2009 Major Work Stoppages (Annual) — 2010-02-10

In 2009, there were five major strikes and lockouts involving 1,000 or more workers, the lowest number since the major work stoppages series began in 1947, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The prior low for major work stoppages beginning in a calendar year was 14 in 2003. The five major work stoppages in 2009 idled 13,000 workers for 124,000 lost workdays, both record lows, and a large decrease compared to 2008 with 15 stoppages idling 72,000 workers for 1.95 million lost workdays. Since 2007, the number of major work stoppages and the number of employees involved in major work stoppages have fallen sharply. (See charts 1 and 2.) Average annual major work stoppages have continued to decline. From 2000-2009, there were approximately 20 major work stoppages on average per year, compared with 35 per year from 1990-1999 and 83 from 1980-1989.