Port strikes extend a new era of American labor activism
The U.S. dockworkers who went on strike early Tuesday are just the latest unionized group to back their demands for better contracts by walking off the job to illustrate their value to both the national economy, and their employers’ bottom line.
Unions representing auto workers, actors, hotel housekeepers and aircraft assembly workers all called strikes as organized labor made itself heard over the past year. Members argued they made the sacrifices their companies asked of them during the pandemic and rough economic patches, and now it’s time to catch up, particularly after several years of heightened inflation.
Between 2022 and 2023, the number of work stoppages rose 9% to 466 strikes and four lockouts, according to figures maintained by Cornell University’s ILR School. However, the number of workers involved in work stoppages, approximately 539,000, was more than double than the previous year, according to the school’s research.
