ANALYSIS: Should Employers Be Bracing for Another Striketober?

With national attention once again fixed upon large-scale work stoppages—both narrowly averted and fully facilitated—the calendar’s advance into autumn has many employers wondering the same thing: Are we on the verge of another big spike in union unrest, just like we experienced last October?

It’s a fair question, but a misguided one. The truth is, the ramp-up that began last fall, in what many labor watchers dubbed “Striketober,” never ended. Even 11 months later, it’s still Striketober.

Here’s a look at monthly union-initiated strike totals, courtesy of Bloomberg Law’s database of work stoppages.

In pandemic-ridden 2020, ...