Hundreds of thousands of US workers have walked off the job this year. Instead of the exception, labour shortages could become the norm.
at the eleventh hour that would have been the largest single-employer labour stoppage in US history.
It may seem like US workers are striking more, but data shows that the number of labour stoppages is roughly on par with the past several years ., if not slightly lower in 2023, the number of striking workers far outstrips prior years, due in part to unions with large membership taking to the picket line. For instance, more than 150,000 UAW workers are on strike; the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes combined saw more than 80,000 workers walk off the job and forgo months of pay.
American labour laws remain relatively weak compared to countries with similar economies, say experts. Firing a worker is effectively legal under federal labour law, making it difficult for unions to convince members to strike in the first place.
"There was a shift among US workers about what's acceptable in terms of conditions to accept, about their own worth in the workplace, and about standing up for themselves when those two things don't match up," says Block.At the core of many of these strikes are demands for liveable wages, job security, better working conditions and employee input into rapidly developing tech like AI that could fundamentally destabilise entire industries.