But that may be changing, with an important test in Alabama, where thousands of workers at Amazon are deciding whether to form a union. "If workers at Amazon in Alabama, in the middle of the pandemic, can organise then that means that workers anywhere can organise." Even without that law, labour leaders say the Amazon result could be a springboard for labour organising nationwide. Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union, said the Alabama workers are "inspiring", and added that her union and others are watching closely as they mull expansion. Photo / APMerritt, an expert on Southern labour politics, drew a straight line from the pre-Civil War economy to the current climate.

Source: New Zealand Herald March 13, 2021 00:56 UTC