Union workers broke open the cookie jar in 2024, after years of stagnant wages and rising prices. With strikes and the threat of strikes, workers did more than forestall concessions: They gained ground. Union workers in the private sector saw 6 percent real wage rises for the year. Just the fear that workers would organize drove up wages at non-union employers like Delta Airlines, Amazon, and Mercedes. Meanwhile, unemployment rates of around 4 percent made strikes easier to maintain. For instance, many Boeing workers were able to get side jobs during their 53-day strike this fall.