Naturally when this subject is raised one automatically thinks of the early 80s in Britain and the devastating and long lasting effects of the coal miners strike both personally and nationally.
By coincidence the Arizona Copper Mine Strike can be seen as equally damaging. The Arizona Copper Mine Strike of 1983 began as a bargaining dispute between the Phelps Dodge Corporation and a group of union copper miners. The subsequent strike lasted nearly three years and is regarded as an important moment in the history of the United States labor movement. See article on Wiki and the attached references.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_Copper_Mine_Strike_of_1983
The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.