European Union and IMF negotiators, tasked with rescuing the Greek economy, flew into Athens this week to find a public-sector stoppage in full swing, with the main union seeking a reversal of all austerity measures.

ECONOMIST: Strikes and unions

The ultra-nationalist National Union Party may well swing its four votes behind a Labourless government too.

ECONOMIST: Israel??s ruling coalition faces more dissent from within

One fast-growing grassroots organisation is Working America, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO which links union members and non-union workers to campaign for better jobs, higher standards in education and, above all, health-care reform. (Any progress on this front under the Obama administration will be claimed as a success by both AFL-CIO and the breakaway coalition led by Mr Stern.) Moreover, grassroots union activism in several swing states helped Mr Obama to victory.

ECONOMIST: Unions