I don’t understand because I’m dumb, but how would this work in practice?
What happens if Biden snaps his fingers and the workers continue to strike anyway?
If I were in this union I’d just tell Biden to pound sand.
Pretty sure this means that the workers will no longer be protected by law from losing their jobs. If the union leaders condone the strike, they could go to jail. If the union doesn’t condone the strike, this is a wildcat strike and the firm can sue the union if they don’t expel the workers participating. Furthermore the government/firms will be less likely to engage in negotiations with the union if they go through with an unprotected strike.
If the striking workers are government employees, then there could be further reprisals (in some states it’s illegal for government employees to go on strike, as government employees do not have a legally protected right to strike unlike those working in the private sector).
Basically, you always have a legal right to not go to work or to participate in a strike, but there are “protected” and “unprotected” strikes/union action. Workers who participate in a protected strike have certain legal protections over workers in unprotected strikes. Also, while it isn’t illegal to participate in an unprotected strike, disrupting work or unlawful assembly could land strikers or union leaders in legal trouble.
I got all this through 30 mins of googling so if anyone knows more, or if I’ve said something incorrect, please correct me
- https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2005/12/when-did-strikes-become-illegal.html
- https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-in-the-USA-you-can-be-arrested-for-going-on-strike-to-defend-or-improve-the-conditions-of-your-employment
- https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/9/20/20873867/worker-strike-walkout-stoppage-firing-job
- https://www.lawyers.com/legal-info/labor-employment-law/wage-and-hour-law/when-is-going-on-strike-illegal.html
