BROADCASTS.com

After Jimmy Nicks\u2019 job was subcontracted, he took both companies to court \u2014 the subcontractor he worked for and its client, Koch Foods. The \u201clittle boss\u201d and the \u201cbig boss.\u201d His case hinged in part on those familiar six words, \u201cto suffer or permit to work,\u201d and this week we\u2019ll revisit their origins. The story begins at the scene of a deadly fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, where one witness would go on to devote her life\u2019s work to prevent such tragedies from happening again. A century later, the law she helped craft, the Fair Labor Standards Act, served as the legal basis for Jimmy\u2019s case \u2014 and others.\xa0\n\nFor even more of \u201cThe Uncertain Hour,\u201d subscribe to our newsletter! Each week we\u2019ll bring you a note from host Krissy Clark and explain some terms that have come up in our reporting. This week we\u2019re looking at \u201csweating system.\u201d