Comment by trod1234

That may have been the point of union's initially, but the reason the economy didn't collapse when no production occurred is because this never actually happened and was never tested fully.

When it came close to being tested, a legal playbook was provided for crushing unions, negating their intended benefit. This playbook was provided by none other than President Regan, with the 1981 PATCO strike.

The government took the side of the companies because they required the services to continue, and so any strike that exceeds a certain point has this bulldozer held in reserve; allowing the companies involved to not negotiate in good faith. The playbook has been used multiple times since to crush union power.