More than 650,000 American workers are threatening to go on strike this summer — or have already done so — in an avalanche of union activity not seen in the U.S. in decades.
The combined actors and writers strikes in Hollywood are already a once-in-a-generation event. Unions for United Parcel Service Inc. and Detroit’s Big Three automakers are poised to join them in coming weeks if contract negotiations fall through. One Bank of America Corp. analyst put the odds of a United Auto Workers strike at more than 90%.
The pandemic years have, in some ways, reenergized American labor. Emboldened by tight labor markets and agitated after shouldering new risks, workers notched a series of surprising victories at some of the most prominent U.S. companies. Now, wary of soaring corporate profits as major technological changes threaten to upend their industries, unions are ready to test their clout.The companies, for their part, are facing their own economic realities.
“In terms of workers in America who still have the ability to change their conditions, these are three of the top 10,” said Larry Cohen, a former Communications Workers of America union president, who now chairs the advocacy group Our Revolution. Even the launch of strikes could galvanize non-union workers, but the move doesn’t come without risks. Drawn-out stoppages can drain members’ finances — and the unions’ — making it harder to fund other efforts. Strikes that lose momentum can leave members divided and disillusioned. If fights end with disappointing deals, they could become cautionary tales. Managers often hold up unproductive and costly strikes as a reason to not unionize.
“If my work is so important, then why shouldn’t I be properly rewarded for it?” said Portland, Oregon UPS employee Nick Marrapode.
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