Legal Definitions - quickie strike

A quickie strike is a sudden, unauthorized, and typically short-duration work stoppage by employees. It occurs without the official approval or sanction of the labor union that represents the workers, or in workplaces where no union exists. These strikes are often spontaneous reactions to a specific grievance or event, aiming to exert immediate pressure on management for a brief period.

Here are some examples to illustrate a quickie strike:

• Example 1: At a large manufacturing plant, a new supervisor suddenly announced a mandatory overtime shift with only an hour's notice, which was a clear violation of the existing collective bargaining agreement. In response, a group of 20 workers on the assembly line immediately stopped working, put down their tools, and gathered in the break room for two hours, refusing to return until management addressed the issue. This was not sanctioned by their union local, but it quickly forced management to retract the overtime order.

  This illustrates a quickie strike because the work stoppage was sudden, unauthorized by the union, and brief, directly protesting a specific management action.

• Example 2: Employees at a busy call center were informed without prior warning that their lunch breaks would be shortened by 15 minutes starting that day, despite company policy guaranteeing a longer break. Feeling unfairly treated and unable to reach their union representative immediately, a dozen customer service agents collectively logged off their computers for an hour, refusing to take calls. The unexpected disruption led the call center manager to temporarily reverse the break change while they consulted with HR.

  This demonstrates a quickie strike as it was an immediate, unsanctioned, and short-lived refusal to work by employees reacting to an abrupt policy change.

• Example 3: A small team of construction workers on a residential building site discovered that their safety harnesses were old and showed signs of wear, potentially compromising their safety at heights. After their foreman dismissed their concerns, the entire team of five workers collectively decided to stop working for the rest of the morning, refusing to ascend the scaffolding until new, certified harnesses were provided. This action was not coordinated through any formal union channels.

  This is an example of a quickie strike because the workers spontaneously and briefly ceased work without official union backing to protest an immediate safety concern.