Information: (202) 691-6282 USDL 01-41 Media Contact: (202) 691-5902 For Release: 10:00 A.M. EST Internet Address: http://stats.bls.gov Friday, February 9, 2001 MAJOR WORK STOPPAGES IN 2000 Major work stoppage activity rose in 2000 after hitting record lows in 1999, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Thirty-nine major work stoppages began during the year, idling 394,000 workers and resulting in 20 million workdays of idleness (about 6 out of every 10,000 available workdays). Comparable figures for 1999 were 17 stoppages, 73,000 workers idled, and 2 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 39 major work stoppages beginning in 2000, 31 were in the private sector; the remainder occurred in State and local government. In the private sector, 14 stoppages occurred in goods-producing industries and 17 occurred in service-producing industries, including 8 in the health services industry. In the public sector, 4 of the 8 stoppages were in education. Three work stoppages beginning in 2000 accounted for two-thirds of all workers idled. The largest involved the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Screen Actors Guild, representing 135,000 actors working in radio and television commercials, who went on strike against the Association of National Advertisers and the American Association of Advertising Agencies. This work stoppage dominated the labor dispute scene for half of the year. The other two stoppages involved an 18-day strike at Verizon Communications by 85,000 workers represented by the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and a 1-day stoppage at Los Angeles County by 47,000 workers represented by the Service Employees International Union. (See table 2.) Industries with the most days of idleness during the year due to work stoppages were business services (17.3 million days), communications (955,000 days), and transportation equipment manufacturing (748,800 days). Ninety-four percent of the year's work stoppage idleness (19.2 million days) stemmed from four major disputes, including two of the previously mentioned disputes: one involving actors in commercials (17.3 million days), and the second involving Verizon Communications (955,000 days). The third was between the Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation and the United Steelworkers (543,000 days). The fourth involved the Boeing Company and the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (459,000 days). The average length of work stoppages beginning in 2000 was 21 days, but a majority of the work stoppages (67 percent) lasted less than 3 weeks, and only 10 percent extended more than 50 days. Work stoppages were concentrated in the 1-2 day and 11-20 day ranges. (See chart 4.) The longest stoppage beginning in the year was at the Association of National Advertisers and the American Association of Advertising Agencies, where 135,000 workers were on strike for 183 days. The longest stoppage in effect in 2000 was at Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation; the stoppage began in October 1998 and ended in September 2000 (719 days). 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, 1947-2000 __________________________________________________________________________ | | | 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 | | | | 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 ___________________________________________________________________________ 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. Table 2. Work stoppages involving 5,000 workers or more beginning in 2000 | | | Workers | Estimated days Employer, location, and union | Began | Ended | involved1 | idle in 20001 | | | | Boeing Company | 2/9/2000 | 3/19/2000 | 17,000 | 459,000 Interstate | | | | Society of Professional Engineering | | | | Employees in Aerospace | | | | | | | | Los Angeles janitorial | 4/3/2000 | 4/24/2000 | 8,500 | 103,800 maintenance contractors | | | | Los Angeles county, CA | | | | Service Employees | | | | | | | | Building Owners and Managers | 4/17/2000 | 4/17/2000 | 5,000 | 5,000 Association | | | | Chicago, IL | | | | Service Employees | | | | | | | | University of California | 4/18/2000 | 4/18/2000 | 5,000 | 5,000 California | | | | Automobile Workers | | | | | | | | Association of National Advertisers | 5/1/2000 | 10/30/2000 | 135,000 | 17,280,000 and American Association of | | | | Advertising Agencies | | | | Interstate | | | | American Federation of Television | | | | and Radio Artists and Screen | | | | Actors Guild | | | | | | | | Verizon Communications | 8/6/2000 | 8/23/2000 | 85,000 | 955,000 Interstate | | | | Communication Workers and | | | | Electrical Workers (IBEW) | | | | | | | | Los Angeles County Metropolitan | 9/16/2000 | 10/16/2000 | 7,400 | 148,000 Transportation Authority | | | | Los Angeles County, CA | | | | United Transportation Union | | | | | | | | Los Angeles County | 10/11/2000 | 10/11/2000 | 47,000 | 47,000 Los Angeles County, CA | | | | Service Employees | | | | | | | | Hospitals (18) | 12/14/2000 | 12/14/2000 | 6,000 | 6,000 California | | | | Service Employees | | | | | | | | | | | | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 Workers and days idle are rounded to the nearest 100.