ANALYSIS: Unions Took a Year Off From Walkouts in 2020

With so many workers idled by health and economic crises, it’s no wonder that stopping work the old-fashioned way—through union walkouts—proved to be an uncommon labor practice in 2020. Still, it’s surprising to see just how drastically strikes went out of style as the pandemic proceeded.

The number of work stoppages didn’t just drop in 2020; it plunged. Only 86 strikes and lockouts were called last year in unionized workplaces, according to Bloomberg Law’s database of work stoppages. That’s almost half the number that was reported in 2019 (159), and the lowest yearly total since Bloomberg Law started tracking ...