A police strike occurs when law enforcement is affected by a labour dispute. They are extremely rare. Generally, they are illegal, but for obvious reasons this law is difficult to enforce. The few times throughout history when there has been a large scale strike among law enforcement, civil unrest has resulted.
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In 1918 the strike was settled the first day. In 1919 only 15% participated in the strike.
The Boston Police Strike occurred in 1919 after the Police Commissioner refused to allow the creation of a police union. The strike plunged Boston into civil chaos, despite 300 officers remaining on duty.Coolidge stopped the chaos, and kept the city of Boston under control,
Half the police force in Melbourne went on strike over the use of labour spies. Riots and looting followed. A request by the Premier to the Federal Government for troops was refused. 634 policemen were discharged, about a third of the force.
The Town of Cicero, Illinois Police Strike led by Cook County Police Assn President John J. Flood (www.ipsn.org) and Cicero Police Officer John R Marone was the first major strike job action in the United States since the Boston Police Strike of 1919. The strike was extremely unique as the Town of Cicero, Al Capone's Headquarters, has been notoriously mob controlled.
The Cicero Police strike, most violent of labor strife was the inception - the birth - of true police unionism in the United States. The Cicero police rebellion drew national and international attention as it was the first strike by American police officers since the famous Boston Police Strike of 1919.
The Cicero strike drew national and international press coverage. The fact that it was Cicero lent to the aura of police officers striking to address issues of governmental management.
The Montreal police went on strike, leading to the Murray-Hill riot. The strike lasted for sixteen hours until the National Assembly of Quebec passed an emergency law forcing the police back to work.
The Baltimore Police Strike occurred in 1974 in sympathy with 3,000 other municipal employes.
Some Crime Acts make it illegal for anyone to interfere with police in the course of their duty. Thus anyone calling on police to stop work or support a fellow worker would be guilty of a criminal offence. Police officers do not have the employment rights enjoyed by other workers because of the nature of the job they do on behalf of the public.
In the UK Police officers are currently banned from taking strike action under the Police Act 1996.
The police have been banned from striking since 1919, when the Police Act was first established. The Police Federation of England and Wales is to ballot rank-and-file officers on moves to overturn the law.[1]