For the first time in a generation the labor movement is held in high esteem by the American public. It is widely understood that working people need the protections only collective bargaining can provide. This puts unions like the UAW at the forefront of the struggle to protect jobs and the environment.
Perhaps these difficult negotiations can help us all realize just how much stock buybacks threaten both economic fairness and the health of our climate.Les Leopold is the director of the Labor Institute in New York--working with unions, worker centers, and community organizations to build a national economics educational campaign. He is the author of "How to Make a Million Dollars an Hour: Why Hedge Funds Get Away with Siphoning Off America's Wealth" .