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Spanning several genres including cultural criticism, political commentary and memoir, "Bone of the Bone: Essays on America by a Daughter of the Working Class" compiles Smarsh's strongest work from the last decade, and solidifies her as one of the country's leading voices on socio-economic class.

In November, voters in Missouri will have the opportunity to raise the state's minimum wage for a third time. Hear from organizers who support the ballot measure. Plus, we'll bring you headlines from around the metro.

The lawsuit, led by Republican attorneys general from 17 states, comes after federal regulations were published on implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. The language means workers can ask for time off to obtain and recover from an abortion.

U.S. women who work full-time make just 84 cents on the dollar compared to non-Hispanic, white men in the same roles. United Women Empowerment, an organization based here in Kansas City, is challenging employers to address those inequities.

Missouri's minimum wage will increase in the new year to $12.30 an hour, a $0.30 increase. Meanwhile, Kansas and 19 other states still pay minimum-wage workers the federal rate of $7.25 an hour.

In her new book “Gray Areas: How the Way We Work Perpetuates Racism and What We Can Do to Fix It,” sociologist Adia Harvey Wingfield at Washington University in St. Louis lays out actionable items employers and colleagues can take to truly support Black employees.

Between auto workers, Hollywood, and baristas, it seems like workers are walking out on the job more often this year. Experts say wealth inequalities, inflation and a cultural shift in expectations from jobs are contributing to a more active labor movement.

Independence, Missouri, is beautifying the city through the work of individuals facing housing instability. Independence T.O.G.E.T.H.E.R., a supported employment program, offers an array of support, including an hourly wage, housing fund and meals, for individuals willing to work along Independence roadways.

Abortion is expected to remain a friction point in the Kansas legislative session, even after last year's vote that protected it as a constitutional right. Plus: How Missouri's economy is taking a toll from tens of thousands of residents still experiencing the symptoms of long COVID.

Sheltered workshops are meant to employ adults with disabilities as they prepare to enter the regular workforce. But in Missouri, these subminimum-wage workers rarely "graduate" to higher-paying jobs — keeping them segregated and reliant on disability payments or family support.

Missourians voted last week to require Kansas City to spend even more money on its police department, though most Kansas City residents were against it. But the results still left local advocates optimistic about the future. Plus: Kansas nursing homes are struggling to stay staffed and open.

Kansas City author David Cantwell, who just published a new version of a book he wrote years ago, says Merle Haggard was 'constantly singing about the things that we're still arguing about today.'