ABSTRACT
The ability to wage a strike constitutes an important aspect of the union’s power vis-à-vis employers and in society at large. The effectiveness of the strike depends to a certain extent on the willingness of the union and its members to sustain the stoppage. Strike benefits are used to provide at least some economic assistance to strikers for this purpose. Over the past several decades, union strike activity has fallen dramatically as labor’s position in society has deteriorated, though there has been an uptick in 2021. We estimate the amount of money, based on their “working capital (WC),” that unions have to support strike benefits for a given level of strikers on strike for a designated period of time. Based on data for 2020, our estimates show that three of the 53 nationals have more than 50 times the amount of money needed to fund a one-week strike. Another six have WC sufficient to fund a strike of between 25 and 49 weeks. Seven, in contrast, have liquid reserves to pay for between one and two weeks.
