Asked about two of labor's favorites, Trumka said: "Sherrod Brown is a great person.
"Instead of the story of solidarity and democracy usually told, Saxton showed how racism was one of labor's most important organizing tools".
Many union officials acknowledge that the infighting is undercutting two of labor's biggest objectives: having Congress enact pro-union legislation and organizing millions more workers to reverse labor's long decline.
Mr. Mulgrew never had the smooth political skills of his predecessor, Randi Weingarten, and never benefited from the bountiful years that delivered Ms. Weingarten one of labor's biggest victories of Mr. Bloomberg's tenure: generous raises.
Eliseo Medina, the secretary-treasurer of the Service Employees International Union and one of labor's most influential voices on immigration issues, said, "We may be very close to a point where the senators will have an announcement soon".
The investments will meet two of labor's primary concerns, creating unionized construction jobs at a time the city's economy has stumbled, and providing housing affordable to moderate-income families of union members.
A simple beehive requires just 1 sq m (10 sq ft) of land and two to three hours of labor per month.
Although the prevailing image of China is one of labor-intensive factories, with lots of workers toiling away on antiquated machinery, much investment has gone instead into factories and projects that are capital-intensive, which create fewer jobs.
An enthusiast erects a monorail in his backyard for four grand in parts and five years of labor.
After two days of labor under attendance of two traditional birth attendants, Shida was taken to a private hospital in a small town a 45-minute drive away.
One example of labor's more independent approach came two weeks before Mr. Obama's jobs speech before a joint session of Congress.
