TEXT
Table 1.  Work stoppages involving 1,000 workers or more, 1947-95
Table 2.  Work stoppages involving 5,000 workers or more beginning in 1995

 
 
 
 
 Information:  (202) 606-5886             USDL 96-59
Media Contact:  (202) 606-5902             For Release:  10:00 A.M., EST
                                          Wed., Feb. 21, 1996
 
 
 
 
MAJOR WORK STOPPAGES, 1995
 
        In 1995, the number of work stoppages was at the lowest level
recorded in the 49-year old series, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau
of Labor Statistics reported.  Most of the other measures of strike
activity also were at relatively low levels in 1995.  Thirty-one major
stoppages began during 1995, idling 192,000 workers and resulting in about
5.8 million days of idleness (about 2 out of every 10,000 available work
days).  Comparable figures for 1994 were 45 stoppages, 322,000 workers, and
5.0 million days of idleness.  (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 31 major work stoppages beginning in 1995, 23 were in the
private sector--including 14 in manufacturing and three in transportation.
In the public sector, five disputes were in state government.  The
remaining three public sector stoppages were called by local government
employees.  Of the eight public sector disputes, four were in education.
 
        Industries with the most days of idleness during the year due to
work stoppages were transportation equipment manufacturing (1.7 million
days), printing and publishing (300,000 days), and construction (187,000
days).  There were, however, 660 major contracts in the private and public
sectors, covering more than 3.3 million workers, that expired or reopened
in 1995, the vast majority without a work stoppage.  (It should be noted
that not all of these contracts had been renegotiated by the end of the
year.)
 
        The 1995 stoppage involving the most workers was between General
Motors Corp. and 38,000 employees represented by the United Automobile
Workers, who were out 3 days.  Other large stoppages involved the Boeing
Co. and the International Association of Machinists (33,000 workers out 69
days) and retail grocery chains in Northern California and the United Food
and Commercial Workers (32,000 workers out 9 days).  (See table 2.)
 
        Almost three quarters of the year's work stoppage idleness--4.1
million days--stemmed from two disputes.  The first was the previously
mentioned Boeing--Machinists dispute.  The second involved Caterpillar,
Inc. and 11,000 workers represented by the Automobile Workers, who were out
48 weeks during the year, making it the longest work stoppage in effect
during the year.  The longest stoppage beginning in the year was at the
Detroit Free Press and Detroit News, where 2,500 workers represented by a
number of unions were out for 24 weeks; this stoppage continued into 1996.
 
 
 
 
   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.
 
 
 
 
 
Table 1.  Work stoppages involving 1,000 workers or more, 1947-95
__________________________________________________________________________
                            |                   |
                            |   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
 1995.......................|   31  |     192   |    5,771  |      .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 1995
                                    |             |             |     Worke
  Employer, location, and union     |    Began    |    Ended    |    involv
                                    |             |
General Motors Corp.                |   1/18/95   |   1/20/95   |     37,70
  Flint, MI                         |             |             |
  Automobile Workers (UAW)          |             |             |
                                    |             |             |
Southern Pennsylvania   .           |   3/28/95   |   4/10/95   |      5,20
 Transportation Authority           |             |             |
  Philadelphia, PA, area            |             |             |
  Transport Workers (TWU)           |             |             |
                                    |             |             |
Chrysler Corp.                      |   3/31/95   |   3/31/95   |      5,70
  Kokomo, IN                        |             |             |
  Automobile Workers (UAW)          |             |             |
                                    |             |             |
General Motors Corp.                |   3/31/95   |    4/5/95   |      5,50
 Pontiac East truck plant           |             |             |
  Pontiac, MI                       |             |             |
  Automobile Workers (UAW)          |             |             |
                                    |             |             |
Retail grocery chains--Safeway,     |    4/7/95   |   4/15/95   |     32,00
 Lucky Stores, and Save Mart        |             |             |
  Northern California               |             |             |
  Food and Commercial Workers(UFCW) |             |             |
                                    |             |             |
Oregon State                        |    5/8/95   |   5/14/95   |     14,00
  Oregon                            |             |             |
  Service Employees (SEIU)          |             |             |
                                    |             |             |
Pacific Maritime Association        |    8/7/95   |    8/7/95   |      7,50
  West Coast ports                  |             |             |
  Longshoremen and Warehousemen     |             |             |
   (ILWU)                           |             |             |
                                    |             |             |
Ryder Systems, Inc.                 |    9/7/95   |   10/7/95   |      5,00
  Interstate                        |             |             |
  Teamsters (IBT)                   |             |             |
                                    |             |             |
Boeing Co.                          |   10/6/95   |  12/14/95   |     33,00
  Wichita, KS; Portland, OR;        |             |             |
   and Seattle, WA                  |             |             |
  Machinists (IAM)                  |             |             |
                                    |             |             |
___________________________________________________________________________
 
 
1 Workers and days idle are rounded to the nearest 100.