We hear it every time workers go on strike.
“They’re being selfish.”
“They’re hurting the public.”
“They should just be happy to have a job.”
But let’s get something straight: nobody wants to go on strike.
Striking means no paycheque. It means standing in the cold or the heat holding a sign while cars honk past. It means risking discipline—or worse. People don’t strike because they’re greedy. They strike because they’ve been pushed to the edge.
Bosses don’t call them selfish when they hand themselves bonuses. Or when they lay off dozens of workers just to bump up their stock price. But when workers walk off the job to demand a living wage or safer working conditions, suddenly they’re the problem?
Let’s be honest.
Workers don’t strike after the first bad day. They strike after months—sometimes years—of being ignored. Of being overworked, underpaid, and disrespected. They strike because bargaining broke down. Because the employer stopped listening.
And sure, strikes cause disruption. That’s the point. If a strike didn’t disrupt something, it wouldn’t work.
But here’s the thing: most of the time, the disruption’s already there. Ask the nurse who’s looking after 10 patients on a short-staffed night shift. Ask the school caretaker cleaning an entire school by themselves. Ask the warehouse worker doing 3 people’s jobs because the boss won’t fill the vacant shifts.
Strikes don’t cause disruption. They reveal it.
And the workers? They’re not striking to hurt the public. They are the public. They’re our neighbours, friends, and family members. They want better for their own lives, sure—but also for the people they serve.
When workers fight for safer staffing levels, it’s not just for them. It’s for the patients in the ER. It’s for the students in the classroom. It’s for the passengers waiting for a bus that’s always late because management cut the number of routes covering an expanding city.
People call strikes selfish. But you know what’s selfish? Paying executives 6 or 7 figures while telling workers there’s no money left. That’s selfish. Asking people to do more work for less pay every year. That’s selfish.
Let’s not forget: we owe a lot to strikes. The weekend? Strikes. Overtime pay? Strikes. Paid sick days? Strikes. None of it was handed out of kindness. Workers had to fight for it. And they still do.
So, the next time you see a picket line, don’t shake your head. Don’t call them lazy or entitled. Ask why they’re out there. Ask what it took to get to that point. And ask why the boss didn’t settle things before it came to this.
Strikes aren’t selfish. They’re what happens when workers are done being pushed around.
