STRIKE: An agreement of workers, usually the members of a union, to stop working. The objective of a strike is to encourage an employer to raise workers' wages or to improve working conditions. Strikes can be a powerful tool for unions to overcome the market control of employers or to gain a negotiating edge in collective bargaining. They can also create frustrating production bottlenecks that are ultimately suffered by underappreciated consumers. See also | union | market control | collective bargaining | lockout | boycott | arbitration | mediation | wildcat strike | sympathy strike | general strike | labor slowdown |
