Is the pendulum of power swinging towards US unions? | Robert Reich

The United Auto Workers have scored a major victory. And it could be a sign of more to come for workers - unless the Fed undermines them again

The United Auto Workers has scored a major victory. It's still awaiting a vote by union members, but it's a big deal - a 25% wage increase over the four and a half years of the contract, cost-of-living increases that will further ratchet up hourly pay, the right to strike over plant closures and a shorter time period for workers to reach top pay.

If the victory ripples across the auto industry and encourages wage increases in other sectors, it will also be a victory for the American middle class.

Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley