Information:         (202) 606-6282			USDL 99-33
Media Contact:    (202) 606-5902			For Release:  10:00 A.M. EST
Internet Address:  http://stats.bls.gov                         Wednesday, Feb. 10, 1999


MAJOR WORK STOPPAGES, 1998

	All measures of major work stoppage activity rose in 1998, although they
 were low by historical standards, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of
 Labor Statistics reported.

Thirty-four major work stoppages began during 1998, idling 387,000 workers and
 resulting in 5.1 million work days of idleness (about 2 out of every 10,000
 available work days).  Comparable figures for 1997 were 29 stoppages, 339,000
 workers idled, and 4.5 million days of idleness.  (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 34 major work stoppages beginning in 1998, 30 were in the private
 sector, and the remainder occurred in State and local government, primarily in
 educational services.  In the private sector, an equal number of stoppages
 occurred in manufacturing and nonmanufacturing industries.  Of the 15 stoppages
 in manufacturing, 7 were in two industries: industrial and commercial machinery
 and transportation equipment manufacturing.  In nonmanufactuing, 12 of the 15
 stoppages were in construction, broadcasting and telecommunications, and health
 care services.

	Industries with the most days of idleness during the year due to work
 stoppages were transportation equipment manufacturing (3.5 million days) and
 broadcasting and telecommunications (690,000 days).

	The 1998 stoppage involving the most workers was between General Motors
 Corporation and the United Automobile Workers representing 152,000 employees,
 most of whom were out for over 4 weeks.  (See table 2.)  Another large stoppage
 was between Bell Atlantic Corporation and Communications Workers of America; it
 involved 73,000 workers and lasted 3 days.

	Three-fourths of the year's work stoppage idleness (3.9 million days)
 stemmed from three disputes.  The first was the previously mentioned General
 Motors-United Automobile Workers dispute (3.3 million days of idleness).  The
 second was between US West Corporation and the Communications Workers of
 America (340,000 days of idleness).  The third involved members of the Air Line
 Pilots Association at Northwest Airlines (218,000 days of idleness).

	The average length of work stoppages beginning in 1998 was about 26 days,
 but a majority of the work stoppages lasted 2 weeks or less, and only 12
 percent extended 60 days or more.  Seventy-nine percent of stoppages were
 concluded in less than 30 days.  Work stoppages were concentrated in the 7-14
 day and 15-29 day ranges.  (See chart 4.)  The longest stoppage beginning in
 the year was at Peterbilt Motors Company, where 1,200 workers represented by
 the Automobile Workers were out for 206 days.  The second longest stoppage
 beginning in the year was at Continental General Tire Company in Charlotte,
 N.C., where 1,400 workers represented by the United Steelworkers were idle for
 102 days; this stoppage began in 1998 and continued into 1999.


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   The term "major work stoppage" includes worker-initiated strikes, as well as
 lockouts of workers by their employers, involving 1,000 workers or more.  BLS
 does not attempt to distinguish between strikes and lockouts in its statistics.
Table 1.  Work stoppages involving 1,000 workers or more, 1947-98
__________________________________________________________________________
                            |                   |
                            |   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
 1996 ......................|   37  |     273   |    4,889  |      .02
 1997 ......................|   29  |     339   |    4,497  |      .01
 1998 ......................|   34  |     387   |    5,116  |      .02
_________________________________________________________________________
    1  The number of stoppages and                2  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 1998

                                |         |         |  Workers  |Estimated days
  Employer, location, and union |  Began  |  Ended  |involved(1)|idle in 1998(1)
--------------------------------|---------|---------|-----------|---------------
Kaiser Permanente               | 1/28/98 | 1/29/98 |   8,000   |      16,000
  Northern California           |         |         |           |
  California Nurses Association |         |         |           |
                                |         |         |           |
Kaiser Permanente               | 2/24/98 | 2/24/98 |   7,100   |       7,100
  Northern California           |         |         |           |
  California Nurses Association |         |         |           |
                                |         |         |           |
General Motors Corporation      |  6/5/98 | 7/29/98 | 152,200(2)|   3,313,000
  Interstate                    |         |         |           |
  Automobile Workers            |         |         |           |
                                |         |         |           |
Bell Atlantic Corporation       | 8/9/98  | 8/11/98 |  73,000   |     146,000
  Interstate                    |         |         |           |
  Communications Workers        |         |         |           |
                                |         |         |           |
Consolidated Rail Company       | 8/14/98 | 8/14/98 |   3,500   |      23,500
  Interstate                    |         |         |           |
  Brotherhood of Maintenance    |         |         |           |
   of Way Employees             |         |         |           |
                                |         |         |           |
US West Corporation             | 8/16/98 | 8/30/98 |  34,000   |     340,000
  Interstate                    |         |         |           |
  Communications Workers        |         |         |           |
                                |         |         |           |
Southern New England            | 8/23/98 | 9/17/98 |   6,300   |     113,400
 Telecommunications Company     |         |         |           |
  Interstate                    |         |         |           |
  Communications Workers        |         |         |           |
                                |         |         |           |
Northwest Airlines              | 8/29/98 | 9/10/98 |  33,700   |     214,600
  Interstate                    |         |         |           |
  Air Line Pilots Association   |         |         |           |
                                |         |         |           |

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1 Workers and days idle are rounded to the nearest 100.
2 Excludes workers in Canada and Mexico.