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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Work Stoppages > Publications > Factsheets

Work Stoppages: 1970-1979

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has collected information on work stoppages in the U.S. through a few publications dating back to the 1880s. Starting with 1947, the Work Stoppages program captured stoppages involving 6 workers or more lasting at least one full shift or day. Beginning in 1982, the program limited its scope to capture major work stoppages. Major work stoppages are defined as any stoppage that involves 1,000 or more workers and lasts for at least one full work shift.

An annual listing summarizing major work stoppages from 1947-present is maintained, and additional resources and historical publications are available in the Work Stoppages Resources section at the end of this factsheet.

Before diving into the work stoppages, it’s important to understand the economic situation of the 1970s. The decade began with a recession and high levels of inflation and unemployment remained throughout. The Economic Stabilization Act was passed as a solution to contain the economy and it resulted in price, rent, and wage controls. A decrease in the number of work stoppages towards the end of 1971 is attributed to wage freezes from the economic stabilization program. Once these wage restrictions were removed in 1974, activity in work stoppages increased.

Number of work stoppages

The Work Stoppages program tracks both the number of stoppages that began in a given month or year as well as the number of stoppages in effect. Stoppages beginning in a month or year are new stoppages that began during the time frame while those in effect count any stoppage observed during the time frame. Specifically, this includes stoppages that began in a previous month or year and continued into the time period being considered. The following chart displays the total number of work stoppages beginning and in effect each year from 1970-1979.

Chart 1 data table

Chart 1. Number of work stoppages beginning and in effect each year, 1970-1979
Year	Beginning in a year	In effect in a year
1970	5,716	9,626
1971	5,138	8,951
1972	5,010	8,382
1973	5,353	8,873
1974	6,074	10,539
1975	5,031	8,897
1976	5,648	10,089
1977	5,506	9,971
1978	4,230	8,120
1979	4,827	9,258
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Work Stoppages program

Number of workers involved

The majority of work stoppages shown in chart 1 are not major work stoppages as they do not involve 1,000 or more workers. Chart 2 breaks out stoppages involving 1,000 to 9,999 workers and those involving 10,000 or more workers.

Chart 2 data table

Chart 2. Number of work stoppages by number of workers involved, 1970-1979
Year	Less than 1,000 workers	1,000-9,999 workers	10,000 or more workers
1970	5,335	347	34
1971	4,840	269	29
1972	4,760	232	18
1973	5,036	292	25
1974	5,650	397	27
1975	4,796	215	20
1976	5,417	208	23
1977	5,208	280	18
1978	4,011	208	11
1979	4,592	224	11
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Work Stoppages program

Duration of stoppages

The length of time, or duration, that a work stoppage lasted helps in understanding the impact a work stoppage may have on those involved. Duration is expressed in calendar days and includes nonworking days, like holidays and weekends. A stoppage lasting 3 months would be recorded as 90 days rather than the 60-70 workdays that would typically take place across 3 months. Chart 3 displays the number of stoppages by duration each year and Table 1 contains the annual average duration of work stoppages.

Chart 3 data table

Chart 3. Number of work stoppages by duration, 1970-1979
Year	14 days or less	15-89 days	90 days or more
1970	3,198	2,133	363
1971	2,889	1,888	375
1972	3,161	1,590	314
1973	3,233	1,778	309
1974	3,220	2,417	394
1975	2,848	1,797	353
1976	3,242	1,981	431
1977	2,871	2,249	415
1978	1,987	1,872	391
1979	2,318	2,075	386
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Work Stoppages program

1978 had the fewest number of work stoppages, yet it had the highest average duration during the decade. The higher average duration was a result of fewer stoppages lasting 2 weeks or less, specifically those lasting 3 days or less, when compared to other years. Of the 4,230 stoppages in 1978, there were 749 stoppages that lasted 3 days or less, while 1970 had 1,435 stoppages that lasted 3 days or less.

Table 1. Annual average duration of work stoppages in days, 1970-1979
Year	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979
Average number of days	25.0	27.0	24.0	24.0	27.1	26.8	28.0	29.3	33.2	32.1
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Work Stoppages program

Location of work stoppages

The Work Stoppages program captures work stoppages in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. During the 1970s, Pennsylvania topped the list as the state with the most work stoppages, see Chart 4. Philadelphia teachers, mining workers, and retail clerks in Pennsylvania participated in work stoppages multiple times during the 1970s.

Chart 4 data table

Chart 4. States with the most work stoppages in 1970-1979
State	Number of stoppages
PA	6,357
OH	5,225
WV	4,454
NY	3,899
IL	3,834
CA	3,497
MI	2,795
NJ	2,318
IN	1,998
KY	1,684
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Work Stoppages program

Days of idleness is calculated by combining the number of workers involved and the number of workdays the stoppage lasted. Days of idleness is a measure of total work time lost due to a stoppage and allows for comparing stoppages with different lengths or workers involved. While Pennsylvania had the highest number of stoppages during the decade, more work time was lost in Ohio where stoppages either consisted of more workers or longer durations. See Chart 5.

Several large stoppages involving mining and railroad workers in Ohio took place during the decade. Additionally, Ohio was particularly impacted by a nationwide trucking strike and General Motors stoppage in 1971 as well as a nationwide Goodyear Tire stoppage in 1976 that lasted 141 days.

Chart 5 data table

Chart 5. Days of idleness in states with the most work stoppages in 1970-1979
State	Days of idleness
OH	37,752.5
PA	34,051.0
CA	33,313.3
NY	30,237.4
MI	29,009.6
IL	28,344.9
IN	15,691.7
WV	14,666.6
NJ	11,851.1
KY	10,607.8
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Work Stoppages program

Work stoppages by industry

Work stoppages are often a result of contract renegotiation. The frequency of contract negotiations can be dependent on the industry. For example, in the construction industry many contracts are renewed each year while other industries renew contracts less often.

More stoppages took place in the manufacturing industry than other major industry sectors during the decade and accounted for over 200 million days of idleness. See Chart 6. Specifically, there were some notable strikes in transportation equipment manufacturing, including:

355,000 members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union who were employed by General Motors went on strike for nearly 4.5 months in 1970
A stoppage between Chrysler Corporation and The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) involved 111,400 workers in September 1973
166,300 workers at Ford Motor Company and members of The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) withheld work for over two months in 1976

Chart 6 data table

Chart 6. Days idle in thousands by major industry group, 1970-1979
Industry	Days of idleness
Manufacturing	200,055.10
Contract construction	64,063.20
Transportation, communication, electric, gas, and sanitary services	49,202.30
Mining	33,349.50
Government	18,240.10
Wholesale and retail trade	16,826.70
Services	8,615.40
Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries	1,961.90
Finance, insurance, and real estate	1,283.00
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Work Stoppages program

Work Stoppages Resources

For more information on the Work Stoppages program see the Questions and Answers page. Detailed data on work stoppages from 1970 to 1979 are available in the historical bulletins: