1996 Bargaining Activity — 1995-08-22

Contract expirations and reopenings in 1996 will affect 1.7 million workers under major collective bargaining agreements (those covering 1,000 or more workers) in private industry, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, reported today. These workers account for almost one-third (32 percent) of the 5.4 million workers under all major agreements, a slightly lower proportion than in 1995 when scheduled bargaining affected 35 percent of the covered workers. Industries on the 1996 bargaining calendar that account for major concentrations of workers are: Transportation equipment manufacturing, primarily automobiles (471,000 workers); construction (319,000 workers); wholesale and retail trade (226,000 workers); and primary metals manufacturing (94,000 workers). (See table 1.) Bargaining will be heaviest in the second and third quarters of the year, when contracts for 68 percent of the 1.7 million workers expire or reopen. (See table 2.) The year begins with contract expirations for marine cargo handlers on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts and for workers at major oil refineries.