Full text of Major Work Stoppages : 2001 : USDL 02-153 : 2001
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Information: (202) 691-5174 Media Contact: (202) 691-5902 Internet Address: http://stats.bls.gov USDL 02-153 For Release: 10:00 A.M. EST Friday, March 22, 2002 MAJOR WORK STOPPAGES IN 2001 The number of days idle and the percent of estimated working time lost because of strikes and lockouts were at historic lows in 2001, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Twenty-nine major work stoppages began during the year, idling 99,000 workers and resulting in 1.2 million workdays of idleness (less than 1 out of every 10,000 available workdays). Comparable figures for 2000 were 39 stoppages, 394,000 workers idled, and 20.4 million days of idleness. (See table 1 and charts 1-3.) The major work stoppage 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 2001, 24 were in the private sector; the remainder occurred in State and local government. In the private sector, 13 stoppages occurred in goods-producing industries, including 8 in construction. Eleven stoppages occurred in serviceproducing industries, including six in the health care services industry. Of the five stoppages in the public sector, four were in education. Three work stoppages beginning in 2001 accounted for more than twofifths of all workers idled. The first was between the State of Minnesota and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees and the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, which jointly represented 24,900 State government employees who went on strike for 14 days. The other two stoppages included a 19-day strike at the State of Hawaii's Department of Education by 12,400 workers represented by the National Education Association and a 1-day stoppage at Seattle public schools involving 6,900 workers, also represented by the National Education Association. (See table 2.) Private industries with the most days of idleness during the year due to work stoppages were air transportation (116,600 days), construction (115,000 days), health care services (109,700 days), and utilities (102,000 days). Fifty-three percent of the year's work stoppage days of idleness (608,300 days) stemmed from four major disputes, including two of the previously mentioned disputes: one between the State of Minnesota and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees and the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (242,500 days); and the second between the State of Hawaii's Department of Education and the National Education Association (161,200 days). The third was between Comair and the Airline Pilots Association (116,600 days), and the fourth involved the Midwest Generation Company and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (88,000 days). The average length of work stoppages beginning in 2001 was 22 days, and a majority of the work stoppages (86 percent) lasted 30 days or less. Only 10 percent of stoppages extended more than 50 days. (See chart 4.) Work stoppages were concentrated in the 11-20 day and 21-30 day ranges. The longest stoppage beginning in the year was the previously mentioned dispute between Midwest Generation and the Electrical Workers, where 1,100 workers were on strike for 111 days. The dispute was also the longest stoppage in effect in 2001. 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, 1947-2001 __________________________________________________________________________ | | | 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 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 | ......................| ......................| ......................| ......................| ......................| | ......................| ......................| ......................| ......................| ......................| | ......................| ......................| ......................| ......................| ......................| | ......................| ......................| ......................| ......................| ......................| | ......................| ......................| ......................| ......................| ......................| | ......................| ......................| ......................| ......................| ......................| | ......................| ......................| ......................| ......................| ......................| | ......................| ......................| ......................| 470 437 265 363 287 279 332 245 222 195 211 181 246 268 321 381 392 412 381 298 250 317 424 235 231 298 219 235 187 145 96 81 62 54 69 46 40 51 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2,746 1,623 1,075 2,055 1,370 887 1,587 1,381 896 1,031 793 512 1,183 999 1,300 2,192 1,855 1,576 2,468 2,516 975 1,400 1,796 965 1,519 1,212 1,006 1,021 795 729 656 909 376 324 533 174 118 452 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 48,820 18,130 16,630 21,180 26,840 10,340 17,900 60,850 13,260 10,140 11,760 10,020 16,220 15,140 16,000 31,320 35,367 29,397 52,761 35,538 16,764 16,260 31,809 17,563 23,962 21,258 23,774 20,409 20,844 16,908 9,061 17,461 8,499 7,079 11,861 4,481 4,381 16,996 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | .38 .14 .13 .16 .20 .07 .13 .43 .09 .07 .08 .07 .11 .10 .10 .18 .20 .16 .29 .19 .09 .08 .16 .09 .12 .10 .11 .09 .09 .07 .04 .08 .04 .03 .05 .02 .02 .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 1998 ......................| 34 | 387 | 5,116 | .02 1999 ......................| 17 | 73 | 1,996 | .01 2000 ......................| 39 | 394 | 20,419 | .06 2001 ......................| 29 | 99 | 1,151 | (4) ___________________________________________________________________________ 1/ The number of stoppages and more than one stoppage during workers relate to stoppages that the year. began in the year. Days of 2/ Working time is for all idleness include all stoppages in employees, except those in private effect. Workers are counted more households, forestry, and fisheries. than once if they are involved in 3/ Not available. 4/ Less than .005 percent. Table 2. Work stoppages involving 5,000 workers or more beginning in 2001 | Beginning | Ending | Number of | Estimated days of Employer, location, and union | date | date | workers(1) | idleness in 2001(1) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | Department of Education | | | | State of Hawaii | | | | National Education Association .....| 4/5/2001 | 4/23/2001 | 12,400 | 161,200 | | | | Seattle public schools | | | | Seattle, WA | | | | National Education Association .....| 5/1/2001 | 5/1/2001 | 6,900 | 6,900 | | | | State of Minnesota | | | | Minnesota | | | | American Federation of State, | | | | County, and Municipal Employees | | | | and Minnesota Association of | | | | Professional Employees ............| 10/1/2001 | 10/14/2001 | 24,900 | 242,500 | | | | Pratt & Whitney, United Technologies | | | | Corporation | | | | Connecticut | | | | Machinists .........................| 12/3/2001 | 12/13/2001 | 5,000 | 45,000 | | | | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 Workers and days idle are rounded to the nearest 100.