Introduction TO Labor Union Strikes

Striking, also called a labor strike, 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 (either by private business or by union workers). 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.

INTRODUCTION To LABOR UNIONs

What Is a Labor Union?

A labor union is a collective organization of workers formed to negotiate with employers over pay, benefits, and working conditions. Historically significant in the United States, labor unions represent diverse industries and have played a vital role in improving labor rights since the 1700s.

Despite a decline in membership, both public and private unions continue to advocate for workers today. In the USA and Canada, without unions, there would be no Labor Day in America.

The MANY BENEFITS OF LABOR unions

Boost wages. A worker covered by a union contract earns 12.8% more in wages than a peer in a nonunionized workplace, on average. But unions don’t just help union workers—they help all workers by setting higher standards that nonunion employers must meet to attract and retain the workers they need.

Narrow racial and gender wage gaps. On average, Hispanic and Black workers represented by a union are paid 16.4% and 12.6% more, respectively, than their nonunionized Hispanic and Black peers. The wages of women represented by a union are 9.8% higher than those of nonunionized women.