Information: (202) 691-5174 USDL 02-153 Media Contact: (202) 691-5902 For Release: 10:00 A.M. EST Internet Address: http://stats.bls.gov Friday, March 22, 2002 MAJOR WORK STOPPAGES IN 2001 The number of days idle and the percent of estimated working time lost because of strikes and lockouts were at historic lows in 2001, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Twenty-nine major work stoppages began during the year, idling 99,000 workers and resulting in 1.2 million workdays of idleness (less than 1 out of every 10,000 available workdays). Comparable figures for 2000 were 39 stoppages, 394,000 workers idled, and 20.4 million days of idleness. (See table 1 and charts 1-3.) The major work stoppage series, which dates back to 1947, covers strikes and lockouts involving 1,000 workers or more and lasting at least one shift. Of the 29 major work stoppages beginning in 2001, 24 were in the private sector; the remainder occurred in State and local government. In the private sector, 13 stoppages occurred in goods-producing industries, including 8 in construction. Eleven stoppages occurred in service- producing industries, including six in the health care services industry. Of the five stoppages in the public sector, four were in education. Three work stoppages beginning in 2001 accounted for more than two- fifths of all workers idled. The first was between the State of Minnesota and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees and the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, which jointly represented 24,900 State government employees who went on strike for 14 days. The other two stoppages included a 19-day strike at the State of Hawaii's Department of Education by 12,400 workers represented by the National Education Association and a 1-day stoppage at Seattle public schools involving 6,900 workers, also represented by the National Education Association. (See table 2.) Private industries with the most days of idleness during the year due to work stoppages were air transportation (116,600 days), construction (115,000 days), health care services (109,700 days), and utilities (102,000 days). Fifty-three percent of the year's work stoppage days of idleness (608,300 days) stemmed from four major disputes, including two of the previously mentioned disputes: one between the State of Minnesota and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees and the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (242,500 days); and the second between the State of Hawaii's Department of Education and the National Education Association (161,200 days). The third was between Comair and the Airline Pilots Association (116,600 days), and the fourth involved the Midwest Generation Company and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (88,000 days). The average length of work stoppages beginning in 2001 was 22 days, and a majority of the work stoppages (86 percent) lasted 30 days or less. Only 10 percent of stoppages extended more than 50 days. (See chart 4.) Work stoppages were concentrated in the 11-20 day and 21-30 day ranges. The longest stoppage beginning in the year was the previously mentioned dispute between Midwest Generation and the Electrical Workers, where 1,100 workers were on strike for 111 days. The dispute was also the longest stoppage in effect in 2001. 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, 1947-2001 __________________________________________________________________________ | | | 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 1999 ......................| 17 | 73 | 1,996 | .01 2000 ......................| 39 | 394 | 20,419 | .06 2001 ......................| 29 | 99 | 1,151 | (4) ___________________________________________________________________________ 1/ The number of stoppages and more than one stoppage during workers relate to stoppages that the year. began in the year. Days of 2/ Working time is for all idleness include all stoppages in employees, except those in private effect. Workers are counted more households, forestry, and fisheries. than once if they are involved in 3/ Not available. 4/ Less than .005 percent. Table 2. Work stoppages involving 5,000 workers or more beginning in 2001 | Beginning | Ending | Number of | Estimated days of Employer, location, and union | date | date | workers(1) | idleness in 2001(1) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | Department of Education | | | | State of Hawaii | | | | National Education Association .....| 4/5/2001 | 4/23/2001 | 12,400 | 161,200 | | | | Seattle public schools | | | | Seattle, WA | | | | National Education Association .....| 5/1/2001 | 5/1/2001 | 6,900 | 6,900 | | | | State of Minnesota | | | | Minnesota | | | | American Federation of State, | | | | County, and Municipal Employees | | | | and Minnesota Association of | | | | Professional Employees ............| 10/1/2001 | 10/14/2001 | 24,900 | 242,500 | | | | Pratt & Whitney, United Technologies | | | | Corporation | | | | Connecticut | | | | Machinists .........................| 12/3/2001 | 12/13/2001 | 5,000 | 45,000 | | | | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 Workers and days idle are rounded to the nearest 100.