Full text of Major Work Stoppages : 1997 : USDL 98-57 : 1997

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USDL 98-57
For Release: 10:00 A.M. EST
Thursday, Feb. 12, 1998

MAJOR WORK STOPPAGES, 1997
The number of major work stoppages dropped to a record low in 1997, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics
reported. Other measures of work stoppage activity were low by historical standards, although the number of workers idled by stoppages
increased from a year ago.
Twenty-nine major work stoppages began during 1997, idling 339,000 workers and resulting in about 4.5 million days of idleness (about 1
out of every 10,000 available work days). Comparable figures for 1996 were 37 stoppages, 273,000 workers idled, and 4.9 million days of
idleness. (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 29 major work stoppages beginning in 1997, 26 were in the private sector, and the remainder occurred in state and local
government. In the private sector, 14 stoppages were in manufacturing industries, including 7 at General Motors Corp. and Chrysler Corp.
and 3 at tire manufacturers. Of the remaining 12 stoppages in the private sector, 5 occurred at Kaiser Permanente and 4 at various
construction sites.
Industries with the most days of idleness during the year due to work stoppages were air courier services (2 million days),
transportation equipment manufacturing (905,000 days), primary metals (803,000 days), rubber and miscellaneous plastics products (250,000
days), and health care services (136,000 days).
The 1997 stoppage involving the most workers was between United Parcel Service and the Teamsters representing 180,000 employees,
most of whom were out for 15 days. (See table 2.)
Over three-fourths of the year's work stoppage idleness (3.4 million days) stemmed from four disputes. The first was the
previously mentioned United Parcel Service-Teamsters dispute (over 2 million days of idleness). The second was between Wheeling
Pittsburgh Steel Corp. and the United Steelworkers (744,000 days of idleness). The last two involved members of the United Automobile
Workers at General Motors Corp. (360,000 days of idleness) and Chrysler Corp. (307,000 days of idleness).
The average length of work stoppages beginning in 1997 was about 20 days. A majority of the work stoppages lasted for 2 weeks or
less, and only 10 percent extended for 60 or more days. Work stoppages were concentrated in the 2-3 day and 15-29 day ranges. (See chart
4.) The longest stoppage beginning in the year was at CF&I Steel Co., where 1,000 workers represented by the United Steelworkers were out
for 89 days. The second longest stoppage beginning in the year was at General Motors Corp. in Pontiac, Mich., where 5,900 workers
represented by the United Automobile Workers were idle for 88 days. The longest stoppage in effect in 1997 was at the Detroit Free Press
and Detroit News, where 2,500 workers represented by various unions were out for 558 days; this stoppage began in 1995 and continued into
1997.

The term "major work stoppage" includes worker-initiated strikes, as well as lockouts of workers by their employers, involving 1,000
workers or more. BLS does not attempt to distinguish between strikes and lockouts in its statistics.

Table 1. Work stoppages involving 1,000 workers or more, 1947-97
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Stoppages 1/
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Days idle 1/
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Year
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| Workers |
| Percent of
|Number | involved | Number
| estimated
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|(thousands)|(thousands)|
working
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|
time 2/
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1947 ......................| 270 |
1,629
|
25,720 |
(3)
1948 ......................| 245 |
1,435
|
26,127 |
0.22
1949 ......................| 262 |
2,537
|
43,420 |
.38
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|
|
|
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
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|
|
|
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
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|
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
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|
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
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|

1970
1971
1972
1973
1974

......................| 381 |
2,468
|
52,761 |
.29
......................| 298 |
2,516
|
35,538 |
.19
......................| 250 |
975
|
16,764 |
.09
......................| 317 |
1,400
|
16,260 |
.08
......................| 424 |
1,796
|
31,809 |
.16
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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
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|
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|
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
|
|
|
|
1995 ......................|
31 |
192
|
5,771 |
.02
1996 ......................|
37 |
273
|
4,889 |
.02
1997 ......................|
29 |
339
|
4,497 |
.01
__________________________________________________________________________
1/ The number of stoppages and
2/ 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 1997
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Workers

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Estimated days

Employer, location, and union
Chrysler Corp.
Interstate
Automobile Workers
Kaiser Permanente
Northern California
California Nurses Association
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.
Interstate
Steelworkers
General Motors Corp.
Pontiac, MI
Automobile Workers
General Motors Corp., Delphi
Packard Electric Division
Warren, OH
Electrical Workers (IUE)
Kaiser Permanente
Northern California
California Nurses Association
General Motors Corp.
Michigan
Automobile Workers
Shaw's Supermarkets, Inc.
Southeast Massachusetts
and Rhode Island
Food and Commercial Workers
United Parcel Service
Interstate
Teamsters
Kaiser Permanente
Northern California
California Nurses Association
Kaiser Permanente
Northern California

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Began
4/10/97

4/16/97

4/20/97

4/23/97

5/13/97

7/17/97

7/23/97

7/28/97

8/4/97

9/8/97

11/10/97

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Ended
5/9/97

4/16/97

5/8/97

7/19/97

5/14/97

7/18/97

7/27/97

7/30/97

8/21/974

9/9/97

11/10/97

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involved1
15,1002

17,000

12,000

5,900

8,000

10,500

14,1003

6,200

180,000

20,300

8,900

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idle in 19971
306,800

17,000

168,000

359,900

16,000

21,000

25,200

18,600

2,032,500

40,600

8,900

California Nurses Association
1
2
3
4

Workers and days
Excludes workers
Excludes workers
All workers went

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idle are rounded to the nearest 100.
in Canada and Mexico.
in Canada.
back to work on August 19, 1997, with the exception of members of two locals in Chicago.