While the subject matter is a far cry from the more fun and hobby-based content most people come to the internet for, The “Workers Strike Back” group has garnered a lot of online popularity, with more than 140 thousand active members, which puts it, slightly ironically, into the top 1% of groups on Reddit. 

The group gathers people interested in a number of topics, from “supporting worker strikes, protests, and unions all over the world,” to simply offering advice for workers in exploitative positions. It was founded in 2021 and had around 75 thousand users last year. Since then, it has grown explosively, roughly doubling in size. There is, unfortunately, no reason to expect that it will diminish, as this topic remains and is likely to continue to remain relevant for millions in the near future. 

While the exploitation of workers happens all around the world, the labor conditions and existing protections vary heavily from place to place and even from industry to industry. Despite its status as a first-world country and a highly developed nation, the US ranks near the bottom of the 38 OECD nations in terms of worker protection. Even worse, existing protections may end up curtailed or limited in the future, as currently there is no organized mass movement to make these safeguards more permanent. 

Despite a lack of formal organization, many workers around the world are starting to make their displeasure known, simply by limiting access to their labor. Last year, in the US alone, over 50 million workers left their jobs due to dissatisfaction or better offers elsewhere. This is sometimes referred to as the “great resignation.” Companies may hate it, but this is ultimately a good thing, putting pressure on nearly every industry to improve conditions. 

Industries, where wages have been traditionally disproportional to the amount of abuse suffered, were hit the hardest. It doesn’t take a scientist to understand that hospitality and food service are generally not comfortable positions that are simultaneously underpaid and overworked. Now, in many places, they are just understaffed, since workers refuse to do this sort of on-your-feet, customer-facing labor for a laughable wage. 

Some jobs are slowly understanding that the old game plan of offering the bare minimum for people who are desperate might not work if every single company is forced to do it. There are only so many desperate workers and a lot more desperate businesses. Who would have thought, a company actually needs labor to survive? Some American companies have started offering childcare to entice families that were otherwise occupied by raising their children. While this is a step in the right direction, it’s worth noting that in some nations, childcare is free and maternity and paternity leave are covered for months, if not years. 

But the bottom line for workers almost everywhere are wages. While it may sound cynical, there is a price that can be put on nearly every sort of job and benefit (or lack thereof) but most companies seem blind to the issue. The bottom line is labor will go to jobs that pay better. Certain industries need to adjust, for example, why would one take $12 to be yelled at by hostile motel guests when they can get the same pay working in a fast food restaurant?

Instead of facing reality, many businesses use the excuse that “people don’t want to work” or that “most prefer unemployment.” There is not a lot of data to back up either point. Regarding the latter, the great resignation was not about never working again, it was about not working for specific companies. Similarly, unemployment benefits, particularly in the US, remain slim, significantly less than the wages many jobs pay that are still insufficient to do anything more but survive.