Lockout (industry)

Part of a series on
Organized labor
Labor movement Conflict theories Decent work Exploitation of labor Timeline New unionism Proletariat Social movement unionism Social democracy Democratic socialism Socialism Communism Syndicalism Union busting Anarcho-syndicalism National-syndicalism
Labor rights Freedom of association Collective bargaining Child labor Unfree labor Diversity, equity, and inclusion Equal pay Employment discrimination Legal working age Four-day week Sabbatical Eight-hour day Annual leave Paid time off Occupational safety and health Overwork Professional abuse Sick leave Toxic workplace Minimum wage Occupational safety and health Employment protection
Trade unions Trade unions by country Trade union federations International comparisons ITUC WFTU
Strike action Chronological list of strikes Hartal General strike Bandh newspapers Green bans Lockouts Overtime bans Pen-down strikes Sitdown strikes Solidarity action Walkouts Whipsaw strikes Wildcat strikes Work-to-rule
Labor parties Australia Barbados Brazil Fiji Georgia Hong Kong Ireland Israel Malta New Caledonia New Zealand Netherlands Norway Portugal Singapore South Korea United Kingdom Sweden
Academic disciplines Industrial relations Labor economics Labor history Labor law
v t e

A lockout is a work stoppage or denial of employment initiated by the management of a company during a labor dispute.^[1] In contrast to a strike, in which employees refuse to work, a lockout is initiated by employers or industry owners.

Lockouts are usually implemented by simply refusing to admit employees onto company premises, and may include changing locks or hiring security guards for the premises. Other implementations include a fine for showing up, or a simple refusal of clocking in on the time clock. For these reasons, lockouts are referred to as the antithesis of strikes.

Lockouts are common in major league sports. In the United States and Canada, the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League have all experienced lockouts.