This is a story that was told to me by my father. It is by no means extraordinary, probably there are thousands of similar stories from across the world. Yet I believe it is significant in reminding us of what is the real impact that trade unions have in shaping the world we live in.
Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo, "Il Quarto Stato" ("The Fourth State"), 1902 image from wikimedia commons How the Unions Saved the Future: the Story of the Reaper-binderThis story is set in the Po valley of Northern Italy around the year 1950. This is a period of big transformations for the Italian society: The country has just emerged from the nightmares of Fascism and World War II, and it is rebuilding itself. A largely agricultural economy is on the verge of the so called “economic boom”, which will transform Italy in an industrial power.