In 2021, there were 265 work stoppages in the U.S. involving about 140,000 workers, and healthcare and social assistance workers comprised more than half of all workers involved in the strikes, according to a new "Labor Action Tracker" report by the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University.
The report, released Feb. 21, examined data on strikes and lockouts in 2021. Data sources included the Bureau of Labor Statistics strike report, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services work stoppage summary, Bloomberg Law's work stoppage database, major media sources, organizational press releases, and social media. More information on the methodology is available here.
Three findings related to healthcare:
1. Healthcare and social assistance accounted for 12 percent of total work stoppages.
2. Healthcare and social assistance workers comprised 51.6 percent of all workers involved in stoppages, mostly because of two large one-day sympathy strikes in California.
3. Work stoppages across all industries occurred for various reasons. Better pay, healthcare benefits, and health and safety protocols were the most common demands of work stoppages.
To read the full report, click here.