US unions see unusually promising moment amid wave of victories

Labor strategists hope wins will turn into a larger trend but acknowledge it won't be easy as corporations fight fiercely against unionization

The recent, much-publicized wave of union victories in the US at companies as varied as the giant coffee chain Starbucks, trendy outdoor outfitters REI and media group the New York Times is spurring hopes that this will somehow turn into a much larger unionization wave that lifts millions of Americans.

This is an unusually promising moment for unions, labor strategists say, as they strain to figure out how best to build a larger wave, although they acknowledge it won't be easy because US corporations fight so fiercely against unionization.