One of the minor economic miracles in the past couple of years has been the quietly cooperative spirit of U.S. labor. As living costs sailed skyward and corporate profits rose sharply, most of the nation's biggest and toughest unions accepted relatively moderate contracts that added little to the rapid pace of inflation. But that remarkable show of patience has now ended. The American workers' mood has turned increasingly bitter lately, and wage demands have climbed steadily higher.
Last week, in the middle of the most important contract talks of the year, the...
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