The State of the Union
' We don't want what happened in Britain to happen to us in America' is the judgement of one Senator on the current battle between labour and management in the USA.
For the unions, the struggle is a bitter one, reminiscent of the bloody strife of the 30s. In the South, union organisers are harried and intimidated - even spied-on in one small-town version of the Watergate. In Washington, union political power is being eroded by a powerful business offensive. Even in the North, where unions have traditionally been strong, they're losing the battle, locked into bitter conflict with aggressive managements determined to create a ' union-free environment ' backed by a new force in American labour relations, consultants who specialise in ' union busting'.
In a special filmed report from America Andrew Neil visits the front-lines of the battle between the unions and the bosses, where violence and dirty tricks are increasingly the weapons.
Research DAVID DUGAN Producer
PHILIP GEDDES Editor MICHAEL BLAKSTAD