TEXT
Table 1.  Work stoppages involving 1,000 workers or more, 1947-94
Table 2.  Work stoppages involving 5,000 workers or more beginning in 1994

Technical information                             USDL 95-25
Michael Cimini (202) 606-6275           For Release:  Immediate
Media Contact: (202) 606-5902           Friday, January 27, 1995
 
 
 
 
MAJOR WORK STOPPAGES, 1994
 
     All measures of work stoppage activity were up in 1994, the U.S.
 Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.  Most
of these measures had been at record lows in 1993.  Forty-five major
stoppages began during 1994, idling 322,000 workers, and resulting in
about 5.0 million days of idleness (about 2 out of every 10,000
available work days).  Comparable figures for 1993 were 35 stoppages,
182,000 workers, and 4.0 million days of idleness.  The increase in work
stoppage activity followed general declines posted in the past several
years.  (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 45 major work stoppages beginning in 1994, 37 were in the
private sector--including 26 in manufacturing and 5 in transportation.
In the public sector, one dispute--in Hawaii--involved both state and
local government employees.  The remaining seven public sector stoppages
were called by local government employees.  Of these seven disputes,
five were in education.
 
     Industries with the most days of idleness during the year due to
work stoppages were industrial and commercial machinery (1.5 million
days), motor freight transportation (1.2 million days), and rubber and
miscellaneous plastics products (771,000 days).  There were, however,
over 350 contracts, covering more than 1.2 million workers, that were
settled in 1994 without a work stoppage.
 
     The 1994 stoppage involving the most workers was between Trucking
Management, Inc. and 71,000 employees represented by the International
Brotherhood of Teamsters, who were out 24 days.  Other large stoppages
involved General Motors Corp. and the United Automobile Workers (46,000
workers out 3 days) and UPS and the Teamsters (40,000 workers out 1
day).  (See table 2.)
 
     More than one-half of the year's work stoppage idleness--2.7
million days--stemmed from two disputes.  The first was the previously
mentioned Trucking Management, Inc.--Teamsters' dispute.  The second
involved Caterpillar, Inc. and 14,000 workers represented by the United
Automobile Workers, who were out almost 26 weeks during the year, making
this the longest stoppage both beginning in 1994 and in effect during
the year.  The Caterpillar stoppage continued into 1995.
 
 
   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, 1947-94
__________________________________________________________________________
                           |                   |
                           |   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
__________________________________________________________________________
   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 1994
                                    |             |             |     Workers    |   Estimated days
  Employer, location, and union     |    Began    |    Ended    |    involved1   |    idle in 19941
                                    |             |                              |
United Parcel Service               |    2/7/94   |    2/7/94   |     40,000     |       40,000
  Interstate                        |             |             |                |
  Teamsters (IBT)                   |             |             |                |
                                    |             |             |                |
General Motors Corp.                |   3/14/94   |   3/16/94   |     10,900     |       16,900
  Dayton, OH                        |             |             |                |
  Automobile Workers (UAW)          |             |             |                |
                                    |             |             |                |
Trucking Management, Inc.           |    4/6/94   |   4/29/94   |     71,000     |    1,180,500
  Interstate                        |             |             |                |
  Teamsters (IBT)                   |             |             |                |
                                    |             |             |                |
Hawaii--state and county            |   4/18/94   |   4/29/94   |     15,800     |      136,500
 governments                        |             |             |                |
  Hawaii                            |             |             |                |
  State, County and Municipal       |             |             |                |
   Employees (AFSCME)               |             |             |                |
                                    |             |             |                |
Caterpillar, Inc.                   |   5/16/94   |   5/20/94   |      7,500     |       37,500
  Illinois                          |             |             |                |
  Automobile Workers (UAW)          |             |             |                |
                                    |             |             |                |
Connecticut Construction            |    6/6/94   |   6/18/94   |      6,000     |       60,000
 Contractors (heavy/highway)        |             |             |                |
  Connecticut and vicinity          |             |             |                |
  Teamsters (IBT)                   |             |             |                |
                                    |             |             |                |
Long Island Rail Road               |   6/17/94   |   6/18/94   |      5,400     |        5,400
  Long Island, NY                   |             |             |                |
  Transportation Union (UTU)        |             |             |                |
                                    |             |             |                |
Caterpillar, Inc.                   |   6/20/94   |             |     14,000     |    1,489,000
  IL, MI, PA, and CO                |             |             |                |
  Automobile Workers (UAW)          |             |             |                |
                                    |             |             |                |
Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit    |   7/25/94   |    8/2/94   |      7,200     |       50,400
 Authority                          |             |             |                |
  Los Angeles, CA                   |             |             |                |
  Transit Union (ATU)               |             |             |                |
                                    |             |             |                |
Food Employers, Inc.                |   8/18/94   |  11/12/94   |      7,000     |      413,000
  Portland, OR and Vancouver, WA    |             |             |                |
  Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)|             |             |                |
                                    |             |             |                |
General Motors Corp                 |   8/23/94   |   8/25/94   |     46,400     |       63,300
 Inland Fisher Guide Plant          |             |             |                |
  Anderson, IN                      |             |             |                |
  Automobile Workers (UAW)          |             |             |                |
                                    |             |             |                |
General Motors Corp.                |   9/27/94   |   9/30/94   |     22,300     |       74,000
 Buick City facility                |             |             |                |
  Flint, MI                         |             |             |                |
  Automobile Workers (UAW)          |             |             |                |
                                    |             |             |                |
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
 
1 Workers and days idle are rounded to the nearest 100.