Yuki Noguchi

Housing-Market Watchers Edgy As Mortgage Rates Keep Climbing

Yuki Noguchi — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 21:06:00 +0000

Mortgage rates have seen a relatively sharp rise this month. The average 30-year fixed-rate loan hit 4 percent earlier in June — a big jump from the record lows of recent years. Some investors are now concerned that the housing recovery could be stifled if rates continue to rise quickly.

The Federal Reserve has two main missions: to maximize employment and minimize inflation.

50 Years After The Equal Pay Act, Gender Wage Gap Endures

Yuki Noguchi — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 06:56:00 +0000

On this day 50 years ago, President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act in an effort to abolish wage discrimination based on gender. Half a century later, the Obama administration is pushing Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, designed to make wage differences more transparent.

Some dispute the frequently cited figure that women are paid 77 cents for every dollar a man earns.

JPMorgan Shareholders Consider Splitting CEO, Chairman Jobs

Yuki Noguchi — Tue, 21 May 2013 08:22:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

JPMorgan Chase holds its annual shareholder meeting today in Tampa, Florida, and the shareholders will vote on a key measure: a proposal to strip the CEO, Jamie Dimon, of his other title, chairman of the board. A growing number of companies have split the CEO and chairman roles.

Shareholder activists and corporate governance experts say having a balance of power at the top helps to reduce risk. The bank and its supporters disagree.

A 'Wake-Up Call' To Protect Vulnerable Workers From Abuse

Yuki Noguchi — Thu, 16 May 2013 21:04:00 +0000

Four years ago, 21 men with intellectual disabilities were emancipated from a bright blue, century-old schoolhouse in Atalissa, Iowa. They ranged in age from their 40s to their 60s, and for most of their adult lives they had worked for next to nothing and lived in dangerously unsanitary conditions.

Earlier this month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission won a massive judgment against the turkey-processing company at which the men worked.

Furloughs Only The Latest Blow To Federal Worker Morale

Yuki Noguchi — Thu, 09 May 2013 06:51:00 +0000

Federal workers say they don't have much to celebrate these days.

Furloughs began in April, exacerbating already low morale for many government agencies as budgets have tightened. Downsizing has meant more work for those who remain, and talk of further cuts has many worried about job security. This year is also the third that federal workers haven't received a pay increase, contributing to discontent.

Jenny Brown is in her 27th year as an examiner for the Internal Revenue Service, where she answers peoples' tax questions.

When It Comes To Productivity, Technology Can Hurt And Help

Yuki Noguchi — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 07:07:00 +0000

Even when people think they're buckling down, studies show the average office worker wastes over a third of the day. There's Facebook, of course, and the email from a friend with a YouTube link.

Shifting Retail Landscape Tilts Support For Online Sales Tax

Yuki Noguchi — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:32:00 +0000

The U.S. Senate may vote this week on the Marketplace Fairness Act, a bill that would allow states to collect sales tax from more online retailers. And as the political and retail landscape has shifted from the last time around, the Senate is expected to approve the measure.

The proposal to require online sellers to collect out-of-state sales tax has been kicked around for many years. For a decade, Amazon was a fierce opponent.

And Amazon had U.S. Supreme Court precedent on its side.

As Housing Industry Builds Up, Other Sectors Follow

Yuki Noguchi — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 20:46:00 +0000

When fortunes rise in the housing industry — as they currently are — it tends to lift sales for other businesses, too. Home construction, sales and prices are all improving. And according to many analysts, the market is gaining steam.

For nearly two decades, Scott Gillis has owned his own moving company, Great Scott Moving in Hyattsville, Md. Moving high season is just around the corner, which means Gillis is hiring.

"I'm doing it right now, I'm calling up all my old employees.

For Some Ready To Buy, A Good Home Is Hard To Find

Yuki Noguchi — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 07:07:00 +0000

The first day of spring typically signals the high season for open houses and home sales.

The season seems to have arrived early in some places where homebuying is already frenzied, and in many markets, the pendulum has swung from an excess of homes on the market a few years ago to a shortage.

In Baltimore, Patrick and Britney Bove are fighting on two fronts, so to speak. On one hand, they're hosting an open house in the city's Hamilton neighborhood, and on the other, they're trying to find a house to buy.

U.S. Probes Abuse Allegations Under Worker Visa Program

Yuki Noguchi — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 07:21:00 +0000

A group of foreign college students who came to the U.S. on cultural work exchange visas in December have been protesting their working conditions at a McDonald's in Harrisburg, Pa. In the process, they've wading into a debate about guest workers in the U.S.

The students include Jorge Rios, who says three months ago he eagerly did the legwork necessary to get a J-1 visa, used for student work exchange.

"I had to do a lot of paperwork back in my country to get the visa.

Experts Boil Telecommuting Decisions Down To Flexibility Vs. Serendipity

Yuki Noguchi — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:40:00 +0000

Yahoo touched off a debate about the effectiveness of telecommuting when it told employees last week that they may no longer work from home.

Technology Upends Another Industry: Homebuilding

Yuki Noguchi — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 08:21:00 +0000

Years into the economic recovery, hiring remains slow. Many businesses learned to do more with less during the recession, so they don't need to bring on as many people now.

These new efficiencies have led to what economists call "labor displacement," which is taking place around the country.

Money Replaces Willpower In Programs Promoting Weight Loss

Yuki Noguchi — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:06:00 +0000

Sticking to a diet is a challenge for many people, but starting next year, Americans may have an even bigger, financial incentive to keep their weight in check.

In Cost-Saving Move, Post Office Cuts Saturday Delivery

Yuki Noguchi — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:51:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

NPR's business news begins with an ending.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

GREENE: The U.S. Postal Service has just announced the end of first class mail deliveries on Saturday. It is part of an effort to slow enormous financial losses. And NPR's Yuki Noguchi has come into the studio to tell us what all this means for customers and the Postal Service. And Yuki, so when will my Saturday deliveries stop?

YUKI NOGUCHI, BYLINE: Well, as of the week of August 5th, there will be no regular first class mail - envelopes, bills, magazine deliveries on Saturdays.

Grounding Of 787s Creates Doubts About 'Business As Usual' At Boeing

Yuki Noguchi — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 23:18:00 +0000

Boeing generated more cash than expected last year and reclaimed the top spot over rival Airbus as the world's biggest airplane maker.

But all that was overshadowed by the fact that its entire fleet of 787s is grounded after batteries on two of its planes either overheated or caught fire.

"For 2013, our first order of business, obviously, is getting the 787 back into service," Boeing CEO James McNerney says.

With the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration investigating the incidents, McNerney said repeatedly on a con