Strikes occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic due to many factors including: hazard pay or low pay, unsafe working conditions (due to poor social distancing or a lack of personal protective equipment), inability to pay rent. These strikes are separate from the various protests that occurred over responses to the pandemic.
Overview of strikes The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States has led to the highest number of total infections and deaths of any country, although per capita it is not the highest. The pandemic caused the unemployment rate to temporarily rise from roughly 2 percent to nearly 18 percent of the workforce, higher than the Great Recession of 2008, but lower than the peak of the Great Depression in 1933. Many employers for non-essential work shifted to teleworking to avoid infections in office environments at the suggestion of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and by the end of March 2020, all 50 states in the U.S. had confirmed cases and deaths and had initiated stay-at-home orders. As a result of the high unemployment rates and social injustices that were laid bare during the pandemic, people began to strike for various reasons including rent strikes, prison strikes, university strikes, and worker strikes.
Prison system strikes During the COVID-19 pandemic an array of social inequalities were exposed including the flaws of the prison system in the US that faltered under the public health emergency. As a result of mass incarceration in the US and unhealthy living conditions within the prisons, the incarcerated population is five times more likely to contract the COVID-19 virus. At least 392,595 incarcerated people have tested positive for COVID-19 and at least 2,516 people in prison have died from complications related to the virus. The US has the highest incarceration rate in the world, and often has crowded and unsanitary conditions causing difficulty in following CDC guidelines such as social distancing and hand sanitizing as hand sanitizers are often banned or limited in correctional facilities. In response to the rising cases and crowded conditions, thousands of inmates were released; however, strikes continued to emerge as inmates protest their living conditions.
A hunger strike occurred at York County Prison in Pennsylvania. Another hunger strike happened in Otay Mesa, San Diego, California on 17 April 2020 at the Otay Mesa Detention Center.
Additionally detainees of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have begun to strike in protest of unsafe and over-crowded conditions in ICE facilities. 60 women being held at an ICE facility Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington organized a hunger strike demanding the release of all vulnerable people. Detained immigrants across three ICE facilities in New Jersey organized a hunger strike with 86 people being held in an ICE facility in Newark, New Jersey hunger striking and demanding their release given the inability to curb the spread of COVID-19 within the facility. Responses to these hunger strikes in some cases have been violent with ICE officers using pepper spray on a group of Cuban asylum seekers in New Mexico after they organized a hunger strike.
Rent strikes
United States On 1 April 2020, 32 residential tenants in Chicago went on strike. One Los Angeles landlord, while trying to prevent a rent strike by emailing 300 tenants that they owed rent, inadvertently caused one by cc'ing, and not bcc'ing those tenants on the list who used the contact information to coordinate a strike. A solitary renter in Colorado went on strike. A group of at least 20 tenants went on strike in Oakland, California. Almost a dozen renters in Austin, Texas went on rent strike in one building.
According to the National Multifamily Housing Council, 69 percent of American renters were on time with rent by 5 April 2020, as compared to 81 percent in March 2020. On 8 April, 13 Philadelphia households went on rent strike. In May 2020 thousands of New York City tenants declined to pay rent in a rent strike.
Companies Many commercial tenants, notably retailers, have called the situation a "force majeure" as rationale for voiding lease agreements, although landlords still have to make mortgage payments. These include Cheesecake Factory, Mattress Firm and Subway refused to pay April 2020 rent due to the pandemic, and resulting unemployment.
Organizations Rent Strike 2020 was an activist organization that was formed during the 2020 pandemic to promote widespread rent strikes. In Chicago, the Autonomous Tenant's Union has been advocating rent freezes as well as mortgage freezes and utility freezes. A group of 100 renters in Kent, Ohio formed the Kent Tenants Union, which created a list of demands to pay rent.
The International Alliance of Inhabitants is a network of grassroots organizations. It established the International Tribunal on Evictions which held sessions and collaborates with the UN Rapporteur on the Right to Housing.
Other Countries
Australia A petition organized by the Kulin Nations (Melbourne) branch of the Industrial Workers of the World recorded nearly 20,000 signatures on its page. This prompted the organization of rent strike support groups in preparation for 31 March, when renters from multiple Council areas sent letters of demand to real estate companies and landlords stating their intention to cease paying rent beginning in April. Initial organization came before announcement of a moratorium on evictions for six months by the Australian Federal government, and continued afterwards.
United Kingdom In the UK all eviction proceedings were suspended, and a three-month, extendable, moratorium on new proceedings was imposed. In addition household assistance of various forms was made available to domestic tenants, and support for landlords was extended via the banks. However, students at the University of the West of England and Bristol University went on a rent strike against many landlords who continued to charge them full priced rent. Students at the University of Manchester launched a rent strike and occupation in November 2020, calling for a 40 percent rent reduction for the duration of the 2020/21 academic year, for the option of ending their tenancies early without penalty, and for additional help for self-isolating students. In response to the rent strike the university cut rent by 30 percent for all students in university halls of residence. Rent strikes were also announced in Autumn 2020 at the University of Glasgow, which resulted in a one-month rent rebate.
University strikes
University strikes in the US Students at the University of Chicago went on a tuition strike and similar strikes were seen at Pomona College, The New School, and Columbia University. Students at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie went on a strike from classes after the university refused to implement a Universal Pass system for the classes during the pandemic. PhD students at Columbia University went on strike stating that their rent should be canceled, research stipends increased, and an extra year added to their programs to make up for lost time due to the pandemic.
On 8 September, the graduate students' union at the University of Michigan declared a strike over concerns regarding their school's reopening plans. The strike ended on 17 September following an agreement between the union and the university.
On 15 March 2021, members of the Graduate Workers of Columbia–United Auto Workers began a strike at Columbia University over issues of union recognition and failures to agree to a labor contract.
University strikes in other countries Students at the Universidad de Chile and Universidad San Sebastián in Chile, went on an online strike in support for the many students who do not own a computer or constant access to the Internet for online learning. The 2018–2021 UK higher education strikes by university staff overlapped with the pandemic, though they originated beforehand.
On 19 October, the 1,300 University of Ottawa Support Staff members started a strike, following 19 months of unsuccessful negotiations, over cuts in Health Benefits, limited salary increases due to Ontario's Bill 124, cuts in parental leave and new retirement plan limitations. Due to COVID-19 gathering limitations, employees on strike had to use their creativity to develop different virtual picketing techniques to raise awareness.
Workers strikes
Overview of 2020 United States essential workers general strike Despite warnings from the CDC, jobs deemed "essential" for the function of society required employees to report to work amidst the pandemic. This included various healthcare, grocery and home supplies retail chains. Various workers at home supplies and grocery chains had initially complained that customers were not practicing social distancing recommendations, and that companies were not adequately providing the necessary equipment and financial security needed to minimize the risk of exposure to the virus, nor have enough of a safety net to stay home should they become infected with the virus.
On 1 May 2020, essential workers at Amazon, Instacart, Target, Walmart, and Whole Foods organized a nationwide strike over lack of safety precautions, hazard pay, and benefits during the coronavirus pandemic. The date of the strike correlated with International Workers' Day, an international day to celebrate and recognize organized labor. It was part of a wave of strikes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several labor unions provided support to these strikes including the AFL–CIO, Target Workers Unite, UFCW, and the IWW.
Unions have said in numerous statements that the inadequate preparations by these companies to make employees safe has led to higher illnesses and deaths from COVID-19. The United Food and Commercial Workers union said 72 of its members have died and more than 5,000 are not at work due to circumstances surrounding COVID-19. Several labor unions provided support to these strikes including the AFL–CIO, Target Workers Unite, UFCW, and the IWW.
Several major gatherings pertaining to the strike occurred in Staten Island, near what many consider is the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. Additional cities where major strike action occurred included Los Angeles, and Richmond, Virginia.
Several high-profile politicians including Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Kamala Harris of California expressed solidarity with the workers.
Amazon
Strikes occurred in mid-March 2020 in Italy, and late March through 1 May 2020 at various US Amazon locations.
In New York City, the Amazon worker who helped organize the walkout at the Staten Island Warehouse was soon fired and New York City mayor Bill De Blasio has ordered an investigation. Amazon executives had planned to smear the reputation of the organizer. Amazon workers near Milan, Italy held a strike in mid-March to protest hazardous working conditions. On 1 April 2020 Amazon warehouse workers in Michigan planned a strike over PPE protections for the coronavirus. Amazon workers have been tracking known cases of the coronavirus in the US and Europe on Reddit, due to a lack of transparency from upper management. Amazon workers again went on strike over safe working conditions on Monday 6 April in Staten Island.
A minority of workers at various Amazon, Target, Instacart, and Whole Foods shops joined coordinated walkouts or sick-outs on 1 May 2020, in what was called an "essential workers general strike."