This year will go down as one of the most historic for the labor movement as workers all over the country stood in solidarity for fair pay, better safety, and respect on the job.

“More than 525,000 workers in the United States walked off the job in 2023, according to Bloomberg Law’s database of work stoppages, making it one of the three biggest strike years since 1990,” The Washington Post reports.

And the workers won.

The Teamsters stood up to UPS in the summer and didn’t waver. The workers won new protections from dangerous high-temperature working conditions and secured wage hikes, bringing the average top rate to $49 an hour.

The UAW, with its new reform-minded president Shawn Fain, called a strike against the Big Three carmakers in the fall. And the workers stuck together despite heavy-handed management tactics. Not only did the workers win a 25% raise but they won the hearts and minds of the American public. President Fain said, “The result is one of the most stunning contract victories since the sit-down strikes in the 1930s.”

In May, over 10,000 screenwriters went on strike, followed by 160,000 actors in July. They won protections against the growing use of artificial intelligence and agreed to streaming bonuses.

While not on the level of union member gains, non-union workers “did benefit from substantial wage gains, in part due to easing inflation — at 3.1 percent in November — plentiful job opportunities and the ability to switch jobs. Hardy job creation in service-providing industries, such as health care, education and state and local government, has helped keep the labor market favorable to workers,” The Washington Post reports.

Because of the 2023 labor successes, next year will likely bring continued solidarity among workers whose contracts are expiring.