sympathy strike
noun
: a strike in which the strikers have no direct grievance against their own employer but attempt to support or aid usually another group of workers on strike
Examples of sympathy strike in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But those kinds of sympathy strikes are allowed in most of Europe, and thus make general strikes across broad swaths of those economies far more frequent.
—
Chris Isidore, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024
An official from an association that represents local car repair shops has also raised concerns that some of its members are being hit hard by the sympathy strikes, which prevent them from carrying out any repairs.
—Melissa Eddy, New York Times, 7 Dec. 2023
Tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente union employees are scheduled to hold a 24-hour sympathy strike starting on Thursday morning in solidarity with the IUOE Stationary Engineers, Local 39, which has been bargaining with the health system for several months, union officials said.
—Lauren Hernández, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Nov. 2021
This is usually referred to as a sympathy strike.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 14 Oct. 2021
Nonetheless, the maritime strike escalated into an enormous citywide sympathy strike, shutting down San Francisco for several days.
—Jim Millercommunity Voices Contributor, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 May 2022
If the the strike had gone forward and continued to Thursday, when thousands of additional workers planned to join in a 24-hour sympathy strike, more than half of its total workforce would have been out on strike.
—oregonlive, 13 Nov. 2021
The strike led to a one-day sympathy strike by the Nordic country’s transport sector, including Finnair, which had to cancel almost 300 flights.
—BostonGlobe.com, 4 Dec. 2019
Two other unions have approved sympathy strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday.
—Teresa Watanabe, latimes.com, 7 May 2018
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Chris Isidore, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024
An official from an association that represents local car repair shops has also raised concerns that some of its members are being hit hard by the sympathy strikes, which prevent them from carrying out any repairs.
—Melissa Eddy, New York Times, 7 Dec. 2023
Tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente union employees are scheduled to hold a 24-hour sympathy strike starting on Thursday morning in solidarity with the IUOE Stationary Engineers, Local 39, which has been bargaining with the health system for several months, union officials said.
—Lauren Hernández, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Nov. 2021
This is usually referred to as a sympathy strike.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 14 Oct. 2021
Nonetheless, the maritime strike escalated into an enormous citywide sympathy strike, shutting down San Francisco for several days.
—Jim Millercommunity Voices Contributor, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 May 2022
If the the strike had gone forward and continued to Thursday, when thousands of additional workers planned to join in a 24-hour sympathy strike, more than half of its total workforce would have been out on strike.
—oregonlive, 13 Nov. 2021
The strike led to a one-day sympathy strike by the Nordic country’s transport sector, including Finnair, which had to cancel almost 300 flights.
—BostonGlobe.com, 4 Dec. 2019
Two other unions have approved sympathy strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday.
—Teresa Watanabe, latimes.com, 7 May 2018
Cite this Entry
“Sympathy strike.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sympathy%20strike. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share