For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Wednesday, February 22, 2023 USDL-23-0350

Technical information: (202) 691-6199 • workstoppagesinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/wsp

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • pressoffice@bls.gov

Major Work Stoppages in 2022

In 2022, there were 23 major work stoppages beginning in the year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor 

Statistics reported today. The lowest annual total of major work stoppages was 5 in 2009 and the 

highest was 470 in 1952. Between the years 2002-2022, there have been an average of 16 work 

stoppages beginning in the year. A major work stoppage involves 1,000 or more workers and 

lasts at least one shift during the work week, Monday through Friday excluding Federal holidays.

(See chart 1.)

Chart 1. Number of major work stoppages, 2002-2022

There were 120,600 workers involved in major work stoppages that began in 2022. Serviceproviding industries accounted for 118,400 workers, or 98 percent of idled workers over the 

year. Within service-providing industries, the education and health services sector accounted for

the idling of 106,300 workers, the educational services sector for 69,500 workers, and the health 

care and social assistance sector for 36,800 workers.

In 2022, work stoppages in goods-producing industries accounted for 2,200 workers, or a little 

under 2 percent of idled workers over the year. Within goods-producing industries, the 

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022

Number of work stoppages beginning in the period
manufacturing sector accounted for 1,000 workers idled and forestry and logging accounted for 

1,200 workers idled. (See chart 2.)

Chart 2. Number of workers idled by industry, in thousands, beginning in 2022

In 2022, seven local government and two state government work stoppages began, idling 68,800 

workers and resulting in 1,429,100 cumulative days of idleness. In private industry, 51,800 

workers were idled beginning in the year, resulting in 549,000 cumulative days of idleness. (See 

chart 3.)

Chart 3. Number of idled workers involved in work stoppages by ownership, in 

thousands, 2002-2022

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

Manufacturing Forestry and

lodging

Health care and

social assistance

Educational

services

Retail trade Information Accomodation

and food

services

0.0

50.0

100.0

150.0

200.0

250.0

300.0

350.0

400.0

450.0

500.0

2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022

Private industry State and local government workers

- 2 -
TECHNICAL NOTE

The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides information on major (1,000 workers or more) work 

stoppages in the United States, excluding U.S. territories. Because of the complexity of most 

labor-management disputes, the Work Stoppages program makes no attempt to distinguish 

between strikes and lockouts in its statistics. The workers involved in a strike or lockout may or 

may not be members of a union.

The number of workers includes those idled for one shift or longer in the establishment(s) 

directly involved in the dispute, as well as those in the establishment idled for related reasons, 

such as their facility closed down during the stoppage. This number does not account for 

secondary idleness— that is, the effects of a stoppage on other establishments or industries 

whose employees may be made idle as a result of shortages of material or services. 

A day of idleness is a day that an employee is scheduled to work (Monday through Friday, 

excluding federal holidays) but does not work due to a work stoppage. The number of total days 

of idleness is computed by multiplying the number of workers idled by the number of lost 

workdays during the reference month.

An attempt is made to contact the parties involved in the work stoppage (employer, employer 

group, and union) to determine whether the duration and number of workers idled by the 

stoppage meet the thresholds for inclusion in this report. For additional information on the 

concepts, data sources, design, measures, and history of the work stoppages program, see 

www.bls.gov/opub/hom/wsp/home.htm.

Detailed monthly work stoppage data since 1993 are available at

www.bls.gov/web/wkstp/monthly-listing.htm and includes organizations involved, location, 

beginning and ending dates, industry, ownership, the number of workers, and total days of

idleness.

Annual historical major work stoppages data from 1947 to present, including the number of work 

stoppages, workers idled, and total days of idleness, are available at 

www.bls.gov/web/wkstp/annual-listing.htm.

Historical Bureau of Labor Statistics work stoppages publications are available from 1936 to 

1979 at www.bls.gov/wsp/questions-and-answers.htm. 

The latest Union Members report is available at www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/union2.pdf.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access 

telecommunications relay services.

- 3 -