ABSTRACT
The strike precedes the union. At the beginning of the 1880s, strikes without union involvement were the norm.1 By striking, leaving their work together, workers discovered a collective power, the strength to compel employers and state officials to negotiate with them as equals. Coming later, unionization arrived when already active workers discovered the advantages of formal organization that was able to involve workers from a wider area in strike action, able to accumulate benefit funds to support longer strikes, and able to maintain experienced leadership.
