March 01, 2007 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Duration of major work stoppages beginning in 2006

The average length of a work stoppage beginning in 2006 was 26.5 days, up from 20 days in 2005 and 14.6 days in 2004.

[Chart data—TXT]

Most work stoppages are relatively short in duration. More than half of the 20 work stoppages that began in calendar year 2006 lasted 10 or fewer days. 

The average length of work stoppages in 2006 is influenced by several long work stoppages. The longest work stoppage beginning in 2006 lasted 211 days and involved the AK Steel Corporation and the Armco Employees Independent Federation.

These data are from the BLS Collective Bargaining Agreements Program. Learn more about work stoppages from "Major Work Stoppages in 2006" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 07-0304. Major work stoppages are defined as strikes or lockouts that idle 1,000 or more workers and last at least one shift. 

 

Related TED article: 

• Fewer workers idled by work stoppages in 2006