The coronavirus pandemic is putting significant pressure on some retailers to expand their workforce and adapt to growing demands for essential goods, such as pharmacy products, food, and take out dining. Companies like Walmart, CVS and Amazon, have all announced plans to hire tens, sometimes hundreds of thousands of new employees. Patricia Campos-Medina, is co-director of the New York State/AFL-CIO Union Leadership Institute at Cornell University’s ILR School. She says that at this critical time, we need to demand more than just an increase in jobs.

Industrial and Labor Relations

Economics and Business

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Linda Donahue, an employee misclassification expert at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, says those who work for gig companies should be considered essential employees. Additionally, Cornell's Worker Institute today released a report on the experiences of people who find work through online platforms in New York state.

Industrial and Labor Relations

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As the nation looks to re-open, contact tracers will be needed to track and halt the spread of COVID-19. Gen Meredith, an expert in public health assessment, intervention development and workforce capacity building explains contact tracing and its importance.

Health, Nutrition & Medicine

New York State

New York City

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Elizabeth Lamb, senior extension associate with the Cornell Cooperative Extension's New York State Integrated Pest Management program, offers advice for picking, preserving and eventually re-planting the perfect tree.

Food & Agriculture

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The colors of the 2018 fall foliage season will be delayed and less vibrant, predicts Taryn Bauerle, Cornell University associate professor of plant science, whose research focuses on how plants communicate water stress.

Energy, Environment & Sustainability

New York State

Agriculture and Life Sciences

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The 2019 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, a Norway spruce from Florida, New York, will be cut down on Thursday and transported to New York City, arriving this Saturday, Nov. 9. Daniel Weitoish, an arborist at Cornell Botanic Gardens, says the Norway spruce is an excellent choice for the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

Agriculture and Life Sciences

New York City

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President Trump suggested states should seriously consider reopening their public schools before the end of the academic year, even though many have already said it would be unsafe for students to return to school before next fall. Lee Adler, an expert on education and academic union issues says until widespread testing is available across the country it’s not safe for schools to reopen.

Industrial and Labor Relations

New York State

New York City

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Steve Reiners, professor of horticulture at the New York State Agriculture Experiment Station, says that an unusually cold spring put early NY crops such as peas, lettuce and broccoli behind schedule – but it’s too early to call the season a washout.

Agriculture and Life Sciences

Food & Agriculture

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Rob Scott is the executive director of the Cornell University Prison Education Program and says that the next question for Florida's Amendment 4 is whether the Republican-controlled state house will make it harder for those felons to vote in future elections.

Law and Policy

Cornell in DC

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Whether it’s to reduce anxiety or get active outside, gardening is great activity during the COVID-19 crisis. Horticulturalists Steve Reiners and Bobbie Kuhlman offer advice for starting a garden this spring.

Food & Agriculture

Agriculture and Life Sciences

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