[Daishiman]

Labor unions in the US are comparatively powerless next to countries with actual, functional unions that are quite capable of striking, and have little lobby.

No, the heart of the issue is definitely the dismal state of health care in the US.

[bgorman]

Joe Biden, who many believe will be the next US president has stated "I am a union man, plain and simple". His whole political career has basically been bankrolled by labor unions. If that doesn't indicate the power labor unions have in the US, I don't know what else does.

Teachers Unions, UAW, and the AFLCIO are pretty much the strongest lobbies in America.

[Daishiman]

The campaign contributions of many other industry interest groups dwarfs those other interests, and that is evidently obvious when looking at the policies of the Democratic party, which would not even be a center left moderate party in most EU countries with actually strong labor interests.