Oct 1, 2024

Automation on the waterfront

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Today: What's behind the longshoremen's strike and how truckers will take a hit. Also: Swedish candy goes viral.

Segments From this episode

At issue in the longshoremen's strike: How much automation is appropriate at ports?

by Matt Levin

Oct 1, 2024

Automation at U.S. ports on the East and Gulf Coasts tends to lag behind that at the West Coast, Asian and European ports.

Around 80 longshoremen striking in the rain at the Port of Baltimore on Oct. 1. Baltimore is the farthest inland port on the east coast, and is known for importing cars, farm equipment, gypsum, and sugar.

Stephanie Hughes/Marketplace

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Port strike stalls truckers as well as deliveries

by Elizabeth Trovall

Oct 1, 2024

Drivers are seeking alternate income sources as their regular work grinds to a halt. Some are doing maintenance on their vehicles.

The longshoremen's work stoppage has idled legions of trucks that haul goods to and from U.S. ports.

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

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August JOLTS signals cooler jobs market. That's not bad news

by Caleigh Wells

Oct 1, 2024

The market is coming down from a hiring boom that wasn’t exactly sustainable.

Fewer people are leaving their jobs, according to latest JOLTS data.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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Taller, slicker data centers could be the future

by Kai Ryssdal and Sofia Terenzio

Oct 1, 2024

Data centers are getting taller and slicker as they move closer to urban and suburban areas.

A construction crew works on a CloudHQ data center in Ashburn, Virginia.

Nathan Howard/Getty Images

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Why you can buy the same product at different retailers for vastly different prices

by Stephanie Hughes

Oct 1, 2024

When a retailer buys a product from a manufacturer as is and slaps its own label and price tag on it, the practice is called white labelling.

White labeling is "more common than you think it is," says retail trend analyst Natalie Kotlyar with BDO.

Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

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My Economy

Sweetish candy shop got an unexpected boost from a viral TikTok post

by Aleezeh Hasan and Sarah Leeson

Oct 1, 2024

Tyler Graybeal, owner of a Swedish-style store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, says keeping up with demand was difficult at first.

Attention from a viral TikTok video meant Sweetish orders went from tens a day to thousands.

Nicolas Maeterlinck/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

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Music from the episode

"The Vice Yard" Orgone

"Social Insecurity" Oddissee

"Tape Machine" STRFCKER

"black coffee" Elijah Who

The team

Nancy Farghalli Executive Producer

Maria Hollenhorst Producer II

Andie Corban Producer I

Sarah Leeson Producer I

Sean McHenry Director & Associate Producer II

Sofia Terenzio Associate Producer I

Jordan Mangi Assistant Digital Producer

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