Strikes and Lockouts Generally Benefit Workers and the Economy

“Strikes are the expression of a healthy democracy; they are pressure valves that keep economic injustices from festering.” - Thomas Geoghegan

“In the long run, labor disputes help modernize labor relations and force companies to address inefficiencies they would otherwise ignore.” – Richard Freeman, economist

“Lockouts and strikes are painful, but they clear the ground for innovation, renegotiation, and a reset of expectations that benefit productivity in the long term.” - Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Prize-winning economist

“When workers strike, they shine a light on hidden inefficiencies and unfair practices. Correcting these improves economic resilience.” - Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor

“Industrial action isn’t economic sabotage, it’s economic correction.” - Chris Hedges

While strikes and lockouts have long been historically viewed as economically disruptive, they usually generate enormous long-term benefits to workers under certain conditions. To workers, a strike is more than a protest, it is a tactical bargaining tool to improve wages, working conditions, and a more positive employee-employer relationship.

When employees get organized and strike, they most often higher pay, better health and retirement benefits, and improved working conditions. Such benefits result in greater productivity, less employee turnover, and stronger - more resilient communities.

Strikes also increase the bargaining power of the group. Through solidarity and collective defiance, workers can compel employers into bargaining more on an equal basis, leading to more equitable sharing of profits. In professions where work has traditionally been undervalued by neoconservatives, strikes can restore unequal norms and raise standards for future generations.

In addition, increased compensation and job security provide workers and their families with the financial ability to invest in education, purchase home equity, have a higher purchasing power within the economy, and save for the future. These benefits ensure long-term financial mobility.