31 of the Largest Worker Strikes in American History

Unions representing journalists, printers, truck drivers, maintenance workers, and other laborers went on strike over management’s attempt to create a merit-based raise system and limit overtime. The newspapers hired replacement workers, and the union called off the strike.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers ended an eight-week strike in November 2008 with an agreement that the union said protected factory jobs, prevented some outsourcing of posts at Boeing, and retained health care benefits. Boeing management said the accord gave the company more labor flexibility.

A 10-month strike involving steel workers at eight plants in three states ended in August 1997. The union said the agreement boosted pension benefits for the company’s steel workers and provided for early retirements. The accord allowed Wheeling to reduce workforce by 20%. The company closed in 2012.

The 23-day strike, the nation’s longest trucker strike, ended on April 29, 1994. The agreement limited companies’ ability to hire part-time workers, paving the way for more items to be shipped by rail instead of by truck.

The mechanics’ strike against Northwest Airlines proved to be a disaster for the striking workers and their union. Northwest replaced all of the strikers, and some of the strikers and laid-off workers crossed the picket line. The strike also failed because none of the other unions supported the picket lines.