A wildcat strike is an unauthorized strike while a union contract is in effect or being negotiated. It is illegal and can result in firing without legal repercussions. Strikes are work stoppages to force concessions, but authorized strikes are legally permitted and protected. Wildcat strikes occur when workers feel the union isn’t doing enough to protect them or to protest safety issues or unfair dismissal. They can last one day or until the problem is addressed.
A wildcat strike is strike action that is taken while a union contract is still in effect or while a union is negotiating for benefits. Since a wildcat strike is not authorized by a union, it is technically an illegal action. In most countries, employees who participate in a wildcat strike can be fired without legal repercussions for the company. Since these strikes are not legally protected, most workers try to avoid them.
In labor terms, a strike is a work stoppage or slowdown or work designed to force a company to make concessions. There are different styles of strike action, ranging from strikes in which all workers simultaneously call sick people in a “sick-out” to a strike in which workers picket their company to bring attention to the cause. In many countries, better labor laws and union protections have made strikes much less common. Striking workers also enjoy some legal protections, such as the right to return to work.
Many modern workers are organized into a union, which negotiates on behalf of protected workers. A union may also call a strike or other type of protest action if it deems it necessary. In this case the strike is legally permitted, because it is authorized by the union. Typically, a union will notify a company that a strike is imminent, allowing the company to decide whether to comply with the union’s demands or face a strike.
When a wildcat strike is organized, workers go on strike without the benefit of union protection. There are a number of reasons for organizing a wildcat strike. In some cases, workers may feel the union isn’t doing enough to protect them, so they strike out on their own to force their company to pay attention to the problem. This type of strike can also occur when a serious safety issue isn’t addressed, or when workers want to protest a dismissal they feel is unfair.
Unlike a normal strike, a wildcat strike appears without warning. Striking workers can picket the company to highlight the cause and force out temporary workers, or they can simply choose not to come to work. In some cases, this type of strike lasts only one day, and is held more to make a point than decide a major issue. In other cases, the strike lasts until the perceived problem has been addressed or corrected.
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