Some reporters seem to have difficulty differentiating between a strike and a lockout. Management has locked out 10,500 longshoremen at 29 ports on the West Coast, but somehow, the situation keeps getting called a strike.
So for those who need help with definitions:
A lockout is 'the intentional closing up of a company, factory or shop by an employer to prevent employees from working.' It's a tool that management uses, sometimes to bust unions.
A strike occurs when the workers withhold their labor.
In this case, it's the Pacific Maritime Association that has shut down port facilities, causing a shipping backlog and costing the U.S. economy some $1 billion - or more - a day. That's called a lockout.
Some reporters seem to have difficulty differentiating between a strike and a lockout. Management has locked out 10,500 longshoremen at 29 ports on the West Coast, but somehow, the situation keeps getting called a strike.
So for those who need help with definitions:
A lockout is ‘the intentional closing up of a company, factory or shop by an employer to prevent employees from working.’ It’s a tool that management uses, sometimes to bust unions.
A strike occurs when the workers withhold their labor.
In this case, it’s the Pacific Maritime Association that has shut down port facilities, causing a shipping backlog and costing the U.S. economy some $1 billion – or more – a day. That’s called a lockout.