RESEARCH STARTER

Strike action

Strike action, often referred to as a labor strike, is a collective protest by workers who cease work to negotiate with their employers, typically for better wages, improved working conditions, or other labor-related issues. Strikes are often organized by labor unions, which represent the collective interests of workers in a specific industry or workplace. They serve as a significant tool for workers to exert pressure on employers, especially when negotiations have stalled or when labor rights are perceived to be under threat.

The history of strike actions is closely tied to the labor movement, which emerged as workers sought to advocate for their rights and improve their treatment in the workplace. Legal regulations often govern the conduct of strikes, requiring procedures such as secret ballot votes and advance notifications to employers. While the act of striking can create significant disruptions in productivity for employers, it is seen by many labor advocates as a fundamental right and a last resort after other negotiation efforts have been exhausted.

Strikes have historically highlighted the power dynamics between workers and employers, making visible the need for fair labor practices. Notable events, such as the Homestead Strike of 1892, exemplify the tensions that can arise between labor organizations and management, illustrating the complexities and challenges surrounding labor negotiations. Overall, strike actions remain a critical aspect of labor relations, reflecting ongoing struggles for workers' rights and equity in the workplace.

Full Article

A strike action, also called a “labor strike” or simply a “strike,” is a protest conducted by workers that involves immediately ceasing work at a place of employment. Strike actions are threatened and conducted as a powerful form of negotiation with an employer. Many strikes are conducted through unions, which are large organizations of workers in a particular field. In most areas, strikes must follow a number of procedures to remain legally protected. Many employers have fought workers’ power to strike, but unions argue that strike actions are an essential tool for negotiating with powerful employers.

Background

The history of strikes is tied to that of the labor movement. In the United States, the labor movement developed as a way for workers to cooperate with one another to advocate for better treatment from their employers. The labor movement utilized strikes, collective bargaining, and other forms of leverage to force employers to provide higher wages, safer working conditions, and more favorable working hours.

The first recorded strike action in the United States occurred in New York in 1768. Tailors protested an industry-wide wage reduction in an attempt to stop it. Soon afterward, the first American union formed. The union, the Federal Society of Journeyman Cordwainers, an organization of shoemakers, set an example for future trade unions. Through the power of collective bargaining, the union attempted to set minimum wages for shoemakers and establish prices for their work, and also negotiated for shorter workdays.

Collective bargaining refers to several workers coming together to negotiate with their employer as one entity. A single employee typically has very little leverage over their employer. If the employer does not like a single employee’s requests, the requests will be refused. If the employee quits, the employee can easily be replaced. If all of an employer’s workers quit, however, the employer’s business will be halted. When employees negotiate together, they have much more power over their employer.

Because of the power of collective bargaining, more unions began to form. Many tradesmen, following the example of the Federal Society of Journeyman Cordwainers, formed unions. By the nineteenth century, many factory workers had formed unions, too. These unions were smaller than trade unions but could have an incredible impact on a factory. Suddenly, workers could make difficult demands of their employers, and factory production would immediately cease if the employer refused.

Many employers resisted the formation of these unions. They disliked the amount of power workers suddenly had over factory production, and they did everything in their power to resist it. Some factory owners even hired thugs to assault union members, which made new factory workers too afraid to join unions. When employers resisted unionized employees’ demands, employees often engaged in strikes.

Overview

A strike action, or strike, is an intentional, collective slowdown or cessation of work carried out by a union, a group of employees at a work location, or other workers acting together over pay and working conditions. The sudden drop or cessation in productivity negatively affects employers. If employees are unskilled, they are sometimes fired and replaced. If the workers are not easily replaced, however, the employer is more likely to meet the employees’ demands.

Strikes often must abide by certain legal restrictions. In many cases, strikes must be voted on by a secret ballot offered to all employees at a company. If the company employs a large number of people, independent verification of the ballot results may be required. The employer must be told in advance that a ballot to strike will be offered to employees. The employer must be notified of the results of the ballot. Finally, the employer must be notified—usually a set number of days before a strike—that the union or employees intend to proceed with the strike.

Many members of unions and labor organizations view striking as an integral right. They believe it is a fundamental aspect of their relationship with their employers. They argue that striking is used primarily as a last resort. They do not believe that workers should threaten to strike over trivial matters. Instead, they believe that workers should strike only after they have exhausted every other tool to protect themselves.

While unpleasant for both parties, strikes immediately adjust the balance of power between workers and their employer. In many cases, if a strike seems necessary, then the balance of power is likely in need of an adjustment. Strike advocates argue that most strikes are conducted to negotiate for better pay, safer working conditions, and fair treatment under workplace monitoring systems. They argue that without the power to strike, employers would have no true incentive to negotiate with employees. They could simply fire and replace any employees who attempted to negotiate for better working conditions. Major work stoppages in the United States have involved workers in education, manufacturing, and information services, showing that strikes continue to affect many parts of the economy.

Strike activity remains an important feature of labor relations in the twenty-first century. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported thirty-one major work stoppages beginning in 2024, involving 271,500 workers, with especially large effects in education, health-related services, manufacturing, and other service sectors. Because federal statistics count only major stoppages involving at least 1,000 workers, broader academic tracking projects show substantially more activity. Cornell University’s Labor Action Tracker documented 359 work stoppages in 2024 involving about 293,500 workers, indicating that many smaller strikes are missed by official federal tallies.

The Homestead strike, a historic protest in Homestead, Pennsylvania, in 1892, helps illustrate unions’ position on strikes. During the Homestead strike, the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers, a powerful union of metalworkers, clashed with Carnegie Steel Company, one of the largest steel manufacturers in the United States. Andrew Carnegie, head of Carnegie Steel, had grown tired of negotiating with unions. When members of the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers demanded a more favorable contract, Carnegie’s plant manager, Henry Clay Frick, locked them out after proposing wage cuts.

Even though the union members represented a smaller group of skilled workers, the rest of the workers immediately decided to strike in a show of support for their coworkers. Thousands of workers and their supporters took to the streets to protest the unsafe working conditions and low pay at the factory. They took control of the factory and guarded it against outside forces. When Carnegie heard about the strike, he hired Pinkerton agents to force the protesters to disperse. Violence erupted between the protesters and the guards, and the state militia had to be called in to break up the protest. After the strike ended, Carnegie Steel Company reduced wages and weakened the union’s influence. Future protests, however, won better conditions for workers.


Bibliography

Adamczyk, Joseph. “Homestead Strike.” Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/event/Homestead-Strike. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

DeFrancesco, Joey L., and David Segal. “Labor History: The First Factory Strike.” In These Times, 1 Sept. 2014, inthesetimes.com/article/17050/the_mother_of_all_strikes. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

“5 Reasons We Need the Right to Strike.” IndustriALL, 7 Feb. 2024, www.industriall-union.org/5-reasons-why-we-need-the-right-to-strike. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

Forsyth, Anthony, and Shae McCrystal. “Collective Bargaining and Collective Action in the Platform Economy.” International Labour Organization, 9 July 2024, doi:10.54394/EMDS2473. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

“Henry Clay Frick.” Britannica Money, www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-Clay-Frick. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

Iyer, Deepa K., et al. “The ILR-LER Labor Action Tracker: Annual Report 2024.” Cornell ILR School, 2025, www.ilr.cornell.edu/faculty-and-research/labor-action-tracker-2024. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.

“Key Events in Labor History.” AFL-CIO, aflcio.org/about/history/labor-history-events. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

“Labor Movement.” History, 28 Mar. 2025, www.history.com/topics/labor. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

“Major Work Stoppages – 2024.” US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 20 Feb. 2025, www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/wkstp_02202025.htm. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.

Milanez, A., et al. “Algorithmic Management in the Workplace.” OECD, no. 31, 6 Feb. 2025, www.oecd.org/en/publications/algorithmic-management-in-the-workplace_287c13c4-en.html. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

“Our Labor History Timeline.” AFL-CIO, aflcio.org/about/history. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

Pressman, Aaron. “Verizon Strike among the Top 3 of the Last 10 Years.” Fortune, 13 Apr. 2016, fortune.com/2016/04/13/verizon-strike-third-biggest-10-years/. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

“Royal Mail Workers Vote for Industrial Action.” The Guardian, 5 Oct. 2017, www.theguardian.com/business/2017/oct/05/royal-mail-workers-vote-for-industrial-action. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

“The 10 Biggest Strikes in American History.” Fox Business, 14 Jan. 2015, www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2011/08/09/10-biggest-strikes-in-american-history.html. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

“271,500 Workers Idled during Major Work Stoppages in 2024.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 28 May 2025, www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2025/271500-workers-idled-during-major-work-stoppages-in-2024.htm. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

“Work Stoppages Summary.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 20 Feb. 2026, www.bls.gov/news.release/wkstp.nr0.htm. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

Full Article

A strike action, also called a “labor strike” or simply a “strike,” is a protest conducted by workers that involves immediately ceasing work at a place of employment. Strike actions are threatened and conducted as a powerful form of negotiation with an employer. Many strikes are conducted through unions, which are large organizations of workers in a particular field. In most areas, strikes must follow a number of procedures to remain legally protected. Many employers have fought workers’ power to strike, but unions argue that strike actions are an essential tool for negotiating with powerful employers.

Background

The history of strikes is tied to that of the labor movement. In the United States, the labor movement developed as a way for workers to cooperate with one another to advocate for better treatment from their employers. The labor movement utilized strikes, collective bargaining, and other forms of leverage to force employers to provide higher wages, safer working conditions, and more favorable working hours.

The first recorded strike action in the United States occurred in New York in 1768. Tailors protested an industry-wide wage reduction in an attempt to stop it. Soon afterward, the first American union formed. The union, the Federal Society of Journeyman Cordwainers, an organization of shoemakers, set an example for future trade unions. Through the power of collective bargaining, the union attempted to set minimum wages for shoemakers and establish prices for their work, and also negotiated for shorter workdays.

Collective bargaining refers to several workers coming together to negotiate with their employer as one entity. A single employee typically has very little leverage over their employer. If the employer does not like a single employee’s requests, the requests will be refused. If the employee quits, the employee can easily be replaced. If all of an employer’s workers quit, however, the employer’s business will be halted. When employees negotiate together, they have much more power over their employer.

Because of the power of collective bargaining, more unions began to form. Many tradesmen, following the example of the Federal Society of Journeyman Cordwainers, formed unions. By the nineteenth century, many factory workers had formed unions, too. These unions were smaller than trade unions but could have an incredible impact on a factory. Suddenly, workers could make difficult demands of their employers, and factory production would immediately cease if the employer refused.

Many employers resisted the formation of these unions. They disliked the amount of power workers suddenly had over factory production, and they did everything in their power to resist it. Some factory owners even hired thugs to assault union members, which made new factory workers too afraid to join unions. When employers resisted unionized employees’ demands, employees often engaged in strikes.

Overview

A strike action, or strike, is an intentional, collective slowdown or cessation of work carried out by a union, a group of employees at a work location, or other workers acting together over pay and working conditions. The sudden drop or cessation in productivity negatively affects employers. If employees are unskilled, they are sometimes fired and replaced. If the workers are not easily replaced, however, the employer is more likely to meet the employees’ demands.

Strikes often must abide by certain legal restrictions. In many cases, strikes must be voted on by a secret ballot offered to all employees at a company. If the company employs a large number of people, independent verification of the ballot results may be required. The employer must be told in advance that a ballot to strike will be offered to employees. The employer must be notified of the results of the ballot. Finally, the employer must be notified—usually a set number of days before a strike—that the union or employees intend to proceed with the strike.

Many members of unions and labor organizations view striking as an integral right. They believe it is a fundamental aspect of their relationship with their employers. They argue that striking is used primarily as a last resort. They do not believe that workers should threaten to strike over trivial matters. Instead, they believe that workers should strike only after they have exhausted every other tool to protect themselves.

While unpleasant for both parties, strikes immediately adjust the balance of power between workers and their employer. In many cases, if a strike seems necessary, then the balance of power is likely in need of an adjustment. Strike advocates argue that most strikes are conducted to negotiate for better pay, safer working conditions, and fair treatment under workplace monitoring systems. They argue that without the power to strike, employers would have no true incentive to negotiate with employees. They could simply fire and replace any employees who attempted to negotiate for better working conditions. Major work stoppages in the United States have involved workers in education, manufacturing, and information services, showing that strikes continue to affect many parts of the economy.

Strike activity remains an important feature of labor relations in the twenty-first century. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported thirty-one major work stoppages beginning in 2024, involving 271,500 workers, with especially large effects in education, health-related services, manufacturing, and other service sectors. Because federal statistics count only major stoppages involving at least 1,000 workers, broader academic tracking projects show substantially more activity. Cornell University’s Labor Action Tracker documented 359 work stoppages in 2024 involving about 293,500 workers, indicating that many smaller strikes are missed by official federal tallies.

The Homestead strike, a historic protest in Homestead, Pennsylvania, in 1892, helps illustrate unions’ position on strikes. During the Homestead strike, the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers, a powerful union of metalworkers, clashed with Carnegie Steel Company, one of the largest steel manufacturers in the United States. Andrew Carnegie, head of Carnegie Steel, had grown tired of negotiating with unions. When members of the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers demanded a more favorable contract, Carnegie’s plant manager, Henry Clay Frick, locked them out after proposing wage cuts.

Even though the union members represented a smaller group of skilled workers, the rest of the workers immediately decided to strike in a show of support for their coworkers. Thousands of workers and their supporters took to the streets to protest the unsafe working conditions and low pay at the factory. They took control of the factory and guarded it against outside forces. When Carnegie heard about the strike, he hired Pinkerton agents to force the protesters to disperse. Violence erupted between the protesters and the guards, and the state militia had to be called in to break up the protest. After the strike ended, Carnegie Steel Company reduced wages and weakened the union’s influence. Future protests, however, won better conditions for workers.


Bibliography

Adamczyk, Joseph. “Homestead Strike.” Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/event/Homestead-Strike. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

DeFrancesco, Joey L., and David Segal. “Labor History: The First Factory Strike.” In These Times, 1 Sept. 2014, inthesetimes.com/article/17050/the_mother_of_all_strikes. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

“5 Reasons We Need the Right to Strike.” IndustriALL, 7 Feb. 2024, www.industriall-union.org/5-reasons-why-we-need-the-right-to-strike. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

Forsyth, Anthony, and Shae McCrystal. “Collective Bargaining and Collective Action in the Platform Economy.” International Labour Organization, 9 July 2024, doi:10.54394/EMDS2473. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

“Henry Clay Frick.” Britannica Money, www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-Clay-Frick. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

Iyer, Deepa K., et al. “The ILR-LER Labor Action Tracker: Annual Report 2024.” Cornell ILR School, 2025, www.ilr.cornell.edu/faculty-and-research/labor-action-tracker-2024. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.

“Key Events in Labor History.” AFL-CIO, aflcio.org/about/history/labor-history-events. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

“Labor Movement.” History, 28 Mar. 2025, www.history.com/topics/labor. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

“Major Work Stoppages – 2024.” US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 20 Feb. 2025, www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/wkstp_02202025.htm. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.

Milanez, A., et al. “Algorithmic Management in the Workplace.” OECD, no. 31, 6 Feb. 2025, www.oecd.org/en/publications/algorithmic-management-in-the-workplace_287c13c4-en.html. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

“Our Labor History Timeline.” AFL-CIO, aflcio.org/about/history. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

Pressman, Aaron. “Verizon Strike among the Top 3 of the Last 10 Years.” Fortune, 13 Apr. 2016, fortune.com/2016/04/13/verizon-strike-third-biggest-10-years/. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

“Royal Mail Workers Vote for Industrial Action.” The Guardian, 5 Oct. 2017, www.theguardian.com/business/2017/oct/05/royal-mail-workers-vote-for-industrial-action. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

“The 10 Biggest Strikes in American History.” Fox Business, 14 Jan. 2015, www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2011/08/09/10-biggest-strikes-in-american-history.html. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

“271,500 Workers Idled during Major Work Stoppages in 2024.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 28 May 2025, www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2025/271500-workers-idled-during-major-work-stoppages-in-2024.htm. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

“Work Stoppages Summary.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 20 Feb. 2026, www.bls.gov/news.release/wkstp.nr0.htm. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

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