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Ann Larson

@annlarson.bsky.social
197 followers 128 following 55 posts

Book: CLEANUP ON AISLE FIVE annlarsonwrites.com Writer and organizer. Cofounder, the debt collective Free Palestine

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Reposted by Ann Larson
Hamilton Nolan @hamiltonnolan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Allowing the most powerful segment of society to opt out of public services inevitably makes public services worse. This is why the existence of private schools inevitably makes public schools worse. A simple fact that seems hard for many to admit. www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/private-sc...
hamiltonnolan.com
Private Schools Are Bad for Society
The starting point for any honest discussion.
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Ann Larson @annlarson.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
shameful
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Alissa Quart @alissaquart.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Honored to be on this talking about @thenation.com article on #barbaraehrenreich @economichardship.bsky.social Check it out @maiasz.bsky.social name check @annlarson.bsky.social
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Ann Larson @annlarson.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
It was a joy to talk to JR Jamison on the wonderful The Facing Project about essential labor, the dignity of work, and what supermarkets tell us about our society. indianapublicradio.org/thefacingpro...
indianapublicradio.org
Indiana Public Radio
Your community. Your world.
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Jen McGowan @iamjenmcg.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Trump’s DHS is using an obscure law to secretly snoop on journalists, non-profits and unions: ‘It’s outrageous’
Even after judges rejected the same ploy, the Trump administration is going directly to social media and telecommunications companies
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Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Opinion writing workshop is tomorrow afternoon! You can register here: www.elizabethspiers.com/workshops/
elizabethspiers.com
Workshops
Learn to write professional op-eds and personal essays with Elizabeth Spiers, a contributing writer for The New York Times opinion section, former columnist at Fortune and Fast Company, and opinion co...
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Jacobin @jacobinmag.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
France’s first presidential debate on Thursday was hosted by employers’ group Medef. Entrepreneurs laughed when left-wing candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon called for wage raises, but he was deadly serious.
jacobin.com
France Needs a President Who Isn’t for the Bosses
France’s first presidential debate on Thursday was hosted by employers’ group Medef. Entrepreneurs laughed when left-wing candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon called for wage raises, but he was deadly serious.
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The Real News Network @therealnews.com · 24/08/2026
“Gary and Northwest Indiana are experiencing a Katrina moment.” We speak with residents and community leaders about the ongoing energy blackout in Gary, Indiana and the conditions that led to this avoidable national tragedy.
therealnews.com
'Katrina 2.0': Residents of Gary, Indiana fight to survive without power for 12 days (and counting)
“Gary and Northwest Indiana are experiencing a Katrina moment.” We speak with residents and community leaders about the ongoing energy blackout in Gary, Indiana and the conditions that led to this avo...
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Ann Larson @annlarson.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
This was such a fun conversation. It's rare to get to talk about the writing process with someone who gets it!
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Daniel Ford @writersbone.com · 20/08/2026
Writer and activist @annlarson.bsky.social joins me on tomorrow's Friday Morning to discuss her book Cleanup on Aisle Five. Subscribe and tune in! Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2JZQLgt Spotify: spoti.fi/2GpMLEp iHeartRadio: ihr.fm/2TXaBzn Amazon Podcasts: amzn.to/2RuHlxs @badlycooked.bsky.social
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Hamilton Nolan @hamiltonnolan.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
"Abolish the Senate" is obviously correct and has been obviously correct for so long that watching idiot pundits pretend to be shocked by it makes me want to DRINK POISON. www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/yes-obviou...
hamiltonnolan.com
Yes Obviously the Senate Should Be Abolished
Political pundits acting shocked by this are snide pricks.
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Maximillian Alvarez @maximillianalvarez.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
New from me. 25 years ago, Barbara Ehrenreich saw the inhumane brutality of capitalism so many Americans ignored then but can’t ignore now. I speak w/ @alissaquart.bsky.social @annlarson.bsky.social & Deirdre English about Ehrenreich’s legacy today @therealnews.com therealnews.com/barbara-ehre...
therealnews.com
There’s no such thing as ‘unskilled work’: Barbara Ehrenreich’s ‘Nickel and Dimed’ 25 years later
25 years ago, Barbara Ehrenreich saw the inhumane brutality of capitalism and the invisible realities of working-class life that so many Americans ignored then but can’t ignore now.
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Ann Larson @annlarson.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Happy book birthday to Nickel and Dimed! I was overjoyed to join this conversation with @maximillianalvarez.bsky.social about the great Barbara Ehrenreich's influence on my life and work.
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Ann Larson @annlarson.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Experimenting with some long-form substack posts. This one is a short history of the fight for socialism at the grocery store. debtsentence.substack.com/p/the-battle...
debtsentence.substack.com
The Battle for Socialism at the Grocery Store
A short history of shopper radicalism in an era of monopoly power
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Frances Goldin Literary Agency @goldinagency.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Hard to believe it has been 25 years since Barbara Ehrenreich's seminal NICKEL AND DIMED was published. Author of CLEAN UP ON AISLE FIVE @annlarson.bsky.social spoke to @thenation.com about honoring her legacy and tradition of reporting. www.thenation.com/article/soci...
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Hamilton Nolan @hamiltonnolan.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Journalism is a public good. It needs to be publicly funded, for the same reasons that health care needs to be publicly funded. The privatization of public information has created a true crisis. www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/paying-for...
hamiltonnolan.com
Paying for News Is Cheaper Than Not Having It
The consequences of privatizing public information.
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Ann Larson @annlarson.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
I offered some advice for supermarket shoppers on the wonderful Weirdly Helpful podcast with Zak Rosen. weirdlyhelpful.show/episodes/a-w...
weirdlyhelpful.show
A Weirdly Helpful View From Behind the Supermarket Register
Ann Larson is the author of Cleanup on Aisle Five: Essential Work, Poverty Wages, and the View from Behind the Supermarket Register. Her writing on ...
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Jordan Barab @jbarab.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
House Republicans Attempt to Kill OSHA Heat Standard. jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...
jordanbarab.com
House Republicans Attempt to Kill OSHA Heat Standard - Confined Space
Republicans will mark up a bill tomorrow that would prohibit OSHA from issuing an effective workplace heat standard.
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Coalition for Action in Higher Ed @actioninhighered.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Please join us on Thursday for Democratizing Knowledge: Creation Beyond the University, hosted by @debtcollective.bsky.social Every crisis is a hinge point. What does the future of scholarship look like? When: Jul 16, 2026 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm ET Register here: debtcollective.org/event/colleg...
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Ann Larson @annlarson.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
I loved chatting with Clancy Harrison on the Food Dignity podcast about the hidden hunger behind grocery stores. We talked about the supermarket checkstand as a metaphor for economic inequality and food justice. @economichardship.bsky.social clancyharrison.com/podcast/epis...
clancyharrison.com
Episode 248: The Hidden Hunger Behind Grocery Stores - Clancy Harrison
Today, Clancy speaks with Ann Larson, author of Cleanup on Aisle Five: Essential Work, Poverty Wages, and the View from Behind the Supermarket Register. Ann shares what she learned after spending more...
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Ann Larson @annlarson.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
This was such a fun interview. Brian asked great questions, and I loved hearing from former supermarket workers who called in to share their own stories from behind the register.
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The Salt Lake Tribune @sltrib.com · 11/07/2026
A video that shows a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest inside a Salt Lake City home went viral this week. In it, agents restrain a middle-aged man and a teenager while a woman screams, “Get out of my house!”
sltrib.com
In viral video, ICE appears to make warrantless arrest inside a Salt Lake home
A video that shows a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest inside a Salt Lake City home went viral this week. In it, agents restrain a middle-aged man and a teenager while a woman screams, “Get out of my house!”
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Ann Larson @annlarson.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
This is one of my favorite interviews about Cleanup on Aisle Five. Courtney asked great questions that allowed me to develop some of the themes of the book, from the connection between injury and mental health to what time feels like when you're selling your labor by the hour.
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 08/07/2026
Aid worker who organised World Cup screenings in Gaza killed in Israeli strike
theguardian.com
Aid worker who organised World Cup screenings in Gaza killed in Israeli strike
Egyptian Mohamed al-Wahidi died when a missile struck his taxi shortly before his country played Argentina A Palestinian aid worker who had organised screenings of World Cup matches in Gaza was killed by an Israeli missile strike just before the game between Egypt and Argentina on Tuesday evening. Two brothers aged eight and 10 and another man who was in the street near the site of the attack were also killed. Continue reading...
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The Nation Magazine @thenation.com · 08/07/2026
Janae Walls lost access to food stamps, and her kids have noticed: They ask her, “Why don’t we have a bunch of food in the house like we used to?” Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill is at fault: bit.ly/4f3FI45
bit.ly
The Trump Administration Is Making It Nearly Impossible to Get Food Stamps
New work requirements and restrictions on SNAP have kicked millions off the benefit rolls, with more reductions to come.
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Ronan Farrow @ronanfarrow.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Private equity is buying America's hospitals and nursing homes. The playbook: pile on debt, sell the building, cut staff. The result, one landmark study found: patient deaths up about 11%. #news #information #privateequity
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Democracy At Work @democracyatwork.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Check out this week's recent #EconomicUpdate with @profwolff.bsky.social & @annlarson.bsky.social discussing #exploitation, #labor and essential #work here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK2C...
youtube.com
Economic Update: Supermarket Jobs, Super Exploitation
YouTube video by Democracy At Work
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Democracy At Work @democracyatwork.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Check out @annlarson.bsky.social 's new book from @onesignalbks.bsky.social out now:
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Frances Goldin Literary Agency @goldinagency.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
For @thenation.com, author @annlarson.bsky.social talks workplace injuries for retail workers in the context of her new book, CLEAN UP ON AISLE FIVE, out now from @onesignalbks.bsky.social time.com/article/2026...
time.com
What Working in a Grocery Store Taught Me About American Inequality
"While the affluent are living longer, healthier lives and retiring with a nest egg and their dignity, low-income workers are facing destitution," writes Ann Larson.
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Frances Goldin Literary Agency @goldinagency.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
A wonderful excerpt from @annlarson.bsky.social's CLEAN UP ON AISLE FIVE in @timemagazine.bsky.social time.com/article/2026...
time.com
What Working in a Grocery Store Taught Me About American Inequality
"While the affluent are living longer, healthier lives and retiring with a nest egg and their dignity, low-income workers are facing destitution," writes Ann Larson.
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Ann Larson @annlarson.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
People really don't like data centers.
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The New York Review of Books @nybooks.com · 17/06/2026
Caroline Tracey (@cetracey.bsky.social) on the long history of proposals to suck up profits from the Great Salt Lake
nybooks.com
Putting the Lake to Work | Caroline Tracey
In November 2022, the Great Salt Lake dropped to a record-low water level. That winter, dust blew off newly exposed patches of the lakebed, clouding the
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Ann Larson @annlarson.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Here's an excerpt from my latest article about worker injuries in retail, the companies that help employers wriggle out of workers comp claims, and the bipartisan failure to fund OSHA. Read the article funded by @economichardship.bsky.social in @thenation.com www.thenation.com/article/soci...
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Ann Larson @annlarson.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
I'm on @thenation.com podcast today talking to the great @jonwiener.bsky.social about my book Cleanup on Aisle Five and the struggles of supermarket workers. www.thenation.com/podcast/poli...
thenation.com
Why Harvard Won’t Settle—Plus, the Struggles of Supermarket Workers
On this episode of Start Making Sense, Randall Kennedy analyzes Harvard v. Trump, and Ann Larson explains work behind the grocery store checkstand.
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Quinn Slobodian @quinnslobodian.com · 16/06/2026
got this one today
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Ann Larson @annlarson.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
same
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Michael Sainato @msainato.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Amazon Whole Foods' push to overturn union election results at a Philly store have been denied, allowing the certification of the results, where workers voted to unionize despite Amazon's anti-union campaign
NLRB Denies Amazon Whole Foods Request to Overturn Historic Philadelphia Union Election

Philadelphia, PA — The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has denied Amazon Whole Foods’ request for review of the Regional Director’s decision certifying the January 27, 2025 union election at the company’s Center City Philadelphia store.

In May 2026, the NLRB Regional Director certified the results of the historic union election. Amazon Whole Foods subsequently filed a request for review with the Board in an effort to overturn the certification decision. Today, the NLRB denied the company’s request for review, allowing the certification to stand.

The Board’s refusal to review the Regional Director’s decision confirms what workers and UFCW Local 1776 have known from the beginning: the election was free, fair, and conducted lawfully.

“From the start, Whole Foods told their workers and the public that they would respect the outcome of the vote,” said Wendell Young IV, UFCW 1776 President. “Instead, the company has spent months delaying the process and retaliating against known union supporters. With this ruling, there could not be a clearer obligation to bargain. Enough is enough. It is time for Amazon Whole Foods to do the right thing, respect the workers’ decision, and come to the bargaining table.”
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ryan cooper @ryanlcooper.com · 15/06/2026
"Either way, the concentration of wealth at the very top is much higher now than it ever was during the Gilded Age. And these are numbers from last year, before the SpaceX IPO. The robber barons were pikers compared with today’s oligarchs." paulkrugman.substack.com/p/meet-the-n...
paulkrugman.substack.com
Meet the New Bosses, Worse Than the Old Bosses
The second Gilded Age is much uglier than the first
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Ann Larson @annlarson.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
If you ever wanted to know what it's like to work the closing shift at a supermarket, this excerpt from my book Cleanup on Aisle Five is for you.
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Ann Larson @annlarson.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
If you've ever wondered what it's really like to work in a supermarket, check out this excerpt of my book, Cleanup on Aisle Five, about a security guard at war with late night shoppers.
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@charleshb@mastodon.sdf.org @charleshb.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Green & Red: Podcasts for Scrappy Radicals w/ Bob( @bobbuzzanco.bsky.social )Buzzanco & Scott( @sparki1969.bsky.social )Parkin "Clean Up on Aisle Five: Essential Work and Poverty Wages at America's Grocery Stores w/ Ann( @annlarson.bsky.social )Larson (G&R 502)" podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
podcasts.apple.com
Clean Up on Aisle Five: Essential Work and Poverty Wages at America's Grocery Stores w/ Ann Larson (G&R 502)
Podcast Episode · Green & Red: Podcasts for Scrappy Radicals · June 11 · 48m
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Black Intellect Media @blackintellect.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
What Working in a Grocery Store Taught Me About American Inequality. Analysis by @annlarson.bsky.social time.com/article/2026...
time.com
What Working in a Grocery Store Taught Me About American Inequality
"While the affluent are living longer, healthier lives and retiring with a nest egg and their dignity, low-income workers are facing destitution," writes Ann Larson.
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Green and Red Podcast @podcastgreenred.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
~NEW EPISODE~ Essential work and poverty wages at America's grocery stores. In our latest, we talk w/ writer @annlarson.bsky.social about her new book about working in a #SaltLakeCity grocery store during the pandemic. 🎙️: bit.ly/3QDbAEy
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Hamilton Nolan @hamiltonnolan.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Grocery stores are FASCINATING labor stories. Spoke to Ann Larson about her new book "Cleanup on Aisle Five," a firsthand account of working at a grocery store through the pandemic. www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/brutal-opp...
hamiltonnolan.com
Brutal Oppression and Beautiful Humanity Exist In Every Grocery Store
An interview with Ann Larson about "Cleanup on Aisle Five"
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John Attridge @johnattridge.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Academic writing should be addressed neither to the public nor to other academics. It should be addressed to a single interlocutor with whom you have a petty rivalry and whose work you are trying to discredit
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Debt Collective 🟥 @debtcollective.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
This is the playbook. Tenants unionized and withheld rent because they had unsafe conditions + payments were unaffordable. They built up debt. Then city officials intervened + pressured the landlord to cancel the debts. This can happen everywhere. gothamist.com/news/landlor...
gothamist.com
Landlord targeted by Mamdani agrees to forgive back rent in 5,100 apartments
The company Summit says it will waive unpaid rent in its new building portfolio as long as tenants resume making payments.
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Avalon Free Public Library @avalonlibrary.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
#SummerReading Season continues with 11 more fantastic #books for you to read! This week's highlights include titles by Dave Eggers, Lisa See, Andrew Sean Greer, @tiawilliams.bsky.social, @lavernecox.bsky.social, @brynneweaver.bsky.social, @robgmacfarlane.bsky.social, @annlarson.bsky.social, & more
afpljournal.com
11 Notable New Books to Read
Discover unique insights in these books and memoirs, celebrating art, nature, history, and personal journeys in this captivating collection.
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Ann Larson @annlarson.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
I loved this conversation with hosts who asked excellent questions that pushed me to see my book from a new angle!
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A Public Affair @apublicaffair.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
🎙️Author @annlarson.bsky.social wants to bust the myth that so-called “low-skilled” workers deserve low pay. In fact, she wants to ditch the idea of "unskilled labor" altogether. Her new book gives a peak into life of a supermarket cashier. Listen here: www.wortfm.org/theres-no-su...
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