Can You Be Fired For Striking On March 8?

As you probably know by now, a strike called “A Day Without a Woman” is currently being organized for March 8, which is International Women’s Day. As the fervor around it grows, many of you are likely wondering if you can be fired for participating. As it turns out, the National Labor Relations Act protects our right to strike, but not across the board. According to this interpretation of the act, “Strikes are generally considered by the Act to be lawful if they are protesting for economic reasons—like wages, working hours, or working conditions—or if they are protesting unfair labor practices. In both cases, employees are protected from being discharged, but general or mass strikes (like the women’s strike) that are not linked to specific employment issues seem to be a different matter, especially in the United States.” We suggest you read the act yourself and speak with your superior before deciding to strike—here is a template letter to send your employer or to use as inspiration for your conversation with him or her. If you decide it’s not a good idea, fret not—there are other ways to support the movement, which has changed the course of history many times since its inception. Here are a few of them.