Last year was the biggest one for labor strikes since the turn of the century.
During the past 20 years, there have been an average of about 17 major strikes per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which calls them “work stoppages.” In 2023, there were nearly twice that many.
Following are the most significant strikes that took place during and ended in 2023, ranked according to the total number of days on strike for all workers combined.
Cumulative days idle: 99,500
Strike duration: Oct. 17 – Dec. 2, 2023
Workers involved: 3,700 workers associated with the Detroit Casino Council
Workers from the MGM Grand Detroit held a 47-day strike ending in a five-year contract that included an 18% immediate raise as well as a bonus, lighter workloads and other protections for workers. That strike coincided with a monthlong strike by workers including dealers, food service workers, cleaning staff and valets at the city’s other two casinos. Unionized workers from all three casinos are members of the Detroit Casino Council.
Cumulative days idle: 112,000
Strike duration: Oct. 9 – Nov. 19, 2023
Workers involved: 4,000 workers associated with five local unions of United Auto Workers
Volvo-owned Mack Trucks, maker of semitrucks and other heavy-duty vehicles, agreed to a contract with substantial raises for workers at facilities in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Florida after a strike that lasted more than a month. Union workers rejected an initial offer of a 19% raise over time — arguing it didn’t keep up with high inflation — and ending up with a deal offering an average raise of 36% over five years, including an immediate pay boost of about 15% for all employees.
Cumulative days idle: 156,400
Strike duration: Aug. 4 – Dec. 15, 2023
Workers involved: 1,700 workers associated with of United Steelworkers local union 4-200
Nurses at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Jersey went on strike for nearly four months over staffing issues, insurance benefits and sick time off. They were represented by the United Steelworkers, which — despite the name — has workers in many industries, including health care.
The strike ended with a three-year agreement to improve staffing levels and infrastructure to keep nurses from being stretched too thin. As part of the agreement, the hospital will hire for 70 new registered nurse positions.
Cumulative days idle: 180,000
Strike duration: May 2, 2022 – Jan. 21, 2023
Workers involved: 1,000 workers of United Auto Workers local unions 180 and 807
A strike in Wisconsin and Iowa that lasted more than half a year required the help of U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh to resolve. Workers for CNH Industrial, a farm equipment manufacturer, walked out and then picketed outside buildings day and night over issues that included pay, time off and health care.
The details of the agreement were not shared publicly, but previous offers were shot down. Some union members remained unsatisfied with the results, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Cumulative days idle: 195,000
Strike duration: March 21-23, 2023
Workers involved: 65,000 workers associated with Service Employees International Union local 99
The Los Angeles Unified School District, which oversees K-12 education in the city and is the second-largest district in the country, agreed to a new contract after a three-day strike. The strike was waged to get raises for bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers, teaching assistants and campus security, who had an average annual salary of $25,000 beforehand.
In the end, workers received a 30% pay raise, retroactive pay and a bonus. The minimum wage for service workers was raised, and part-time employees who work at least four hours per day became eligible for health benefits.
Cumulative days idle: 226,800
Strike duration: Oct. 4-7, 2023
Workers involved: 75,600 workers associated with local unions of the Service Employees International Union; Office and Professional Employees International Union; and Engineers and Scientists of California
A coalition of unions organized a three-day strike of the health-care company by nurses, pharmacists and ER technicians that led to a 21% pay increase over four years. “The deal also requires Kaiser to invest in job training programs and to use referral bonuses, mass job fairs and other workforce development efforts to ensure an adequate supply of new employees for the future,” NPR reports.
Cumulative days idle: 239,200
Strike duration: March 29 – Aug. 25, 2023
Workers involved: 2,300 workers associated with the Graduate Employees’ Organization
Graduate student instructors and teaching assistants at the University of Michigan walked out late in the spring semester, refusing to turn in grades for some of the classes they taught. They reached a deal with the school just before the start of the fall semester, securing pay increases, one-time bonuses, improved health benefits and maternity leave that is on par with what permanent faculty enjoy.
Cumulative days idle: 869,200
Strike duration: Sept. 15 – Oct. 30, 2023
Workers involved: 49,800 workers associated with many United Auto Workers local unions
The United Auto Workers struck three major carmakers — General Motors, Ford and Jeep-maker Stellantis — and secured deals with each of them in a six-week span. Workers won an 11% immediate pay increase and raises through 2028 that will top 30% in total, the Associated Press reports.
Cumulative days idle: 1,173,000
Strike duration: May 2 – Sept. 24, 2023
Workers involved: 11,500 workers associated with the Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild of America East
The second-largest strike of the year was one of the best-known — because it shut down swaths of Hollywood for five months. On top of concerns about pay and benefits, the sticking points for big entertainment companies’ negotiating with TV and film writers included rules about the industry’s use of AI and sharing the earnings from the ongoing popularity of streaming content. The final deal was valued at $233 million, almost triple an earlier industry offer.
Cumulative days idle: 13,120,000
Strike duration: July 14 – Nov. 8, 2023
Workers involved: 160,000 workers associated with the Screen Actors Guild American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
A separate but related and overlapping strike — not for writers but a larger number of actors — ended more than a month later with a similar agreement. Members of the Screen Actors Guild won a bonus guarantee for streaming blockbusters, restraints on the use of AI to replicate actors’ likeness, relocation pay and multiple overall pay increases over two years.
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