's near Chicago. A recent working paper titled "Rubbing Shoulders" says chain restaurants are among a handful of places in the U.S. where people from high-income and low-income neighborhoods encounter one another.

Esther Yoon-Ji Kang/WBEZ

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In some cities, domestic workers are entitled to contracts. Many never get one.

by Esther Yoon-Ji Kang

Sep 25, 2023

In Chicago and other cities, contracts outlining pay and scheduling are mandated for domestic workers. Why won’t some employers sign them?

House cleaner Magdalena Mrowca loads her vacuum into her car. A Chicago ordinance requires written contracts for such workers, which is meant to protect them and professionalize a devalued industry, advocates say.

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Manufacturing needs workers. Chicago has plenty. Where’s the disconnect?

by Esther Yoon-Ji Kang

Dec 11, 2019

A high rate of unemployment persists in some parts of Chicago, despite a worker shortage in manufacturing.

Production supervisor David Casarrubias monitors a fabric-cutting machine at Freedman Seating company in Chicago.

Esther Yoon-Ji Kang

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Esther Yoon-Ji Kang

Latest Stories (5)

When Foxtrot and Dom's grocery stores closed, local vendors were left scrambling

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After fleeing violence, many Venezuelan migrants seek work but lack permits

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Want to make friends from a different economic class? Try your local Applebee’s

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In some cities, domestic workers are entitled to contracts. Many never get one.

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Manufacturing needs workers. Chicago has plenty. Where’s the disconnect?

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Esther Yoon-Ji Kang

Latest Stories (5)

When Foxtrot and Dom's grocery stores closed, local vendors were left scrambling

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After fleeing violence, many Venezuelan migrants seek work but lack permits

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Want to make friends from a different economic class? Try your local Applebee’s

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In some cities, domestic workers are entitled to contracts. Many never get one.

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Manufacturing needs workers. Chicago has plenty. Where’s the disconnect?

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