Unions
The union system adds sector unionization, standing labour premiums, strikes, and (at full tier) player-run unions and union-busting. It builds on Labour & Wages — wage level, minimum-wage protection, and macro feedback must be live before union mechanics matter.
Unionization
Each corporate sector carries a unionization score (0–100). It drifts toward a target each turn based on:
| Factor | Direction |
|---|---|
| Real wages below cost-of-living-adjusted expectations | ↑ pressure |
| High unemployment | ↓ pressure |
| Weak minimum-wage protection (low Kaitz ratio) | ↑ pressure |
| Pro-labour union law (country legislation) | ↑ pressure |
| Player-run union recruitment in that sector | ↑ pressure |
At unions tier, high unionization adds a standing premium to labour cost — a persistent surcharge, not a temporary event.
Strikes
When unionization is high and real wages lag a slow-moving worker expectation index by enough, a sector can enter a strike (bounded-duration event):
- Revenue throttle — active strikes cut sector revenue (~25%).
- Margin penalty — additional profit-margin hit while the strike runs.
- Resolution paths:
- Concession — CEO raises wage level until the expectation gap closes; strike ends, cooldown begins.
- Wait it out — strike expires after a fixed duration; unionization bumps up ("radicalization").
- Union-busting (full tier) — CEO action to break the strike; see sector union-busting controls.
A cooldown after every strike prevents immediate re-trigger. Trigger and concession thresholds are separated (hysteresis) so wages cannot be oscillated to game the system.
Union Law
At full tier, countries can enact union-law legislation on a right-to-work ↔ collective-bargaining axis. The active option biases:
- Unionization drift targets
- Strike trigger thresholds (easier or harder to walk out)
Union law gives governments a political lever independent of corporate wage sliders.
Player-Run Unions
At full tier, players can found and operate unions covering a country + sector type. Owned unions contribute membership pressure to unionization drift in matching sectors — organizing becomes a gameplay loop parallel to running a corporation.
Union pages live under /unions when the feature is enabled for your world.
Union-Busting
CEOs (full tier) can attempt union-busting on a striking or highly unionized sector. Success reduces unionization; failure can backfire. Costs and cooldowns apply — it is a high-risk management tool, not a free reset.
Phased Rollout
| Tier | Unions content |
|---|---|
| unions | NPC unionization drift, standing premium, strikes |
| full | Union-law bias, union-busting, player-run unions |
Admins enable tiers via labourSystemMode; a world can run wages and macro without strikes until the next tier is flipped.
Related
- Labour & Wages — Wage slider, minimum wage, macro links
- Corporations — Sector labour costs and CEO tools
- Bills & Legislation — Union-law provisions
- National Metrics — Unemployment and median income context