Strike action

Strike action (or simply a strike) is the mass refusal by groups of workers to perform work. Strikes first became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became important in factories and mines. In most countries they were quickly made illegal as factory owners had far more political power than the workers. Most western countries legalized striking partially in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.

Strikes versus lockouts

The counterpart to a strike is a lockout, in which an employer refuses to allow employees to work. Lockouts may be "offensive", in which an employer locks workers out until they accept its bargaining demands, or "defensive", in which an employer locks out its employees either in response to a strike against another employer in the same multiemployer bargaining unit or a slowdown or other tactic by the union.

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Two of the three employers involved in the California grocery workers strike of 2003-2004 locked out their employees in response to a strike against the third member of the employer bargaining group. Lockouts are, with certain exceptions, lawful under United States labor law.

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