TEXT Table 1. Work stoppages involving 1,000 workers or more, 1947-94 Table 2. Work stoppages involving 5,000 workers or more beginning in 1994 Technical information USDL 95-25 Michael Cimini (202) 606-6275 For Release: Immediate Media Contact: (202) 606-5902 Friday, January 27, 1995 MAJOR WORK STOPPAGES, 1994 All measures of work stoppage activity were up in 1994, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Most of these measures had been at record lows in 1993. Forty-five major stoppages began during 1994, idling 322,000 workers, and resulting in about 5.0 million days of idleness (about 2 out of every 10,000 available work days). Comparable figures for 1993 were 35 stoppages, 182,000 workers, and 4.0 million days of idleness. The increase in work stoppage activity followed general declines posted in the past several years. (See table 1 and charts 1-3.) The series, which dates back to 1947, covers strikes and lockouts involving 1,000 workers or more and lasting at least one shift. Of the 45 major work stoppages beginning in 1994, 37 were in the private sector--including 26 in manufacturing and 5 in transportation. In the public sector, one dispute--in Hawaii--involved both state and local government employees. The remaining seven public sector stoppages were called by local government employees. Of these seven disputes, five were in education. Industries with the most days of idleness during the year due to work stoppages were industrial and commercial machinery (1.5 million days), motor freight transportation (1.2 million days), and rubber and miscellaneous plastics products (771,000 days). There were, however, over 350 contracts, covering more than 1.2 million workers, that were settled in 1994 without a work stoppage. The 1994 stoppage involving the most workers was between Trucking Management, Inc. and 71,000 employees represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, who were out 24 days. Other large stoppages involved General Motors Corp. and the United Automobile Workers (46,000 workers out 3 days) and UPS and the Teamsters (40,000 workers out 1 day). (See table 2.) More than one-half of the year's work stoppage idleness--2.7 million days--stemmed from two disputes. The first was the previously mentioned Trucking Management, Inc.--Teamsters' dispute. The second involved Caterpillar, Inc. and 14,000 workers represented by the United Automobile Workers, who were out almost 26 weeks during the year, making this the longest stoppage both beginning in 1994 and in effect during the year. The Caterpillar stoppage continued into 1995. The term "major work stoppage" includes worker initiated strikes, as well as lockouts of workers by their employers, involving 1,000 workers or more. The Bureau does not attempt to distinguish between strikes and lockouts in its statistics. Annual data are reported in a news release after the end of each year. Monthly work stoppage data appear in the BLS periodicals, Monthly Labor Review and Compensation and Working Conditions. Table 1. Work stoppages involving 1,000 workers or more, 1947-94 __________________________________________________________________________ | | | Stoppages 1/ | Days idle 1/ ___________________|_________________________ | | | | Year | | Workers | | Percent of |Number | involved | Number | estimated | |(thousands)|(thousands)| working | | | | time 2/ __________________________________________________________________________ | | | | 1947.......................| 270 | 1,629 | 25,720 | (3) 1948.......................| 245 | 1,435 | 26,127 | 0.22 1949 ......................| 262 | 2,537 | 43,420 | .38 | | | | 1950 ......................| 424 | 1,698 | 30,390 | .26 1951.......................| 415 | 1,462 | 15,070 | .12 1952 ......................| 470 | 2,746 | 48,820 | .38 1953 ......................| 437 | 1,623 | 18,130 | .14 1954 ......................| 265 | 1,075 | 16,630 | .13 | | | | 1955 ......................| 363 | 2,055 | 21,180 | .16 1956.......................| 287 | 1,370 | 26,840 | .20 1957.......................| 279 | 887 | 10,340 | .07 1958 ......................| 332 | 1,587 | 17,900 | .13 1959 ......................| 245 | 1,381 | 60,850 | .43 | | | | 1960 ......................| 222 | 896 | 13,260 | .09 1961.......................| 195 | 1,031 | 10,140 | .07 1962.......................| 211 | 793 | 11,760 | .08 1963.......................| 181 | 512 | 10,020 | .07 1964.......................| 246 | 1,183 | 16,220 | .11 | | | | 1965.......................| 268 | 999 | 15,140 | .10 1966.......................| 321 | 1,300 | 16,000 | .10 1967.......................| 381 | 2,192 | 31,320 | .18 1968.......................| 392 | 1,855 | 35,367 | .20 1969.......................| 412 | 1,576 | 29,397 | .16 | | | | 1970.......................| 381 | 2,468 | 52,761 | .29 1971.......................| 298 | 2,516 | 35,538 | .19 1972.......................| 250 | 975 | 16,764 | .09 1973.......................| 317 | 1,400 | 16,260 | .08 1974.......................| 424 | 1,796 | 31,809 | .16 | | | | 1975.......................| 235 | 965 | 17,563 | .09 1976.......................| 231 | 1,519 | 23,962 | .12 1977.......................| 298 | 1,212 | 21,258 | .10 1978.......................| 219 | 1,006 | 23,774 | .11 1979.......................| 235 | 1,021 | 20,409 | .09 | | | | 1980.......................| 187 | 795 | 20,844 | .09 1981.......................| 145 | 729 | 16,908 | .07 1982.......................| 96 | 656 | 9,061 | .04 1983.......................| 81 | 909 | 17,461 | .08 1984.......................| 62 | 376 | 8,499 | .04 | | | | 1985.......................| 54 | 324 | 7,079 | .03 1986.......................| 69 | 533 | 11,861 | .05 1987.......................| 46 | 174 | 4,481 | .02 1988.......................| 40 | 118 | 4,381 | .02 1989.......................| 51 | 452 | 16,996 | .07 | | | | 1990.......................| 44 | 185 | 5,926 | .02 1991.......................| 40 | 392 | 4,584 | .02 1992.......................| 35 | 364 | 3,989 | .01 1993.......................| 35 | 182 | 3,981 | .01 1994.......................| 45 | 322 | 5,020 | .02 __________________________________________________________________________ 1/ The number of stoppages and 2/ Total working time is workers relate to stoppages that for all employees, except began in the year. Days of those in private households, idleness include all stoppages in forestry, and fisheries. effect. Workers are counted more 3/ Not available. than once if they are involved in more than one stoppage during the year. Table 2. Work stoppages involving 5,000 workers or more beginning in 1994 | | | Workers | Estimated days Employer, location, and union | Began | Ended | involved1 | idle in 19941 | | | United Parcel Service | 2/7/94 | 2/7/94 | 40,000 | 40,000 Interstate | | | | Teamsters (IBT) | | | | | | | | General Motors Corp. | 3/14/94 | 3/16/94 | 10,900 | 16,900 Dayton, OH | | | | Automobile Workers (UAW) | | | | | | | | Trucking Management, Inc. | 4/6/94 | 4/29/94 | 71,000 | 1,180,500 Interstate | | | | Teamsters (IBT) | | | | | | | | Hawaii--state and county | 4/18/94 | 4/29/94 | 15,800 | 136,500 governments | | | | Hawaii | | | | State, County and Municipal | | | | Employees (AFSCME) | | | | | | | | Caterpillar, Inc. | 5/16/94 | 5/20/94 | 7,500 | 37,500 Illinois | | | | Automobile Workers (UAW) | | | | | | | | Connecticut Construction | 6/6/94 | 6/18/94 | 6,000 | 60,000 Contractors (heavy/highway) | | | | Connecticut and vicinity | | | | Teamsters (IBT) | | | | | | | | Long Island Rail Road | 6/17/94 | 6/18/94 | 5,400 | 5,400 Long Island, NY | | | | Transportation Union (UTU) | | | | | | | | Caterpillar, Inc. | 6/20/94 | | 14,000 | 1,489,000 IL, MI, PA, and CO | | | | Automobile Workers (UAW) | | | | | | | | Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit | 7/25/94 | 8/2/94 | 7,200 | 50,400 Authority | | | | Los Angeles, CA | | | | Transit Union (ATU) | | | | | | | | Food Employers, Inc. | 8/18/94 | 11/12/94 | 7,000 | 413,000 Portland, OR and Vancouver, WA | | | | Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)| | | | | | | | General Motors Corp | 8/23/94 | 8/25/94 | 46,400 | 63,300 Inland Fisher Guide Plant | | | | Anderson, IN | | | | Automobile Workers (UAW) | | | | | | | | General Motors Corp. | 9/27/94 | 9/30/94 | 22,300 | 74,000 Buick City facility | | | | Flint, MI | | | | Automobile Workers (UAW) | | | | | | | | _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 Workers and days idle are rounded to the nearest 100.