> Since when can a contract "prevent someone from going on strike"?
> Is this the current state of workers rights in the US of A?
Contract law aside, about a third of the US states have "Right to Work" laws which outlaw unions, but even in the other states, the labor laws are pathetically weak -- employers can and do fire union-sympathizing workers at the drop of a hat, unions are routinely busted, etc.
Public sector unions are a partial exception, thanks to effective local political mobilization, but they may not survive much longer -- the states are in dire fiscal crisis (they have a $140 billion hole in their finances for next year).
-- DRR