Have questions about worker mistreatment and the billions of dollars it costs us? Ask the reporters at 12 p.m. eastern time on Thursday, Sept. 11. You can participate by tweeting a question with the hashtag #ContractToCheat or by posting a question in the chat window below once the event has started. The reporters will answer your questions, including:
- How do I know if I'm a misclassified worker?
- Is the practice happening in my state? How prevalent is this in my area compared to other parts of the country?
- Who benefits the most?
- Who's really to blame for all this?
- Why hasn't Washington stopped this?
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Franco Ordoñez, 42, is Washington correspondent for The Charlotte Observer and covers immigration and labor for McClatchy. Ordoñez’s work includes investigations of unexplained child deaths in North Carolina and how the poultry industry profits by denying workers needed medical care. His work has been honored with the Casey Medal, Gerald Loeb and Robert F. Kennedy journalism awards.
Mandy Locke, 35, joined The News & Observer in 2004. She has written extensively about the legal system, child welfare issues, the State Bureau of Investigation and hospital disputes. Her series in 2012, “The Ghost Workers,” led to this series; it won a Gerald Loeb Award for business reporting. She has also won the Michael Kelly Award and other honors.
Ryann Grochowski Jones is a data reporter at ProPublica. Previously, she was a data reporter for Investigative Newsource/KPBS in San Diego, Calif. She received her master’s degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism, where she was a data librarian for Investigative Reporters and Editors/National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting. Ryann started her career as a municipal beat reporter for her hometown newspaper in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.