Differential Mental Health Consequences of Strikes and Lockouts

Do different types of industrial action have differential effects on union members' mental health? We compared the effects of a strike and a lockout on members' psychological distress 6 months after industrial action was resolved. Participants were 156 secondary school teachers in 2 different school boards, all of whom belonged to the same union. Six months prior to survey administration, both school boards had experienced the same industrial relations negotiation process and both had a settlement imposed on the same day by back-to-work legislation, but they differed on the type of industrial action taken: Members of 1 board went on a 4-week strike, whereas members of the other board were locked out by board management for 4 weeks. Compared to members who went on strike, members locked out reported higher levels of context-free psychological distress 6 months after being legislated back to work. We discuss implications for theory, practice, and policy. Public Significance Statement Strikes and lockouts have different effects on the mental health of union members, with lockouts potentially worse for mental health than strikes are. It is important that during and after labor action, union members have access to mental health support services.