1. Janus dealt a heavy blow to labor—but public-sector unions didn’t crumble overnight.

In June, the Supreme Court issued its long-awaited ruling in Janus v. AFSCME—and it was just as bad as everyone feared. In a 5-to-4 decision, the court found that public-sector unions violated the First Amendment by collecting so-called fair-share fees from workers who aren’t union members but benefit from collective bargaining regardless.

Statement by Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy:

"If allowed to stand, today's outrageous ruling by a Fort Worth-based federal judge could eventually deprive millions of working people of a fair shot at affordable health care."

"We are ashamed that Gov. Abbott, indicted Attorney General Paxton and shadowy Texas interests that cannot abide a historic expansion of health care are undermining one of the clearest messages of the Nov. 6 election: Americans want and need affordable coverage for pre-existing conditions."

A series of settlements hammered out over the past few weeks between Marriott and its striking workers in Boston and seven other cities are ushering in groundbreaking benefits that could set a precedent not just for the service industry but for workers nationwide.

The Boston agreement, reached after workers spent more than six weeks on the picket lines, marching and chanting in the wind and rain and snow, includes a roughly 20 percent increase in wages over 4½ years, a 37 percent increase in pension contributions, and six weeks of paid maternity leave, plus two weeks for spouses.