Closing on my first volume of The Ticker as the business editor, I can happily say that I’m lucky to work with some of the newspaper’s strongest and dedicated writers. I was overwhelmed with joy for the first few issues and glad to see the section continue to flourish by Issue 12.
By Issue 2, I was so moved by everyone’s efforts that I wanted to join them in writing. I was initially a second-level copy editor, and to avoid issues with editing assignments, I didn’t write. My ultimate goal as an editor is to bring out the best in the writers over my own interests.
Part of my training to take over the business section was coming up with topics for the last two issues. For the first issue I wrote topics for the writers to take, save for one related to an event announced after I’d written the others. Only one topic was taken, and it wasn’t any of mine. While the editor-in-chief took one topic late to have the chance to write for all sections that issue, I took one because I felt bad about potentially killing the section. The second and last issue I’d write topics for training reinforced what I’d thought, but I wanted to change that around this past volume.
What resulted from that work was me changing my outlook and becoming more motivated to support the writers and the section. The writers’ enthusiasm was infectious, and I wanted to get in on it.
In the end, I wrote 17 business articles, and I’ll recap what was covered in this post. For some of these articles, I ended up taking them on because a writer was understandably unable to meet the deadline or the topic/event of the article came up after I sent the topics email for the current issue.
I wasn’t expecting myself to have a union beat for this volume, but I ended up having one. It did make it easier for me to write articles on the subject since I can contextualize unionization efforts.
ISSUE 2
Truckers in Canada protested their government’s vaccination mandate by blocking the nation’s border with and bridge going to the United States. My first business article for the semester covered the protest’s impact on automakers and domestic manufacturing companies.
Co-written with another writer, second article covered the lifting of the mask and vaccination requirement for indoor locations in the state, including restaurants and theaters, but it was also noted that New York City and private businesses could require otherwise.
ISSUE 3
The JFK8 fulfillment center for Amazon.com Inc. set a date to vote on whether to unionize. This would be the second attempt for an Amazon warehouse to hold a union vote, after a location in Bessemer, Alabama came short of enough votes, though it was determined that the company interfered with the election. The Staten Island warehouse would be the first to form one.
ISSUE 4
As Russian tropes began an invasion into Ukraine, New York took action with Gov. Kathy Hochul signing an executive order to halt business between the state and the country.
Etsy Inc. announced a hike for its transaction fees, up from 5% to 6.5%. Sellers on the platform criticized the move and the company, and some even organized a protest in which they’d temporarily close their shops when the fee hike kicked in during April.
ISSUE 5
An nationwide effort for locations for Starbucks Corp. to unionize has grown since the first two stores in Buffalo, New York voted in favor in December 2021. Now, three locations in New York City are joining the movement.
Gas prices in New York have surged over the past couple of weeks due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in addition to continuing coronavirus-related inflation and supply chain issues. People in elected offices have proposed ways to tame prices, but The Ticker has other cost-cutting suggestions.
ISSUE 6
Baruch College students won big at the Rotman International Trading Competition, which was held virtually by the University of Toronto. Three teams from the college ranked within the top five spots, including first and second place.
ISSUE 8
An update on unionization efforts within Amazon.com Inc., the JFK8 fulfillment center on Staten Island voted in favor of unionizing, making it the first in the company to do so. This happened just a week after the LDJ5 warehouse, also on Staten Island, announced it would vote on unionizing.
An update on unionizations efforts within Starbucks Corp., the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Manhattan neighborhood of Chelsea brr Red came the first in New York City to vote in favor of unionizing.
Walmart Inc. announced that it would stop selling tobacco products at select stores. The specific locations were not announced, but they would include stores in Arkansas, California, Florida and New Mexico.
ISSUE 10
While Apple Inc.’s flagship store in New York City’s Grand Central station is pushing to unionize, a location in Atlanta, Georgia announced that it has filed the paperwork to hold a union vote.
ISSUE 11
CUNY Startups’ inaugural “CUNY CLASH” pitching competition held its final round at the program’s office at Baruch College. Among the seven finalists were Baruch’s own Liliana Cepeda and Selina Rosales-Spiesman, with the former ultimately winning first place.
A deal for Elon Musk to purchase Twitter Inc. was finalized and announced, weeks after news of the Tesla Inc. CEO purchasing a large stake in the company circulated.
An update on unionization efforts within Amazon.com Inc., the LDJ5 fulfillment center on Staten Island came short on its vote to form a union.
ISSUE 12
The Lawrence N. Field Center for Entrepreneurship unveiled the winners of its inaugural “Essence of Entrepreneurship” mural art contest, after displaying a gallery of the finalists. Tiffany Wu and Calvin Zhang won first place and will have their artwork displayed in the Field Center for a year.
Filling in for the “Finance Book Review” columnist, I reviewed Steven Hoffman’s “Surviving a Startup.” The book offers practical advice and anecdotes for serious people with an entrepreneurial mindset. It’s essentially a crash course that offers lots of insight, including resources for understanding business law.
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Dearest Reverie 