when was the last general strike in the us

The United States has never had a nationwide, all‑sector general strike in the classic sense, and most labor historians say the last major citywide general strike was the Oakland General Strike of December 1946.

Quick Scoop

If by “general strike” you mean a full, coast‑to‑coast shutdown across industries (like those seen in some European countries), the U.S. has not had one at all. Instead, what it has had are powerful local or regional general strikes in specific cities and periods.

The usual “last one” people mean

Most scholars and activists who talk about “the last general strike in the US” are referring to:

• Oakland General Strike, California – December 1946
  • A broad, citywide shutdown in support of department‑store workers.
  • Over 100,000 workers in many sectors (transport, retail, service, industrial) walked off the job.
  • For about two days, much of Oakland effectively shut down.

Because of its scale and cross‑sector participation, Oakland 1946 is widely described as the last classic American citywide general strike.

Earlier major general strikes

Before Oakland, several other actions are often listed when people trace “general strikes” in U.S. history:

• Seattle General Strike, 1919 – Roughly 60,000 workers stopped work, shutting down the city for several days.

• San Francisco, Minneapolis, and Toledo general strikes, 1934 – Depression‑era mass walkouts that mobilized large numbers across industries in each city.

These were powerful but local; none became a true national general strike.

Why the answer is a bit tricky

Modern calls for a “general strike” (for example, in online campaigns or protest movements) usually do not reach the scale or coordination of the classic citywide strikes of 1919, 1934, or 1946. Commentators sometimes say things like “largest strike since 1946,” but they are comparing scale and ambition, not describing a formally recognized, nationwide general strike.

So, when people ask “When was the last general strike in the US?” the historically grounded answer is:

The last widely recognized, large‑scale citywide general strike was in Oakland, California, in December 1946 , and the U.S. has never had a full, nationwide general strike.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.