Lyrical Interpretation
The song is about a fictional working class couple, Tommy and Gina, who struggle to make ends meet and maintain their relationship. Tommy "used to work on the docks" because "union's been on strike, he's down on his luck". Gina works at a diner, "workin' for her man".
While some have loosely interpreted the lyrics to be anti-labor, inferring that the striking labor union is the catalyst for the troubled chain of events for Tommy and Gina, others have pointed out that the song does not clarify the circumstances behind the strike, and the lone, vague reference could just as easily be interpreted as a pro-labor message with bosses' attacks forcing the union to go on strike. In fact, Jon Bon Jovi explained that he "wrote that song during the Reagan era (1980–88) and the trickle-down economics are really inspirational to writing songs".
Read more about this topic: Livin' On A Prayer