A New York Times editorial this weekend criticizes Republican obstructionism designed to stop the National Labor Relations Board from protecting workers' rights by blocking President Obama's appointments to the board.

On a more global scale, similar opposition to unions is contributing to a business climate that allows tragedies like the recent deaths of 1,100 factory workers in Bangladesh to happen. In The Washington Post, Lance Compa argues that a stronger labor movement in the countries that build the products sold by multinational corporations like Walmart, Apple and many others would go a long way to improving worker safety and working conditions.