Hi, I'm Dan Pramak, and welcome to Axios Recap, presented by Morgan Stanley.

Today's Tuesday, April 20th.

Dogecoin is up.

The U.S. may cut down on the amount of nicotine allowed in cigarettes, and we're focused on the future of organized labor.

Workers at Amazon's warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, last month rejected unionizing by more than a

two-to-one margin. Or, to be more specific, the 55 percent of workers who bothered to cast a ballot

voted two-to-one against organizing. Disappointing supporters like Senators Bernie Sanders,

Marco Rubio,

and even President Biden. Workers in Alabama and all across America are voting in whether to organize a union in their workplace. This is vitally important. The vote was specific to one

facility in one town, but it had gained national attention.

We even did a whole show about it. Both supporters and opponents viewed Bessemer as the straw

that could break the back of big tech's efforts to prevent unionization. It was also viewed even

more broadly as a test of how far the modern labor movement can go. Following last fall's passage of a California ballot initiative

that classified Uber and Lyft and DoorDash drivers as contractors

rather than as employees.

Meanwhile, there's also a new bill in Congress

that could strengthen all unions.

My name is Stuart Applebaum.

I'm the president of the retail, comma, wholesale, and department store union.

And you could call me Stewart.

Applebaum had been helping a group of Amazon workers organized since shortly after the Bessemer facility opened in early 2020.

Workers had complained to him about the pace of work and just how physically grueling it was.

...