For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Wednesday, February 23, 2022 USDL-22-0316

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

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

Major Work Stoppages in 2021

In 2021, there were 16 major work stoppages beginning in the year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor 

Statistics reported today. 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.) 

The lowest annual total of major work stoppages was 5 in 2009 and the highest was 470 in 1952.

Between the years 2000-2021, there have been an average of 17 work stoppages beginning in the 

year. 

Chart 1. Number of major work stoppages, 2000-2021

There were 80,700 workers involved in major work stoppages that began in 2021. Serviceproviding industries accounted for 76 percent of idled workers over the year or 61,000 workers. 

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

idling of 52,600 workers; 45,400 health care and social assistance workers and 7,200 educational 

services workers were idled as a result of major work stoppages. 

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

2000 2003 2006 2009 2012 2015 2018 2021
In 2021, goods-producing industries accounted for 24 percent of idled workers or 19,700 

workers. Within goods-producing industries, the manufacturing sector accounted for the idling of 

the majority of workers involved in work stoppages; 16,600 manufacturing workers were 

involved in major work stoppages in 2021. (See chart 2.)

Chart 2. Number of workers idled by industry, in thousands, 2021

In 2021, there was one local government work stoppage, where 2,000 workers were idled 11 

days resulting in 22,000 days of idleness. In private industry, 78,700 workers were idled 

beginning in the year, resulting in 1,081,700 cumulative days of idleness. (See chart 3.)

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

thousands, 2000-2021

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Manufacturing Retail trade Natural resources and

mining

Construction Education and health

services

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

2000 2003 2006 2009 2012 2015 2018 2021

Private industry State and local government workers

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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 is 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#Question_10. 

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

Information from this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals by dialing 

7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

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