Labor Experts Warning of Striketober

As U.S. companies continue to feel the pinch of the labor shortage, labor experts are explaining the factors that have lead the situation and advising employers to prepare for “striketober,” Yahoo News reports.

A combination of unique labor market conditions—including record-high levels of people quitting their jobs and an apparent shortage of workers accepting low-wage jobs—has contributed to the recent rash of work stoppages, experts say. But these stoppages also come after decades of stagnating wages and soaring income inequality in the U.S. The federal minimum wage has remained unchanged for over a decade at US$7.25 an hour, despite widespread activism—especially in the hospitality industry—to raise that to $15 an hour through organizations such as the Fight for 15.

So far there have been 255 strikes this year, with 43 occurring in October, according to the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations’ tracker. The researchers behind the tracker define a strike as a temporary stoppage of work by a group of workers to express a grievance or to enforce a demand, that may or may not be workplace-related.

For example, custodians at Denver International Airport staged a one-day strike earlier this month. Although they are back on the job, they are still negotiating a contract and are asking for higher wages for putting their lives at risk after working through the pandemic.

Other cleaning professionals to strike this year include hospital housekeepers and window washers.