Bargained employees need to continue to save for a strike because you never know if the company will stall using ULP like they did with D3 & D9. They engineered a strike through their actions so if you do have a strike hold out for larger wage increases to make up for the lost wages and any increases in your benefit premiums.
From someone who went through the recent strike also put back some food/water for the strike and the picket lines. We had some great grilled, smoked meals and the vast majority enjoyed the downtime after years of forced OT and working week-ends. Many were able to sneak in an extra vacation too. Don’t be concerned because those who touch, support and do sales for the network are needed with the continued installation of fiber, cable reclamation and transitioning from the copper network. Nearly all bargained employees are important in order to make financial guidance and grow the network.
There has and always will be layoffs as needs of the business change, in spite of the contract or strike. Don’t let the fear mongering by company sycophants detour you from negotiating a fair contract. They can’t lock you out on a ULP strike, they have to give your job back upon return and any contractors have to go.