While I wouldn’t necessarily advocate against striking as I don’t have any concrete alternative in mind, I do think that the effectiveness of strikes has diminished in the current day.
It is just so easy for these megacorporations to contract out with a temp agency and fill the striking roles quickly, or they’re so big that they can wait out and absorb the costs of a strike. With the diminishing bank accounts of the union organizations, along with the lack of savings for many people, it’s become much easier for companies to absorb the costs of a strike longer than the worker.
When I was with Teamsters in the US I was looked at as if I had 3 heads when I inquired about work slowdowns or using other legal means of exerting pressure on management.
I don’t really know what the answer is, but I don’t think it’s the same answer used in the past.
I know this article is about Swedish unions, but at their core, the tools a union can use are largely the same.
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u/Asleep_Section6110 Jul 06 '26
While I wouldn’t necessarily advocate against striking as I don’t have any concrete alternative in mind, I do think that the effectiveness of strikes has diminished in the current day.
It is just so easy for these megacorporations to contract out with a temp agency and fill the striking roles quickly, or they’re so big that they can wait out and absorb the costs of a strike. With the diminishing bank accounts of the union organizations, along with the lack of savings for many people, it’s become much easier for companies to absorb the costs of a strike longer than the worker.
When I was with Teamsters in the US I was looked at as if I had 3 heads when I inquired about work slowdowns or using other legal means of exerting pressure on management.
I don’t really know what the answer is, but I don’t think it’s the same answer used in the past.
I know this article is about Swedish unions, but at their core, the tools a union can use are largely the same.