In some cases the shock led to fierce labor battles.
This may be the latest salvo in a new kind of labor battle: union workers versus corporate do-gooders.
The school was the site of a labor battle in 2003 and 2004 when a group of teachers attempted to unionize.
Now, this sizable industrial enterprise finds itself in an unusually fierce labor battle between management and union.
The NBA's top story from now until its resolution is the labor battle between the players' union and the owners.
The mayor's forceful role in the labor battle turned him into a central player in the fight's resolution.
He took office three years ago amid a labor battle in which unionized workers ransacked some of the company's executive offices.
The time his second marriage dissolved because he was too deeply involved in a labor battle.
Several members of the players' executive committee said they had been resigned to losing the protracted labor battle.
But it was not at all clear that they were prepared to deny workers such benefits and turn the issue into a labor battle.