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Major work stoppages in 2015

February 22, 2016

In 2015, there were 12 major work stoppages involving 1,000 or more workers. From 2010 to 2015, the number of major work stoppages ranged from 11 to 19. In 2009, there were 5 major work stoppages recorded, the lowest of any year since the series began in 1947. In general, the number of major work stoppages has declined over time.

Work stoppages involving 1,000 or more workers, 1985 to 2015
Year Number of work stoppages

1985

54

1986

69

1987

46

1988

40

1989

51

1990

44

1991

40

1992

35

1993

35

1994

45

1995

31

1996

37

1997

29

1998

34

1999

17

2000

39

2001

29

2002

19

2003

14

2004

17

2005

22

2006

20

2007

21

2008

15

2009

5

2010

11

2011

19

2012

19

2013

15

2014

11

2015

12

The 12 major work stoppages in 2015 involved 47,000 workers, more than in 2014 when 11 work stoppages idled 34,000 workers.

Number of workers involved in work stoppages involving 1,000 or more workers, 1985 to 2015
Year Number of workers

1985

324,000

1986

533,000

1987

174,000

1988

118,000

1989

452,000

1990

185,000

1991

392,000

1992

364,000

1993

182,000

1994

322,000

1995

192,000

1996

273,000

1997

339,000

1998

387,000

1999

73,000

2000

394,000

2001

99,000

2002

46,000

2003

129,000

2004

171,000

2005

100,000

2006

70,000

2007

189,000

2008

72,000

2009

13,000

2010

45,000

2011

113,000

2012

148,000

2013

55,000

2014

34,000

2015

47,000

These data are from the Work Stoppages program. To learn more, see “Major Work Stoppages in 2015” (HTML) (PDF). Major work stoppages include both worker-initiated strikes and employer-initiated lockouts that involve 1,000 workers or more and last at least one shift.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Major work stoppages in 2015 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2016/major-work-stoppages-in-2015.htm (visited March 19, 2024).

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