Of Strikes and Search
September 26th, 2007
by 
In the first national strike against General Motors in the age of the Internet, more than 70,000 members of the United Auto Workers walked out on their jobs yesterday—and sent buzz spiraling upwards.
Interest in “gm strike” surged 1,813%, landing in our top 10 movers for the day. Searches for “uaw” (+716%) and “general motors corporation” (+219%) also leapt. Even queries for the non-descript “strike” rose 160%.
Searchers show a particular interest in the dialogue (or lack of it) between the two sides. Queries for “gm uaw negotiations” (+302%), “uaw negotiations” (+296%), “uaw talks” (+180%), and “uaw contract” (+97%) all rallied.
Though GM assembly plants in 30 states lost workers to the picket line, online interest runs highest across the rust belt and to the south. Michigan, unsurprisingly, dominates the list. The Great Lakes state is responsible for more than half of the nation’s searches for “uaw strike.”
As the protests and talks continue, we’ll keep an eye on whether the strike sustains its online following—or fades into background noise.
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