Hundreds of thousands of US workers have walked off the job this year. Instead of the exception, labour shortages could become the norm.

On 14 September, when members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union walked off the job at three Midwest auto factories owned by General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, it seemed a fitting way for the US labour movement to cap this year's summer of strikes. And collective action is only continuing. In 2023, we've seen labour stoppages in industries of all types. Beginning in May, Hollywood screenwriters in the Writer's Guild of America (WGA) walked the picket line for 148 days before reaching a tentative deal. Actors' union SAG-AFTRA, also struck in July, and remain off the job.

Starbucks workers are participating in an ongoing series of labour actions; and frontline workers including nurses, hotel staff and pilots have also walked out, with some work stoppages continuing. There have also been major near-misses: in July, the package delivery company UPS narrowly averted a strike at the eleventh hour that would have been the largest single-employer labour stoppage in US history. Across disparate industries, workers keep fighting for similar protections: fair wages, increased safety and job security. And as these concerns proliferate, even evolve, experts say US strikes may continue. They're poised to become a common part of American workers' playbooks as they negotiate working conditions, especially as public support spikes.