The National Labor Relations Board is redefining what it means to be an employer by changing the so-called joint-employer rule. We’ll explain how the change could impact the rights of contract and franchise workers across many industries, from tech to fast food. And, polling numbers on congressional approval are sinking lower and lower. Plus, are SEO-bait names and bloated movie runtimes the new norms? We’ll get into it in a round of Half Full / Half Empty.

Here’s everything we talked about:

- “New labor rule could be a big deal for millions of franchise and contract workers. Here’s why.” from CBS News

- “NLRB joint-employer rule triggers fears of higher trucking costs” from FreightWaves

- “Congress’ Job Approval Drops to 13%, Lowest Since 2017” from Gallup

- “‘Overemployed’ people secretly work overlapping remote jobs” from Marketplace

- “Why it feels like movies are getting longer” from CNN

- “In tight labor market, businesses practice ‘strategic retention'” from Marketplace

- “Do CEOs make too much money?” from Marketplace

- “The restaurant nearest Google” from The Verge

- “Halloween 2023: Costumes fuel expected record holiday spending” from Axios

If you’ve got a question about today’s economy, send it our way. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email us at makemesmart@marketplace.org.

Why the definition of &#8220;employer&#8221; really matters 30:51 Share

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Why the definition of “employer” really matters