ANALYSIS: Strike Data Reveal Rise of ‘First Contract’ Walkouts

A new post-pandemic strike pattern is emerging among union workers: They aren’t waiting to be covered under a collective bargaining agreement before they engage in organized walkouts at work, according to a recent Bloomberg Law statistical report on union strike patterns.

More than one-third of strikes initiated by unions in 2022 and 2023 idled workers who had no first contract in place at the time of the strike, Bloomberg Law data show. In the previous two years, only 13% of strikes began before the first-contract phase.

This recent change in strike patterns illustrates how first contracts have emerged as a ...