| Part of a series on |
| Organized labor |
|---|
 |
A number of labour strikes, labour disputes, and other industrial actions have occurred in 2023. In the United States, the series of strikes has also been referred to as "hot labor summer," [1] [2] [3] a play on Hot Girl Summer.
A labor strike is a work stoppage, caused by the mass refusal of employees to work, usually in response to employee grievances, such as low pay or poor working conditions. Strikes can also take place to demonstrate solidarity with workers in other workplaces or to pressure governments to change policies.
 |
A study done by the German Institute of Economic and Social Research found that the number of days lost to labour disputes in Germany in 2023 was a record, with 1,52 million working days lost over 312 disputes. The Institute's study pointed the cause of the disputes primarily towards inflation and the cost-of-living crisis. [52]
According to Cornell University's Labor Action Tracker, there were 393 strikes in the United States in 2023, up to the end of November, marking the year with the most strikes involving over 1000 workers since 2013. [53] Sharon Block of the Harvard Law School describe 2023 as "the most active period [for labour] that I've seen in my career," saying that there was "a shift among US workers about what's acceptable in terms of conditions." [54]
Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike in British English, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became common during the Industrial Revolution, when mass labor became important in factories and mines. As striking became a more common practice, governments were often pushed to act. When government intervention occurred, it was rarely neutral or amicable. Early strikes were often deemed unlawful conspiracies or anti-competitive cartel action and many were subject to massive legal repression by state police, federal military power, and federal courts. Many Western nations legalized striking under certain conditions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) is the main trade union in the United Kingdom for people working for telephone, cable, digital subscriber line (DSL), postal delivery, and tech companies. It has 110,000 members in Royal Mail as well as more in many other communication companies.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is a trade union in the United Kingdom for wholetime firefighters, retained firefighters and emergency control room staff.
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) is the eighth largest trade union in the United Kingdom. Most of its members work in UK government departments and other public bodies.
A lockout is a work stoppage or denial of employment initiated by the management of a company during a labor dispute. In contrast to a strike, in which employees refuse to work, a lockout is initiated by employers or industry owners.
The Australian labour movement began in the early 19th century and since the late 19th century has included industrial and political wings. Trade unions in Australia may be organised on the basis of craft unionism, general unionism, or industrial unionism. Almost all unions in Australia are affiliated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), many of which have undergone a significant process of amalgamations, especially in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The leadership and membership of unions hold and have at other times held a wide range of political views, including socialist, democratic and right-wing views.
Work-to-rule, also known as an Italian strike or a slowdown in United States usage, called in Italian a sciopero bianco meaning "white strike", is a job action in which employees do no more than the minimum required by the rules of their contract or job, and strictly follow time-consuming rules normally not enforced. This may cause a slowdown or decrease in productivity if the employer does not hire enough employees or pay the appropriate salary and consequently does not have the requirements needed to run normally.
A wildcat strike is a strike action undertaken by unionised workers without union leadership's authorization, support, or approval; this is sometimes termed an unofficial industrial action. The legality of wildcat strikes varies between countries and over time.
Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation, commonly known as Wabtec, is an American company formed by the merger of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company (WABCO) and MotivePower Industries Corporation in 1999. It is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The 2010 Chinese labour unrest was a series of labour disputes, strike actions, and protests in the south of the People's Republic of China that saw striking workers successfully receive higher pay packages.
The 2021–2023 Warrior Met Coal strike was a labor strike in Alabama, United States. The strike began on April 1, 2021 and involved members of the United Mine Workers of America striking against Warrior Met Coal Inc. Warrior Met was formed after the bankruptcy of Walter Energy and operates coal mining facilities in the state. The strike was over the failure of the union and company to agree to a labor contract for the approximately 1,100 union members who work for Warrior Met.
The 2021–2023 Stagecoach strikes were a series of labour strikes by Stagecoach Group bus drivers, cleaners and engineers across the United Kingdom, the first of which began in 2021. Represented by Unite the Union, the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) or the GMB, workers in over 20 different areas were involved in labour disputes with Stagecoach, with strikes being called in several of those areas.
A number of labour strikes were held throughout 2021.
The 2022–2024 United Kingdom railway strikes were an industrial dispute between rail workers and companies, with the latter supported by the UK government. The rail workers are represented by several unions including the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) and the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF). The railway strikes commenced on 21 June 2022 after workers walked out over wages, planned changes to working practices – involving the removal of guards from trains, the reduction in the number of open ticket offices, and an increase in the age at which people could claim the young persons and senior citizen card – and the threat of redundancies. The industrial action was the largest in the sector since 1989, and involved 40,000 workers nationwide.
A number of labour strikes, labour disputes, and other industrial actions have occurred in 2022.
Since May–June 2022, a series of labour strikes and industrial disputes have occurred in various industries of the United Kingdom's economy as workers walked out over pay and conditions. The strikes took place with rising inflation, and demands for pay increases that would keep pace with this inflation.
The 2022–present National Health Service (NHS) strikes are several ongoing industrial disputes in the publicly funded health services of the United Kingdom.
A number of labour strikes, labour disputes, and other industrial actions have occurred in 2024.
A number of labour strikes, labour disputes, and other industrial actions occurred in 2018.
