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[Sky-Streamer]

WARNING: This may get a bit topical and some descriptions may be similar to recent IRL events. Please don't bring said situations up in replies; Regardless of your opinion on any similar events, this is a suggestion, not a political stance.

I've noticed that Guilds are - in some ways - similar to the modern idea of Unions. So, I thought, "What if Guilds can go on strike too?". I checked the Planned Features page, and didn't see anything specifically about them, so I decided to create this as a starting idea of what they could end up being.

Guild Strikes
Guild Strikes are events that occur when Dwarves are unhappy with some part of their work or lives. They can only take place after a Mayor or Baron is elected, and when enough dwarves in a guild have an issue with one or more things.
During a strike, Dwarves will refuse to work on specific labors or jobs. Some dwarves in a guild will not participate in the strike, but striking dwarves will begin to dislike them, and the dwarves that DO work and DO have sympathies with the strike will produce lower quality goods.

Strike Types
Here are a few ideas of how some strikes could take place. These are only some ideas for how Strikes could work, and these will likely not be all the ways a strike can happen if they are put in-game.

Workless Strike - The typical strike, without any other affects than dwarves refusing to do jobs that relate to certain labors.
General Strike - The typical strike, but on a larger scale, with more than one guild taking part.
Sit-Down Strike - Dwarves will actively get in the way of the work by occupying workshops and refusing to allow others to use it until the strike finishes.
Hunger Strike - Dwarves will refuse to eat or drink until the end of the strike; some may die.
Occupance Strike - Dwarves will enter the rooms that are owned by authority figures and refuse to leave.

Strike Demands
Each strike will choose one or more demands depending on their need from the striking dwarves.

Less Work - If you have been forcing Dwarves to work to the point of being unable to socialize, they will want to have to work less overall.
Meeting Place - If you have not made any sort of area to socialize, Dwarves will strike for an inn or some other area they can socialize with others.
Workless Days - If you have been forcing dwarves to work almost nonstop, they might ask for 1 to 2 weeks of vacation each season.
Better Meals - If enough dwarves do not have proper meals, they will strike for proper meals.
Public Workshops - If dwarves are sad they have been unable to practice a craft, they might strike for a 'Public Workshop' that dwarves can access and use when they have no labors to do.
Better Furniture - If dwarves have nowhere to sleep or store their belongings, they might strike for proper bedrooms and furniture in them.

Lying about Acceptance
You will be able to accept the demands of a strike in a similar fashion to a petition. When they are accepted, they have a time limit to when they must be completed. When you do not complete it, though, there will be a large amount of stress, and a good chance for things to... escalate.

Listening to the Strikers
When you listen to the striking dwarves and give them what they desire, they will get a boost of happier thoughts and will be able to start working again, potentially delaying even a tantrum spiral. However, some dwarves will dislike Strikes and demonize the strikers.

Escalation
What if you ignore the strikers and lie about accepting their goals too much? Well, then the dwarves may begin to riot for change. Dwarves riot when they think strikes don't do anything, and the more riots happen, the faster that dwarves resort to them. Like Strikes, there are a few types of Riots, as well as a final type that can lead to the destruction of a fortress.

Riot Types

Occupancy Riots - Dwarves will enter the houses of authority figures and mess the place up, destroying and upturning furniture.
Precise Riots - Dwarves will destroy items and workshops that relate to their labor, such as axes and carpenter's workshops for woodworkers.
General Riots - Dwarves will destroy any workshops or structures until they are incapacitated or the strike is over.
Resource Riots - Dwarves will destroy resources that relate to their labor, such as metal bars, wooden logs or crafts.
Exodus Riots - Dwarves will leave the fortress and take up occupancy at another site until you do what they want you to do, not just accept.

After a few riots, the dwarves may stop rioting. This does not mean the danger is passed; it means that the final type of riot will soon occur without proper preparation and de-escalation.

Uprising - Think French Revolution with Dwarves. Rogue military dwarves may assist the uprising, Some dwarves will assist the uprising and others will resist it, and the main targets will be those in power. Nobles cannot be elected during an uprising, and if all nobles are killed during an Uprising, the fortress will be forcefully retired. In Legends Mode, the fortress will have created a new civilization after the uprising, and all the holdings of the fort will leave the claim of their civilization as well.

Please tell me what you think of the idea!

[Azerty]

Excellent idea to simulate discontent among the population. The more critical a guild is, the more its strikes could harm the fortress and the more power they could have (in a farming community, a general strike during the harvest season could wreck havok - indeed, the ruler could even force workers back to job in such extreme cases).

And relationships between guilds could be even more critical: two guilds whose heads hate each other could not collaborate on a strike.

[Splint]

The immediate thing with meals that came to mind is that it'd have to be for like, either better than bog-standard prepared meals, or just having more prepared meals in general., lest we have a strike start because a bunch of a guild's members are angry they haven't gotten their gerbil kidneys or beak dog tripe or what have you (god I hope the meal thing is fixed come next release.)

Otherwise a +1 from me. I like stuff like this, cause it's both interesting and may give you an idea of areas you may have been neglecting without realizing it.

Spoiler: Just for fun (click to show/hide)

Message read in legends and such should an uprising begin.
- "In [insert date,] the Guilds of [insert fort] staged an armed uprising after a prolonged period of mismanagement by [insert highest office in the fort and the holder's name]."

Should the uprising fail because you crushed it, then the following is said.
- "In [insert date,] the uprising by the Guilds of [insert fort] was crushed/defeated/annihilated by forces loyal to [insert highest office in the fort and the holder's name] OR by forces loyal to [Insert civ name OR the current monarch at the time of the uprising]."

In the event of a successful uprising (all of your nobles and loyalist soldiers are killed or go insane.)
- "Your fortress has succumbed to an insurrection."

If there happens to be merchants or invaders present, then the civ they belong to may also be implicated as aiding the rebels, thus potentially causing more shenanigans between civs as well.