Solidarity in Danger

By Nelson Lichtenstein, Ph.D.

January 2021

In an industrial dispute that started over two jobs on the Portland, Oregon docks, a federal jury last year awarded an employer $93.6 million, a judgment large enough to bankrupt the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. At the core of the case is the Taft-Hartley Act’s prohibition of labor protests, strikes and boycotts that are “secondary” to a dispute rather than “primary.” As the author, a labor expert, explains, we live in a world of fissured employment and any effort to mount an effective work stoppage or boycott will necessarily impact a “secondary” employer and its employees. If this verdict is upheld on appeal, it will provide a roadmap for any employer who seeks to eviscerate the solidarity and mutual support that stands at the heart of trade union power.