My friend is a marine mammal caretaker at a rehab center and was venting to me recently about how poorly the animal care staff is treated and how more and more of her colleagues are leaving for other facilities or leaving the field all together because of low wages and rising living costs. Management gets away with underpaying and understaffing bc the workers are very passionate about their job and care deeply about the animals in their charge. This got me thinking, how do workers like this strike without neglecting the animals? If they strike, the animals basically go without care for X time and there’s also the risk of public backlash from “neglecting and abusing” the animals. The field is already very careful about public image considering how ARAs can get. These jobs are important and these workers deserve support and protection- zoos and aquariums are critical for conservation and rehab facilities are key for educating the public and mitigation on the front lines. This also applies for any field that relies on workers for daily care of dependents- is there a way for care workers to strike without actually striking?