{"id":1520266,"date":"2024-02-26T18:12:46","date_gmt":"2024-02-26T18:12:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/therealnews.com\/?p=308400"},"modified":"2024-02-26T18:12:46","modified_gmt":"2024-02-26T18:12:46","slug":"number-of-us-workers-who-joined-major-strikes-surged-by-280-in-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2024\/02\/26\/number-of-us-workers-who-joined-major-strikes-surged-by-280-in-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Number of US workers who joined major strikes surged by 280% in 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This story originally appeared in Common Dreams<\/a> on Feb. 21, 2024. It is shared here with permission under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) license.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

While federal data released on Wednesday shows nearly half a million workers last year participated in 33 major work stoppages\u2014the most since the turn of the century\u2014labor experts still stressed the need for more policies protecting the right to strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bureau of Labor Statistics noted<\/a> that there has been an average of 16.7 U.S. work stoppages with more than 1,000 strikers over the past two decades, meaning last year’s number was almost double the norm. BLS also said that 458,900 workers joined the 2023 strikes, and nearly 87% of them work in service-providing industries, including 188,900 with jobs in education and health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In their\u00a0analysis<\/a>\u00a0of the data, also published Wednesday, Margaret Poydock and Jennifer Sherer of the\u00a0Economic Policy Institute<\/a>\u00a0(EPI) pointed out that “this is an increase of over 280% from the number of workers involved in major worker stoppages in 2022, which was 120,600. Further, it is on par with the increase seen in pre-pandemic levels during 2018 and 2019.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poydock, a senior policy analyst at the think tank, said<\/a> in a statement that “a surge of workers went on strike in 2023 to fight back against record corporate profits, stratospheric CEO pay, and decades of stagnant wages. From the United Auto Workers<\/a> to nurses<\/a> across the country, these strikes provided critical leverage to workers to secure better wages and working conditions.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other notable actions include the\u00a0actors<\/a>‘ and\u00a0writers<\/a>‘ strikes that together effectively shut down television and film production for months. A report\u00a0released<\/a>\u00a0last week by researchers at Cornell University and the University of Illinois\u2014who, unlike the BLS, also tracked smaller U.S. actions\u2014tallied 466 strikes and four lockouts involving a total of 539,000 workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fascinating report on 2023 work stoppages (strikes and lockouts). The numbers have gone way up, and here\u2019s a data point for you: over HALF A MILLION workers went on strike last year! 2024, your move. https:\/\/t.co\/XtnF0BRQas<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ePDfBLPEqk<\/a><\/p>— Kim Kelly (@GrimKim) February 15, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote>