. Strikes Vs Lockouts
Just as employees have the right to strike action so too do employers have the right to lockout employees should an issue be unsettled. However, certain procedures as well as specific limitations apply under certain circumstances (“Basic guide to strikes, lockouts and picketing”, 2008). Secondary strike action and picketing are also used as means of addressing a dispute.
Equally, strikes and lockouts, involve the termination or the interruption of work in any work environment. However, the main difference between lockouts and strike action depends on which party initiates the interruption of work activities (“Difference between Strike and Lockout”, 2016). In a strike action, it is the employees who initiate the interruption of work. Though, in a lockout, it is the employers who initiate the interruption of work activities of the employees (“Difference between Strike and Lockout”, 2016).
So what is a strike?
Defined, a strike action is “a refusal to work, initiated by a group of employees as a method of protest, in an attempt to achieve an allowance or allowances from their employer.” (“Difference between Strike and Lockout”, 2016).
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(“Difference between Strike and Lockout”, 2016). Strikes may be specific to an employer, work environment or even a department within a work place, but on the same token, it might involve an entire trade or every employee of a country. For example, a strike in a textile factory may persuade all textile employees of a specific country to join the strike action; thus all textile workers may collectively ask for improved working conditions or higher salaries. A strike can affect the economy of the entire country. (“Difference between Strike and Lockout”,
Workers became “more numerous, better organized, more disciplined, and more successful” even though employers tried to stop them (Who Built America 113). Many of these workers led strikes for better hours, better wages and better conditions. When comparing the 1800s to today, we see that strikes were very effective, an example of this is shown in the 8-hour movement. Unions helped win “more than 60 percent of the strikes waged in 1889 and 1890” (Who Built America 113). Due to these workers, employees now face fewer obstacles. Whenever workers felt as though they were being taken advantage of they could “refuse to work, if they withdraw their cooperation, every social institution can be brought to a halt” (Brecher 5). Without workers, the employers will have no one to complete products therefore not being able to make a profit. Subsequently, employees will have leverage over the employers so they can finally sit down and negotiate their conditions. This was shown in the Michigan Central Railroad where workers fought for their wages to increase by two dollars. The workers exhibited their resistance when “streetcars, wagons, and buggies were stopped; tanneries, stoneworks, clothing factories, lumberyards, brickyards, furniture factories, and a large distillery was closed in response to roving crowds” (Brecher 31). The result of this strike was “victorious, and 2 dollars a day became the standard wage in Galveston” (Brecher 31). This strike was important because it exhibited to others that if they unite then they can achieve better conditions. If the workers did not unionize they would not have achieved equality in the workforce and better wages and conditions. Without resistance, these workers would have never gotten negotiations or the necessities they need. Even if workers lost because of outside interference they eventually had the power to change the minds of
In 1947 it was revised to help better protect employees as well as employers. The revision stated that employees and managers must bargain “in good faith” with each other, and illegalized wild cat strikes, (refusing to work under a valid contract). These rights help employees as well as employers to be treated fairly. Forcing employees and employers to work together as a team can increase their understanding of where each side is coming from, as well as making it easier to compromise. The act also prevented businesses from becoming “closed shops,” (places where only union members were hired.) and prevented members from forcing others to join a union. Employees were also given the option to hold elections to certify and decertify unions. Employers were given the freedom to voice any concerns they had over unions so long as they did not interfere with the organization of unions. The revised act also gives the president the power to call off strikes in the event that it becomes a national emergency. A board may be hired to examine the situation of the strike so that the president may better understand why the situation has not been resolved. The president can then put an injunction on the strike; if a decision is not reached, the injunction can be extended.
A strike is a collective decision of the union members not to work until certain demands or conditions are met (Noe, 2003). If the majority of the union members vote to strike, the union will strike. Most strikes usually have union employees not show up to work to perform his/her day-to-day duties but rather have the union employees picket outside the organization. While the union employee is on strike, the employer does not pay the employee his/her wage. In many strikes, the unions help the employees compensate their wages while they are on strike. The purpose of a strike is to make the employer lose production because the regular employee 's do not show up to work. The vast majority of labor-management negotiations do not result in a strike, and the number of strikes has plunged since the 1950s (Noe, 2003).
The Pullman Strike of 1894 was the first national strike in American history and it came about during a period of unrest with labor unions and controversy regarding the role of government in business.5 The strike officially started when employees organized and went to their supervisors to ask for a lowered rent and were refused.5 The strike had many different causes. For example, workers wanted higher wages and fewer working hours, but the companies would not give it to them; and the workers wanted better, more affordable living quarters, but the companies would not offer that to them either. These different causes created an interesting and controversial end to the Pullman strike. Because of this, questions were raised about the strike
Theoretically, secondary boycotting and picketing could be a never ending spiral; employees voice their concerns on an issue, they strike, companies end up in crippling debt (due to man hours lost), are forced to close, which then causes other organisations to go on strike over the way the previous situation was handled.
If the subcontractor to whom a struck company has contracted work is unionized, its employees legally can refuse to perform the work. Such refusals are allowed under the
Anyone in the United States can go on strike if they believe they are being treated unfairly. In this case, the Boston Police had the right to go on strike in 1919 as they were being mistreated concerning wages and what they had. Some may argue that the Boston Police had no right to go on strike as many people vandalized and stole from stores as a result of these policemen going on strike, but they had the right to as they were getting paid a very low amount for their great amounts of dedication. First, policemen were overworked to the max and sometimes they had to sleep in stations just in case they were needed and in these stations, there was a lack of sanitation, baths and more. Next, to go along with the extreme hours worked, policemen
7 The right of employees to strike in support of their bargaining demands is protected by
As stated, many labor unions that were created utilized strikes to negotiate and come to a compromise between business leaders and their workers. However, it got to the point where they were being overused, and starting to turn very violent. The first time this had occurred is the Great Strike in the year of 1877. It occurred in the city of Baltimore, where workers from the Ohio Railroad company were on strike due to their pay checks being cut. However, a compromise was unable to be in a timely manner, causing the railroad system to come to a halt. This delay lasted for about a week or two, even causing the federal government to get involved as the economy and commerce was being greatly affected by this. To bring an end to this, the President,
Strikes are on the rise as protests for better working conditions continue. One of the many goals of the protesters
The idea of striking suggests that strikes punish the rich because it stops production and it is campaigning to congress that puts on stress. Strikes become a form of restriction for businesses and the rich by preventing the wealthy from being successful; without workers the businesses can not succeed. Samuel Gompers introduces the belief of the need to sacrifice for change which is that the workers are willing to stop working for their rights of better conditions, which can impact their
Sometimes unions encourage people to boycott products from an industry or company. Managers can bring in strikebreakers, who work, but are not a part of the union. They can also use a lockout, which means that the management just locks the employees out, until they agree to the terms of the contract that the management draws up.
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 was America’s first nationwide strike. The strike was a result of a 10 percent pay deduction by four of the largest railroads. “Nearly 100,000 workers were idled and approximately two-thirds of the railroad mileage across the Unites States was shut down with over 14 states and ten railroads involved” (AP Study Notes: Rise of Unions). President Hayes eventually sent troops to coral the strikers but they were so unorganized that they eventually stopped and went back to work.
First of all, many national debates get involved this strike. In the surface, the CTU declared that this strike is a labor dispute over job security, in which way laid-off teachers would be hired back according to their seniority-pay, merit-pay and in some ways surprise me, they wanted to connect teacher evaluation to student achievement as test scores just like China. In some aspects, this strike was just part of the battle across the entire country between teachers unions and education reformers.
Imagine a business full of employees who would like to strike or walk out due to the fact of the mother company has cancelled several of their benefits or an employee who has had multiple issue with work, home