Table D-3. Work stoppages involving 1,000 workers or more, December, 1996

Organizations involved and location’

Beginning

Detroit Free Press and
Detroit News

date

Number of
workers?

Days of idleness
during
December

Detroit, Mi

Metropolitan Council of Newspaper
Unions and Teamsters

Pemco Aeroplex, Inc.
Birmingham, AL
Automobile Workers

Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel Corp.
Interstate

Machinists

Elevator Industry
Flushing, NY

Electrical Workers (IBEW)

Giant Food Inc.
Landover, MD
‘Teamsters (IBT)

Stoppages beginning in December 1
Stoppages in effact in December

5

TA395

712206

10/1/96

11/96

12/18/96

2,500

1,100

4,800

1,500

2,100

52,500

31,500

18,900

‘Labor organizations are affiliated with the AFL-CIO except where
noted as independent (Ind.).

2,100
12,000

226,800

59 Compensation and Working Conditions Spring 1997

°= preliminary.

* The number of workers involved is rounded to the nearest hun-
red.



‘Table 2. Work stoppages involving 5,000 workers or more beginning in 1996

Employer, location, and union

Began Ended Workers

Estimated days
involved! idle in 1996"

‘Commercial Building Realty Advisory Board
New York, NY

Service Employees (SEIU)

‘San Diego public schools
‘San Diego, CA
San Diego Education Association (Ind.)

Ingalis Shipbuilding, Inc.
Pascagoula, MS
Metal Trades Council (MTC)

General Motors Corp.
Dayton, OH
Automobile Workers (UAW)

Retail grocery chains—Safeway and King Sooper
Oerwer, CO, area
Food and Commercial Workers(UFCW)

Northern Illinois Mason Employers Association
Chicago, IL
Bricklayers (BAC)

McDonnell Douglas Aerospace
St. Louis, MO
Machinists (IAM)

League of Voluntary Hospitals
New York, NY
Service Employees (SEIU)

General Motors Corp.
Janesville, WI
Automobile Workers (UAW)

14/96 2/4/96 30,000 630,000

21196 2/8/96 5,000 30,000

2496 266 7,600 14,200

1,260,000

S496 6/26/96 12,000 372,000

6/1/96 6/12/96 6,500 52,000

6/24/96 8/28/96 5,800 272,600

10/30/96 11/6/96 5,100 30,600

* Workers and days idle are rounded to the nearest 100.

? Includes workers idled because of material shortages.

Compensation and Working Conditions Spring 1997 58

TD


Table D-4. Work stoppages involving 1,000 workers or more, January, 1997”

oe a Days of idleness
° Beginning Ending Number of
Organizations Involved and location’ date ‘date workers® wre
wary
Detroit Free Press and TASS 2,500 52,500
Detroit News
Detroit, Mi
Metropolitan Council of Newspaper
Unions and Teamsters
Pemco Aeroplex, Inc. TR2N6 1,100 23,100
Birmingham, AL
Automobile Workers
Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel Corp. 10/1/96 4,800 100,800
Interstate
Machinists
Elevator Industry THANE 1,500 31,500
Flushing, NY
Electrical Workers (IBEW)
Giant Food Inc. 12/18/96 119997 2,100 22,200
Landover, MD
Teamsters (IBT)
General Motors V26/97 V28/97 4,300 8,600
Morain, OH
Electrical Workers (IUE)
Stoppages beginning in January 1 4,300
Stoppages in effect in January 6. 16,300 238,700

‘ Labor organizations are affiliated with the AFL-CIO except where
Noted as independent (Ind.).

* The number of workers Involved Is rounded to the nearest hun-

? = preliminary.

Compensation and Working Conditions Spring 1997 60

rn Bil


Work stoppages

Major Work
Stoppage Activity
Moves up in 1996

BY MICHAEL H. CIMIN/

After dropping to a record low in 1995, the number of
major work stoppages rose in 1996, as did the number of
workers idled by stoppages.' Notwithstanding these in-
creases, strike measures were still relatively low by histori-
cal standards. Most of the other measures of strike activity
were also at relatively low levels in 1996.

The 1996 experience

Thirty-seven major stoppages began during 1996, idling
273,000 workers and resulting in about 4.9 million days of
idleness (about 2 out of every 10,000 available work days).
Comparable figures for 1995 were 31 stoppages, 192,000
workers idled, and 5.8 million days of idleness. (See table
1 and charts 1-3.) Although the number of stoppages and
workers idled rose over the year, all measures of strike ac-
tivity in 1996 were relatively low by historical standards.

Industries affected

Of the 37 major work stoppages beginning in 1996, 31
were in the private sector—including 15 in manufacturing
and three each in construction and health services—idling
some 254,000 workers and accounting for almost 4.8 mil-
lion days of idleness. Of the 15 stoppages in manufactur-
ing, 10 occurred in transportation equipment manufactur-
ing.

In the public sector, the six disputes involved local gov-
ernment employees in education—mostly teachers. These
stoppages involved some 18,000 workers, who accounted
for almost 134,000 days of idleness.

Individual industries. The most days of idleness during the
year due to work stoppages occurred in:

' Major work stoppages are those strikes and lockouts that idle 1,000 or
more workers for at least 8 hours or one shift. The Bureau of Labor Statistics
does not attempt to distinguish between strikes and lockouts in this series,
which dates back to 1947,

“Michael H. Cimini is an economist in the Division of Compensation and
Data Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Telephone (202) 606-6275.

55 Compensation and Working Conditions Spring 1997

© Transportation equipment manufacturing (2.1 million
days);

* Real estate services (630,000 days);
* Printing and publishing (630,000 days);
* Food stores (391,000 days); and

° Primary metals manufacturing (298,000 days).

Large and long stoppages

By far the largest stoppage in 1996 involved General
Motors Corp. and 136,000 GM employees represented by
the United Automobile Workers, some of whom were out
18 days. The only other large stoppage involved the Com-
mercial Building Realty Board and the Service Employees
International Union (30,000 workers out 31 days). (See
table 2.)

About one half of the year’s work stoppage idleness—
2.5 million days—stemmed from three disputes. The first
two were the previously mentioned General Motors—Au-
tomobile Workers dispute and the Commercial Building
Realty Board—Service Employees stoppage. The third in-
volved about 2,500 workers represented by various unions
at the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News. These workers
were out all year, making it the longest work stoppage in
effect during the year. That stoppage continued into 1997.

The longest stoppage beginning in the year was at
Trailmobile, where 1,100 workers represented by the United
Paperworkers were out for 165 days. Another long stop-
page beginning in the year was at Pemco Aeroplex, where
some 1,100 workers represented by the Automobile Work-
ers were on strike for 163 days, a stoppage that continued
into 1997. Almost two-thirds of all stoppages lasted a
week or longer.



Chart 1. Number of major work stoppages, 1947-96

Number

500

ol A

300 |

200 anf
100 \

°
1947 1950 195319561959“ 1962~—«1965=«1968+~=«1871+~=«1974~—~*1977+~«1980~=«1983~—=«198G~=«T9Bg 1992 ~—~1995
Year

Chart 2. Workers involved in major work stoppages, 1947-96

Workers involved (thousands)

3,000

2.500 4

2,000 4

NN
seo IN Va

sew VO

°
1947 1950 195310661959 1962«1965.=«1968=«1971~=«1974 +~=—«1977/ «980 —«:1983~=«1986~=~=«9BG «1992 —«1905,
Year

Chart 3. Days of idleness from major work stoppages, 1947-96
Days of idleness (thousands)

70,000

60,000

50,000

40,000

30,000

K
_ A fi

- PEE NG

1947 1950 1953 1956 19591962 19651968 +=—«1971-«1974=«1977«1980-«1983-=«1986~=«19BG «1902 «1005
Year

Compensation and Working Conditions Spring 1997

56


Table 1. Work stoppages involving 1,000 workers or more, 1947-96

‘Stoppages’ Days idle*
Year Percentot
Nu Workers ; Number estimated
usands) working
(thousands) time?
270 1,629 28,720 9]
245 1,435 26,127 0.22
262 2,537 43,420 38
424 1,698 30,390 26
415 1,462 15,070 12
470 2,746 48,820 38
437 1,623. 18,130 14
265 1,075 16,630 3
363 2,055 21,180 16
287 1,370 26,840 20
279 887 10,340 07
332 1,587 17,900 13
245 1,381 60,850 43
222 896 13,260 09
195 1,031 10,140 07
21 793 11,760 08.
181 512 10,020 07
246 1,183 16,220 WW
268 999 15,140 10
321 1,300 16,000 10
381 2,192 31,320 18
392 1,855 35,367 20
412 1,576 29,397 16
1970 essen 381 2,468 52,761 29
298 2,516 35,538 19
250 975 16,764 09
a7 1,400 16,260 08
424 1,796 31,809 16
235 17,563 09
231 1,519 23,962 12
298 1,212 21,258 10
219 1,006 23,774 11
235 1,021 20,409 09
187 795 20,844 09
145 729 16,908 07
96 656 9,061 04
81 909 17,461 08
62 376 8,499 04
54 324 7,079 03.
69 533 11,861 05
46 174 4,481 02
40 118 4,381 02
5t 452 16,996 07
44 185 5,926 02
40 392 4,584 02
& 364 3,989 01
35 182 3,981 01
a 322 5,020 02
31 192 5,771 02
7 273 4,887 02
‘The number of stoppages and workers relate to stoppages that ? Total working time is for all employees, except those in private
began in the year. Days of idleness Include all stoppages in effect. households, forestry, and fisheries.
Workers are counted more than once if they are involved in more * Notavailable.

than one stoppage during the year.

57 Compensation and Working Conditions Spring 1997