TEXT Table 1. Work stoppages involving 1,000 workers or more, 1947-93 Table 2. Work stoppages involving 5,000 workers or more beginning in 1993 Technical information USDL 94-69 Michael Cimini (202) 606-6275 For Release: Immediate Media Contact: (202) 606-5902 Thursday, February 10, 1994 MAJOR WORK STOPPAGES, 1993 In 1993, measures of work stoppage activity were at the lowest or next-to-lowest levels recorded in the 47-year-old series, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Thirty- five major stoppages began during the year, idling 182,000 workers and resulting in about 4.0 million days of idleness or about 1 out of every 10,000 available work days. The comparatively low levels in 1993 continued the pattern that has generally prevailed for the past several years. (See table 1.) 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 35 major work stoppages beginning in 1993, 29 were in the private sector--including nine in manufacturing and four each in transportation, utilities, mining, and retail trade. In the public sector, all six stoppages involved local government employees. Five of the disputes were in education. Several industries had significant numbers of workers covered by major collective bargaining settlements that were successfully negotiated in 1993 without a major work stoppage: Communications (461,000 workers); petroleum refining (183,000); amd primary metals (155,000 workers). Industries with the most days of idleness during the year due to work stoppages were mining (2.2 million days), transportation (422,000 days), utilities (300,000 days), and retail trade (279,000 days). The 1993 stoppage involving the most workers was between New Jersey and New York retail food stores and 23,800 employees represented by the Food and Commercial Workers, who were out 53 days. Following closely were the stoppages involving Boeing Co. and the Seattle Professional Engineering Employees Association (21,000 workers out 1 day) and American Airlines and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (19,000 out 5 days). More than one-half of the year's work stoppage idleness--2.2 million days--stemmed from the dispute involving the Bituminous Coal Operators Association and 16,800 members of the United Mine Workers, who were out more than 31 weeks, making this the longest stoppage beginning in 1993. The longest stoppage in effect during the year involved 1,600 tugboat and barge crew members represented by the International Longshoremen's Association and employed by companies in the Port of New York and New Jersey. The stoppage, which began February 15, 1988, was dropped as a major work stoppage on December 20, 1993, after enough employees returned to work to bring the number still idle below 1,000. 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, 1947-93 __________________________________________________________________________ | | | 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 __________________________________________________________________________ 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 1993 | | | Workers | Estimated days Employer, location, and union | Began | Ended | involved(1) | idle in 1994(1) | | | Boeing Co. | 1/19/93 | 1/19/93 | 21,000 | 21,000 Seattle, WA | | | | Seattle Professional Engineering | | | | Employees Association | | | | | | | | Bituminous Coal Operators | 2/2/93 | 3/2/93 | 6,700 | 103,400 Association | | | | Interstate | | | | Mine Workers | | | | | | | | Douglas Aircraft Co. | 3/2/93 | 3/3/93 | 6,800 | 13,600 California | | | | Machinists | | | | | | | | Kaiser Permanente | 4/1/93 | 4/1/93 | 12,000 | 12,000 Southern California | | | | Service Employees | | | | | | | | Retail food stores | 5/7/93 | 5/29/93 | 23,800 | 246,200 (Shoprite, Pathmark, Grand | | | | Union and Foodtown) | | | | New Jersey and New York | | | | Food and Commercial Workers | | | | | | | | Bituminous Coal Operators | 5/10/93 | 12/14/93 | 16,800 | 2,203,000 Association | | | | Interstate | | | | Mine Workers | | | | | | | | Los Angeles Department | 9/1/93 | 9/9/93 | 9,000 | 54,000 of Water and Power | | | | Los Angeles, CA | | | | Electrical Workers (IBEW) | | | | and Engineers and Architects | | | | | | | | Southern California Gas Co. | 10/1/93 | 10/1/93 | 6,000 | 6,000 Southern California | | | | Utility Workers and | | | | Chemical Workers | | | | | | | | Boston public schools | 10/27/93 | 10/27/93 | 5,700 | 5,700 Boston, MA | | | | Teachers (AFT) | | | | | | | | Caterpillar Inc. | 11/11/93 | 11/14/93 | 14,000 | 14,000 Illinois, Colorado, and | | | | Pennsylvania | | | | Automobile Workers | | | | | | | | American Airlines | 11/18/93 | 11/22/93 | 19,000 | 57,000 Interstate | | | | Association of Professional | | | | Flight Attendants | | | | | | | | _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 Workers and days idle are rounded to the nearest 100.