Brazil's Steelworkers Bracing for Anti-Union Push by Bolsonaro
- Steel sector just starting to recover from prolonged recession
- Labor leaders worry about losing more rights under Bolsonaro
A worker shovels sand into the blast furnace in Serra, Espirito Santo, Brazil.
Photographer: Rich Press/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
U.S. President Donald Trump has boasted that he made a crowd of American steelworkers shed tears of joy, grateful for steps he took to secure their jobs.
In Brazil, the "Trump of the Tropics," as President Jair Bolsonaro is sometimes called, is stirring the opposite reaction from union steelworkers, one that could destabilize a sector just starting to slowly recover from a recession that saw almost 80 operations shut down and 47,000 jobs lost by the end of 2016.