A new roundup is on the way

Expect a new roundup of labor-related activity in the South in coming days. A quick peek has turned up a couple of interesting situations:

- A standoff between coal miners and environmentalists in West Virginia over fast-track permits allowing coal companies to blow the tops off mountains in search of ore. The miners want the jobs, and the environmentalists are saying there are better, safer ways to mine. The standoff has become physical at times.

- A recent report by National Public Radio highlighted the long, ongoing fight for union representation at the Case Farms poultry operation in Morganton, N.C. It's a fight that pits Mayan workers from Latin America against die-hard, anti-union Southern managers.

There'll be more on these and other stories. Stay tuned.