July 14, 1999 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Length of work stoppages in 1998

Most major work stoppages in the United States in 1998 lasted two weeks or less. The four shortest work stoppages lasted for just one day while the longest stoppage of the year lasted for over seven months.

[Chart data—TXT]

Fully a third of stoppages in 1998 were less than a week long. An additional 23 percent lasted between one and two weeks, for a total of 56 percent that were in effect no more than two weeks.

The longest work stoppage of the year commenced on May 3, 1998, at Peterbilt Motors Company. This stoppage—involving 1,200 workers represented by the United Automobile Workers—came to an end after 206 days on November 24, 1998.

These data are a product of the BLS Office of Compensation and Working Conditions, Collective Bargaining Agreements. Additional information is available in "1998 Work Stoppages" (PDF 46K), Compensation and Working Conditions, Summer 1999. Also find out more about work stoppages from news release USDL 99-33, "Major Work Stoppages, 1998." Major work stoppages are defined as strikes or lockouts that idle 1,000 or more workers and last at least one shift.