Striking U.S. Workers Usually Back on the Job by the Holidays

The holidays are a time for peace and good will—including at the bargaining table, it seems.

Unions and employers are the most likely to settle a strike in the fourth quarter than at any other time of year, according to Bloomberg Law’s database of work stoppages. In 2020, nearly 38% percent of strikes were settled between October and December. This year, the fourth quarter has already seen the most agreements of any quarter, and there are still about three weeks left in the calendar year.

Among this quarter’s high-profile settlements was the end to a four-week strike at Deere & Co.’s U.S. ...