Unions: Sometimes when workers feel that their rights are being routinely violated, the workers can vote to form a union. A union is a group of workers who band together in order to bargain with their employer to improve their wages and working conditions. Union workers can petition to win big improvements in their work places, both by getting employers to adhere to existing laws and by adding a further level of protection that existing laws do not provide.
Not all workers are in favor of unions, however. The point of a union is to make decisions collectively, and that doesn't always leave room for much individual control. There are also some unions with a history of corruption, and some have even been linked with organized crime, like the mafia.
Strikes: Many strikes occur because workers are trying to bargain for specific improvements in their working conditions and the employer is offering less than what the workers are asking for. If the issues at stake are very important to the workers, they will sometimes vote to go on strike. When workers go on strike, they withhold their labor and may walk a picket line instead of going to work. Striking, in most cases, is protected by law.
