Presenter(s): Gabriel Graville – Sociology
Faculty Mentor(s): Michael Dreiling
Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Covering Covid
In the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting recession there emerged a period of heightened labor activity. Starting in the Summer of 2021 and continuing through the end of the year multiple industries saw an increase in organized strikes and work stoppages. While heightened collective action in the workplace is well theorized in the recovery periods of a recession there was also an unprecedented rate of resignations throughout the workforce. Through a case study of both the UAW John Deere Strike as well as this wave of resignations dubbed “The Great Resignation” it is evident that there are similarities between the actions of both workers despite collective bargaining institutions having little to no role in “The Great Resignation.” As a result one can argue that “The Great Resignation” is analogous to a more organized collective labor movement despite the individualistic nature of the phenomenon.