‘Suicide Shifts,’ 7-Day Weeks Fuel Rare Flare-Up in U.S. Strikes

The headline-grabbing labor strife of 2021 is being fought along traditional fronts like pay and benefits. But increasingly, restive workers weary from the Covid-19 pandemic are turning to companies with a newly urgent demand: Give back my free time.

From Hollywood sets to snack factories, and heavy-equipment makers to hospitals, employees are fighting back against what they see as a pernicious encroachment on their personal life -- with work restricting their ability to relax, or just to get a good night’s sleep.

Deere & Co. employees, who launched a 10,000-person strike Oct. 14, cited the mandatory overtime that can stretch ...