NPR News

Whether public or private sector, unions are clearly on the ropes. An ever smaller percentage of American workers belong to unions. And striking – one of the chief tools of organized labor – seems to have become a thing of past.

Take the following stat, for example: In 1952 there were 470 work stoppages or strikes around the country; in 2010 there were 11.

If you want a glimpse of why there was such a sharp drop, you need only to sit down with Mark Sanders and his father Lefty, or Larry Sanders.

You'd think the color of the most photographed bridge in the world would have a more exciting name than "international orange." Something like "vermilion" or "terra cotta" or "burnt sienna" might seem more appropriate.

Whatever you call it, it's the vivid, unmistakable color of the Golden Gate Bridge, which turns 75 next year. But back in the 1930s, the now-iconic hue was a radical choice.

'Unique And Unconventional Treatment'

An Indian tribe in Washington state wants to move its village to higher ground, citing concerns over a possible tsunami from earthquakes around the Pacific Ocean.

But it takes an act of Congress to expand a reservation. So the Quileute tribe is hoping to get the word out — in part by relying on its newfound popularity as a tourist site for fans of the Twilight series of books and movies. In those stories, the Quileute lands are teeming with werewolves.

There are at least a dozen Republicans considering a run for the White House in 2012. Over the next two weeks, NPR will be profiling some of them to find out what first sparked their interest in politics.

Before Mitt Romney went from the boardroom to the campaign trail, his father did the same thing.

George Romney was the head of American Motors — a gregarious, no-nonsense CEO who championed a line of innovative compact cars sold under the Nash and Rambler nameplates.

Second in a three-part series.

One hundred and fifty former prostitutes have been through the Magdalene recovery program in Nashville, Tenn. Magdalene is a private two-year program for women with criminal histories of drug addiction and prostitution.

On a recent Saturday night, two women who completed the program drive their former "tracks" — the places prostitutes walk.

"This is the Bottoms," says Sheila Simpkins, behind the wheel.