Reconstituting Strike Theory for the 21st Century: A Comparative Approach

• In Event: 120 - Section on Labor and Labor Movements Paper Session. Barriers and Opportunities for Building A Labor Movement across Differences of Race, Gender, and Legal Status

Abstract

In recent decades, a marked decline in the frequency of strikes across the advanced capitalist world has led some scholars to announce the death of the strike. Yet, even as economic strikes by established trade unions in advanced capitalist countries have declined, there has been a new wave of unconventional strikes in unorganized sectors in the United States, a surge in political strikes in Europe, and a wave of militant strikes in the global south. The complexity of these events requires a rethinking of the strike. As we show in this paper, existing “strike theory” is far too narrow. A new perspective, rooted in a multidimensional conception of worker power, is needed. Building on the work of Beverly Silver and Jennifer Chun, we argue here that strikes can be understood in terms of three interrelated forms of worker power: structural, associational, and symbolic. The contours of these dimensions of power, we contend, shape the levels of strike activity, the form strikes take (including strategies and tactics), and their outcomes. We demonstrate the utility of our approach here via a brief comparative analysis of recent unconventional strikes in the OUR Walmart and the “Fight for $15” campaigns.

Authors

• Chris Rhomberg, Fordham University

• Steven H. Lopez, Ohio State University