The posturing on both sides of a strike is predictable, with management claiming poverty and workers demanding what they see as their due. Spokespeople for both sides make insulting comments about the other group, impugning their honesty and, sometimes, their value. Onlookers watch the spectacle as if it were wrestling. What isn't seen clearly by watchers is the terrible human price. That, of course, is what management wants.
Strikes are never flippant acts.
The cost is too great. They are usually the result of broken down negotiations, long periods with no existing contract because no agreement can be reached, or threats the employees perceive as severe enough to require the most serious available response. It is not rare that strikes produce vandalism, intimidation, and violence. It's easy to say that there has to be a better way to settle conflicts between employers and employees than the strike. Unfortunately, none has emerged with the persuasiveness necessary to replace the old way.