Cape Breton coal strike of 1981

The Cape Breton coal strike of 1981 was a strike by coal miners who were members of the United Mine Workers of America (UMW) District 26 against the Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO) of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was the first strike by District 26 since 1947. The high double-digit inflation of the late 1970s and early 1980s affected the buying power for the miners. The strike, which was bitter and violent, began on July 17, 1981. It ended on October 8, 1981 after the fourth contract vote.

In the aftermath of the strike, the UMW leadership, both locally and internationally were criticized. The UMW did not issue the pre-paid strike fund, so the miners went 13 weeks without any pay. The local's president and executive were removed by the president of the UMW in 1983. It was a move to stop a challenge from a new Canadian union trying to decertify the UMW. In the end, the UMW prevailed, but the strike left bitter feelings between the local and the international union.