A secondary boycott is a form of industrial action where a union or group of workers target a company by boycotting its products or services, not because of a direct dispute with that company, but because it does business with another company involved in a labour dispute. This tactic is typically employed to pressure the primary company involved in the dispute to meet the demands of the workers. Secondary boycotts are often subject to legal restrictions and regulations to balance the rights of workers with the interests of businesses and consumers.
n. an organised refusal to purchase the products of, do business with or perform services for (such as deliver goods) a company which is doing business with another company where the employees are on strike or in a labour dispute. Example: Big Basket Markets are being struck by the Retail Clerks Union, and Cupboard Canning and Wheato Bread are selling foodstuffs to Big Basket. The Teamsters Union then refuses to deliver to Cupboard and Wheato and asks all its members not to buy from those companies, although Cupboard and Wheato are not involved directly in the labour dispute. Such “secondary” boycotts are unfair labour practices under federal and many state laws and, thus, are illegal.
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This glossary post was last updated: 29th March 2024.
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