3,111,462
This is the number of work days lost to strikes in 2022 by all those who were called out on strike by their union.
Bargaining Chip or Billy Club?
- When a contract comes back from the negotiating table, employees are generally given only two options by the union:
- Accept the contract in whatever form negotiated by the union, or
- Reject the contract and vote to strike
- If the union votes to strike, the union forces the employees to stop working, hoping to pressure the company into agreement.
BUT, THERE’S MORE TO THE STORY: When a union begins to negotiate with a company, the only bargaining chips it brings to the table are the threat of strike, and the current pay and benefits of the workforce
- Sometimes a union uses a strike as a hammer against its own members to pressure the employees to accept a contract that contains everything the union wanted, but very little of what the employees were told they could expect
- Often, a union member’s only option is to support a contract he or she doesn’t like in order to avoid having to go out on strike
What does the union really use the strike threat for?
This is the average number of days a striking employee was on the picket line or off the job in 2022.
What happens to you while on strike? You get no pay from the company, and you can be required to pay the full cost of the monthly premiums if you wish to remain on the company’s insurance plans (i.e. you pay both the employee portion and the employer portion of the premiums). Also, if you are on strike over contract demands – what is known as an economic strike – you can be permanently replaced. That means when the strike ends, you don’t automatically return to work. Instead, you would remain off work on a recall list until a position eventually opens up that you are qualified to perform. Sure the union has bargaining chips when they come to the negotiating table. The problem is if they have to use those bargaining chips, you are off work on a picket line while union officials continue to get their pay and benefits. What does the union offer you to walk away from a paycheck and potentially your health benefits? The typical union strike fund authorizes around $150 per week, but you only receive that after you’ve been on strike for 2 weeks, and only if the union has enough money in the strike fund to make the payments. You need to be aware of the risk in a unionized environment.