This Year, Worker Strikes Surge Across the US... 39% Increase Compared to Last Year

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] In the United States, where unionization movements among major companies such as Amazon and Starbucks have become active after the pandemic, the number of worker strikes has surged significantly this year.

On the 19th (local time), Axios reported, citing the database of the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, that there have been 374 strikes (in 591 locations) so far this year. This represents an approximately 39% increase compared to the 270 strikes (in 461 locations) that occurred throughout last year. The scale of strike participation has also expanded compared to the previous year. In the first half of this year alone, 78,000 people participated, which is three times the 26,500 in the same period last year.

Major strikes continued in the second half of the year as well. In September, 15,000 nurses in Minnesota went on strike. This is considered the largest private nurse strike in U.S. history. Additionally, workers at about 100 Starbucks stores launched a strike in November on Red Cup Day, demanding better working conditions. Although it was narrowly averted by Congressional intervention, more than 100,000 railroad workers also came close to striking this year.

The sharp increase in strikes in the U.S. is interpreted as a result of workers’ elevated status due to labor shortages and low unemployment rates following the pandemic. Furthermore, the expansion of unionization movements centered on large corporations like Amazon and Starbucks, and some unions securing agreements for significant wage increases during this process, have also served as stimuli. Professor Anna Avendano of CUNY stated, "The energetic organization of unions is contagious," adding, "Through this, people realize that progress is possible."

Johnny Callas, the project lead at Cornell University, recently pointed out that many workers cite health, safety, and staffing shortages as reasons for striking. He explained that the increased workload intensity during the normalization of society has also contributed to the rise in strikes. Inflation-driven price increases are also a factor prompting workers to demand larger wage hikes during strikes.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.