Walkout
Encyclopedia
In labor disputes
, a walkout is a labor strike
, the act of employees collectively leaving the workplace as an act of protest.
A walkout can also mean the act of leaving a place of work, school, a meeting, a company, or an organization, especially if meant as an expression of protest or disapproval.
A walkout can be seen as different from a strike in that a walkout can occur spontaneously, and need not necessarily involve all the workers present, whereas a strike is often voted on beforehand by the workers, giving notification both to all of the workers and to the company affected.
while allowing the speaker to exercise the freedom of speech
, albeit with a reduced audience in attendance.
In the beginning of the 19th century there was a change in economic circumstances with the booming Industrial Revolution and young single women, between ages of fourteen to early twenties felt the need to work to relieve financial pressures from their family and to gain a sense of independence of living on their own. They left home and began a new life on the in the mill boarding houses. While working in the mills they would send some monthly earnings back home to still fulfill the role as a contributing part of the family. However, the majority of their earnings was saved in the bank for their own desires. Most women who made this change came from a modest farming backgrounds and made the moved to areas of New England and Mid Atlantic States.
Economic Crisis of 1834
In the early months of 1834 textile sales were slow and profits were not up to standard to provide sufficient wages for the women mill workers of Lowell, Massachusetts. Therefore wages were cut and the price of room and board went up. The mill factory women saw this wage cut and price increase as an offense to their dignity, social quality, and economic autonomy, since their earnings were their only symbol of their independence. The women decided to take action and many started petitions and held meetings during dinner breaks. They pledged that they would quit if the wage rates decreased. On a Friday in February 1834 a sporadic walkout began after meeting in which an agent of a mill company dismissed a woman factory worker. Protesting began; women quit work and started parading through the city streets attempting to persuade other mill women to join. This walkout however was short lived and by the middle of the next week the women either returned to work or left town. Only about one sixth of all women workers in Lowell walked out.
Walkout of October 1836
In October 1836, the women workers in the Lowell, Massachusetts factory mills walked out once again for the same reasons as the strike in 1834. The young women saw the wage-cut and the increasing prices of housing board as a direct assault on their social and economic independence, and they wouldn't let the revolting wage-cut and rising prices undermined their status as “daughters of freemen”. Furthermore, as influence by their traditional values the young women, they didn't accept to be treated as slaves so they protested. In this second walkout however, the women workers were more organized, and the number of workers involved in the strikes were far numerous than the one sixth of all the factory workers in 1834 which had a greater impact on the success of their operation. The other cause to their success of this second walkout was the economic prosperity of 1840s; the mills profits were booming and they needed more workers. Therefore, the walkout of 1836 affected the mills greatly because they were short in workers, and the lengthy absence of the women accentuated the impact. As a result, some of the mills were obliged to cut their charges on housing, and they were forced to cooperate with the women worker’s organization.
Effects
The women wanted to take a stand for their independence. With the decision making of having walkouts, they portrayed how women started a new revolution with a new idea of feminine autonomy and power. The 1834 and 1836 walkouts symbolized women standing against oppression by employers who wished to lower their wages, as well as increase the price in housing. With these walkouts women took a stand for themselves as well as paved the way for the generations of women to come.
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
, a walkout is a labor strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
, the act of employees collectively leaving the workplace as an act of protest.
A walkout can also mean the act of leaving a place of work, school, a meeting, a company, or an organization, especially if meant as an expression of protest or disapproval.
A walkout can be seen as different from a strike in that a walkout can occur spontaneously, and need not necessarily involve all the workers present, whereas a strike is often voted on beforehand by the workers, giving notification both to all of the workers and to the company affected.
Walkouts during speeches
Walkouts have often been staged against the presence of a speaker or the content of an in-progress speech at a meeting. The protest, which is often a silent, non-violent means of expressing disapproval, is often interpreted as an exercise of the freedom of associationFreedom of association
Freedom of association is the individual right to come together with other individuals and collectively express, promote, pursue and defend common interests....
while allowing the speaker to exercise the freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
, albeit with a reduced audience in attendance.
Famous Walkouts
- 31 October 2007 - Hundreds of students walked out of Clarkstown High School North in New City, NY in order to protest the decrepit conditions of the building, which ranged from electrical problems to a rat and maggot infestation. Another problem was the school's long lasting cockroach infestation.
- 29 February 2008 - Hundreds of students from Holy Redeemer High SchoolHoly Redeemer High SchoolHoly Redeemer High School is a high school of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton, located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States. Holy Redeemer High School is located in Luzerne County.-Holy Redeemer:...
in Wilkes-Barre, PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, conducted a pro-teachers' union walkout despite warnings that disciplinary actions will be taken if they left the school. It was one of many protests that occurred that school year against the Diocese of Scranton's restriction on forming a teachers' union. In the end, the Diocese did not give in to their demands. The February Walkout made regional news.
- 5 March 2008 - Students from AlamedaAlameda High SchoolAlameda High School is a public coeducational high school serving grades 9-12. It is located in Alameda, California and is part of the Alameda Unified School District.- History :...
and EncinalEncinal High SchoolEncinal High School is a public coeducational high school serving grades 9-12. It is located in Alameda, California and is part of the Alameda Unified School District.-Threatened closure:...
High Schools walked out to protest a vote that would end several sports and Advanced Placement classes in the both schools. The vote was a result of the state government refusing to cut the prison budget and instead cutting the budget for education.
- 29 April 2009 - Delegates from 11 countries participating at the Durban Review ConferenceDurban Review ConferenceThe Durban Review Conference is the official name of the 2009 United Nations World Conference Against Racism , also known as Durban II. The conference ran from Monday 20 April to Friday 24 April 2009, and took place at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland...
in Geneva, Switzerland walked out during a speech by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad which condemned Israel as a "totally racist" state. The walkouts were one of a number of reactions to the conference in addition to boycotts by other invited nations and disruption of the speech by French student protesters.
- 27 April 2010 - Several thousand students in New Jersey walked out of schools and protested state-wide school budget cuts which can have many adverse effects such as teacher's losing jobs, after school programs being cut and a pay-to-play policy for sports. The protest was started on Facebook by a graduate from a high school in Bergen county that now lives in New York attempting to save her family still living in New Jersey from becoming fired because of the budget cuts. The estimate of students in Newark alone reached as high as 5,000 since Governor Chris Christie was going to have a meeting in the city discussing the budget. The Facebook group had about 17,000 students who pledged to attend the day of the walk-out. Several other cities and towns across the state had numbers of 150 in Kenilworth, 200 in Maplewood , half of Montclair High School's 1900 students, and more walking out and protesting the cuts.
- 01 June 2011 - Hundreds of students walked out of Westchester High SchoolWestchester High School (Los Angeles)Westchester High School is a public high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, Local District 3.It is located in Westchester , USA, a suburban neighborhood adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport and bordered by Playa Vista to the north, Inglewood to the east, El Segundo to the...
. The walkout was a public protest in response to 25 teachers that were displaced. Upon converting to an all magnet school, teachers were required to go through an interview process. 25 teachers were displaced in what many feel was a political act because of their tenure. It was not in regards to the school going magnet, rather to critical teachers who were displaced and won't be returning. The decision was made by Dr. Brenda A. Manuel, Interim Superintendient of District 3 or LAUSD.
Women Factory Walkouts of 1834 and 1836
BackgroundIn the beginning of the 19th century there was a change in economic circumstances with the booming Industrial Revolution and young single women, between ages of fourteen to early twenties felt the need to work to relieve financial pressures from their family and to gain a sense of independence of living on their own. They left home and began a new life on the in the mill boarding houses. While working in the mills they would send some monthly earnings back home to still fulfill the role as a contributing part of the family. However, the majority of their earnings was saved in the bank for their own desires. Most women who made this change came from a modest farming backgrounds and made the moved to areas of New England and Mid Atlantic States.
Economic Crisis of 1834
In the early months of 1834 textile sales were slow and profits were not up to standard to provide sufficient wages for the women mill workers of Lowell, Massachusetts. Therefore wages were cut and the price of room and board went up. The mill factory women saw this wage cut and price increase as an offense to their dignity, social quality, and economic autonomy, since their earnings were their only symbol of their independence. The women decided to take action and many started petitions and held meetings during dinner breaks. They pledged that they would quit if the wage rates decreased. On a Friday in February 1834 a sporadic walkout began after meeting in which an agent of a mill company dismissed a woman factory worker. Protesting began; women quit work and started parading through the city streets attempting to persuade other mill women to join. This walkout however was short lived and by the middle of the next week the women either returned to work or left town. Only about one sixth of all women workers in Lowell walked out.
Walkout of October 1836
In October 1836, the women workers in the Lowell, Massachusetts factory mills walked out once again for the same reasons as the strike in 1834. The young women saw the wage-cut and the increasing prices of housing board as a direct assault on their social and economic independence, and they wouldn't let the revolting wage-cut and rising prices undermined their status as “daughters of freemen”. Furthermore, as influence by their traditional values the young women, they didn't accept to be treated as slaves so they protested. In this second walkout however, the women workers were more organized, and the number of workers involved in the strikes were far numerous than the one sixth of all the factory workers in 1834 which had a greater impact on the success of their operation. The other cause to their success of this second walkout was the economic prosperity of 1840s; the mills profits were booming and they needed more workers. Therefore, the walkout of 1836 affected the mills greatly because they were short in workers, and the lengthy absence of the women accentuated the impact. As a result, some of the mills were obliged to cut their charges on housing, and they were forced to cooperate with the women worker’s organization.
Effects
The women wanted to take a stand for their independence. With the decision making of having walkouts, they portrayed how women started a new revolution with a new idea of feminine autonomy and power. The 1834 and 1836 walkouts symbolized women standing against oppression by employers who wished to lower their wages, as well as increase the price in housing. With these walkouts women took a stand for themselves as well as paved the way for the generations of women to come.
External links
- wildcat strikes: Articles on libcom.org