[4] The conflict was caused by proposed layoffs and cuts to pay and benefits by Inco management, with low nickel prices as a justification.
[5][6] Around 11,600 workers were involved in the strike, which affected the wages sustaining 43,000 people, or about 26% of the population of metropolitan Sudbury.
[8] The role of women in the community during the strike was profiled in the 1980 documentary film A Wives' Tale (Une histoire de femmes).
[9] Concessions won as a result of the strike included Inco's "thirty-and-out" policy, whereby workers with thirty years at the company could retire with a full pension, regardless of age.
Overall, alcohol sales declined by 10% during the strike as compared to the previous winter, likely due to economic reasons.