2021-2026 Strike Wave
eventAI & Compute · Defense & Military-Industrial
Union approval is at its highest since 1965, but only one in ten workers is actually in a union — a huge gap the engine reads as bottled-up pressure ready to blow.
Who they are
The 2021-2026 strike wave, a surge in US labor actions.
What they do
The engine treats it as a measurable buildup of worker unrest.
How it works
It cites hard numbers: 306,800 workers in 30 major stoppages in 2025 (up 13% from 2024), a union-election win rate near 82%, 71% public approval of unions (highest since 1965), and marquee actions like the UPS Teamsters (340,000 workers, 2023), the SAG-AFTRA/WGA strikes that won AI protections after 160 days (2023), and Boeing machinists (33,000, 2024).
Why it matters
The engine's key reading is the gap between 71% approval and only about 10% actual membership — it treats that gap as massive suppressed pressure in the system.
The engine's record — word for word
BLS: 306,800 workers in 30 major stoppages (2025), 13% increase from 2024. Cornell ILR: 303 work stoppages (2025). NLRB: 81.9% union election win rate, 2,100 petitions filed. Gallup: 71% union approval, highest since 1965. Key actions: John Deere (10K workers, 2021), UPS Teamsters (340K, 2023), SAG-AFTRA/WGA (160 days, AI protections won, 2023), Boeing machinists (33K, 2024), ALU/JFK8 (2022). Gap between 71% approval and 10% membership = massive suppressed thermodynamic pressure.
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