I don’t think a prolonged general strike is going to happen in the US, and I’ll tell you why: the social safety net doesn’t exist, and people are broke.

43% of USians cannot afford an unexpected $1000 bill¹. The median household spends 33% of their income on rent². The median household has $8k in savings³. Most people will lose their health insurance if they don’t show up to work.

How many of these people can sustain a general strike during which they will not get paid?

…

¹ https://www.usnews.com/banking/articles/2026-financial-wellness-survey

² https://usafacts.org/answers/how-much-do-households-spend-on-rent/country/united-states/

³ https://www.bankrate.com/banking/savings/savings-account-average-balance/#how-much-does-the-average-household-have-in-savings