A strike is a labor stoppage by workers who use it as a tactic to press demands on their employer. A strike is normally an action of last resort by workers who believe no other means will gain them their goals. These goals can include wage increases, shorter work hours, fringe benefits, and job security. Strikes are typically organized by labor unions. However, the right to form a union is itself a goal of some strikes.
There are different types of strikes. One is the walkout, when workers leave their jobs. Another is the sit-down strike, when workers take control of the workplace and refuse to work or allow others to do so. Slowdowns are less drastic than strikes: the workers perform at less than maximum efficiency until demands are met. A sick-in occurs when all or many members of a union call in sick on the same day. Sometimes a union calls for a so-called sympathy strike to support another striking union. In some countries there are general strikes that can close nearly all businesses and government operations. They are usually short, lasting one or two days. This type of strike is often a political protest as well as an economic one.
In most industrialized countries, the right to strike is granted to workers in the private sector—that is, everyone not employed by the government. Some countries, however, require that a union must make specific efforts toward settlement of the dispute before a strike can be called. Some countries forbid purely political strikes or strikes by public employees, such as schoolteachers and police officers.
The attitudes of government and the public toward unions and strikes have changed markedly over time. In the past, unions were considered conspiracies against the public welfare. Unions were not legalized until 1871 in Great Britain. In the United States the rights of workers to organize a union and to strike were not fully guaranteed until the National Labor Relations Act was passed in 1935.
Throughout the history of labor movements, employers have used a number of tactics to combat strikes. Sometimes they have called on the police or hired private firms to stop strikes with force. Occasionally employers have been assisted by government officials who sent state or federal troops to put down strikes. Companies have also hired nonunion workers to replace those on strike. Such workers are known as strikebreakers or, pejoratively, as scabs. In the United States, employers cannot lawfully hire permanent replacement workers during a strike over unfair labor practices. Nonetheless, the threat of job loss has created a sharp decline in the number and length of strikes in the United States.
