List of striking United States workers by year


Throughout the history of labor in the United States, many workers have gone on strike. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the predecessor organizations it cites, have kept track of the number of striking workers per year since 1881.
For data from 1881 to 1905 the Commissioner of Labor, then within the Department of Interior conducted four periodic surveys covering that period. The data is considered likely un-comprehensive but still used the same definition of strikes as later periods. For this era, all strikes with more than six workers or less than one day were excluded. No concrete data was collected for the amount of strikes from 1906 to 1913 federally.
Data from 1915 to 1926 is more comprehensive. In 1915, the Bureau of Labor Statistics had formed a more systemized set of data collection. Data on the number of workers involved remained a rough estimate but more consistent. The data however also included strikes with fewer than six workers involved, likely leading to slightly higher worker estimates.
Data from 1927 to 1981 is more detailed then the previous periods. In 1927, monthly and yearly strike reports by the department were implemented. Any strikes with fewer than six workers or lasting less than a day were excluded from data leading to marginally smaller estimates then the previous period. For strike numbers this change could pose issues, however for total worker estimates it is considered to only have small effects. Within this period, with the passing of the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947, the program was revamped under the work stoppage program, however the criteria remained largely identical.
Data from 1981 to present remains an underestimate of workers striking each year in comparison to all other periods. In February 1982, the BLS had to stop counting strikes with fewer than 1,000 workers, as budget cuts to its Division of Industrial Relations made it infeasible to count them any more.
YearNumber of workers on strike by yearStrikes
1881130,176
1882158,802
1883170,275
  • Camp Dump strike
    • 1884165,175
    1885258,129
    1886610,024
  • Great Southwest railroad strike of 1886
  • Bay View massacre
  • Haymarket affair
    • 1887439,306
  • Thibodaux massacre (Sugar cane workers' strike)
    • 1888162,880
    1889260,290
    1890373,499
    1891329,953
  • Cotton pickers' strike of 1891
  • Coal Creek War
    • 1892238,685
  • Homestead strike
  • Coeur d'Alene labor strike
  • Buffalo switchmen's strike
    • 1893287,756
    1894690,044
  • Pullman Strike
  • Bituminous coal miners' strike of 1894
  • Great Northern Railway strike
  • Cripple Creek miners' strike of 1894
    • 1895407,188
    1896248,838
  • Leadville miners' strike
    • 1897416,154
  • Lattimer massacre
    • 1898263,219
    1899431,889
  • Weight Strike
  • Coeur d'Alene labor confrontation
  • Newsboys' strike
    • 1900567,719
  • 1900 Anthracite coal strike
  • St. Louis streetcar strike of 1900
    • 1901563,843
  • U.S. Steel recognition strike of 1901
    • 1902691,507
  • Anthracite coal strike of 1902
    • 1903787,834
  • Oxnard strike of 1903
  • Carbon County Strike
  • Pacific Electric Railway strike of 1903
    • 1904573,815
    1905302,434
  • 1905 Chicago teamsters' strike
    • 1906Not measured
  • United Railroads Strike of 1906 by IBEW1245 in San Francisco
  • 1906 GE sit-down strike (Schenectady, NY)
    • 1907Not measured
  • 1907 San Francisco streetcar strike
  • Boston garment worker strike
  • 1907 Skowhegan textile strike
    • 1908Not measured
  • Pensacola streetcar strike of 1908
    • 1909Not measured
  • New York shirtwaist strike of 1909
  • Pressed Steel Car strike of 1909
  • Georgia Railroad strike
    • 1910Not measured
  • Clockmakers' strike
  • 1910 Chicago garment workers' strike
  • Westmoreland County coal strike of 1910–1911
  • Tampa cigar makers' strike of 1910–11
  • 1910 Columbus streetcar strike
  • Philadelphia general strike (1910)
    • 1911Not measured
  • Illinois Central shopmen's strike of 1911
  • 1911 Grand Rapids furniture workers strike
  • Louisiana-Texas Lumber War of 1911–1912
    • 1912Not measured
  • 1912 Lawrence "Bread & Roses" textile strike
  • 1912 New York City waiters' strike
  • Paint Creek–Cabin Creek strike of 1912
  • Seattle Fishermen halibut strike of 1912
  • Chicago Newspaper strike of 1912
  • 1912–1913 Little Falls textile strike
    • 1913Not measured
  • Colorado Coalfield War
  • 1913 Paterson silk strike
  • El Paso smelters' strike
  • Indianapolis streetcar strike
  • Copper Country strike of 1913–1914
    • 1914Unavailable
  • 1914–1915 Fulton Bag and Cotton Mills strike
    • 1915Unavailable
  • Bayonne refinery strikes
    • 19161,559,917
  • 1916 Atlanta streetcar strike
  • 1916–1917 northern Minnesota lumber strike
    • 19171,227,254
  • 1917 Twin Cities streetcar strike
  • 1917 Bloomington Streetcar Strike
    • 19181,239,989
    19194,160,348
  • 1919 Actors' Equity Association strike
  • 1919 New York City Harbor Strike
  • Boston cigar makers' strike of 1919
  • Los Angeles streetcar strike of 1919
  • Steel strike of 1919
  • UMW Coal Strike of 1919
  • 1919 New England Textile Strike
  • 1919 New York Longshoremen strike
    • 19201,463,054
  • 1920 Alabama coal strike
  • Denver streetcar strike
    • 19211,099,247
    19221,612,562
  • Great Railroad Strike of 1922
  • UMW General coal strike (1922)
  • 1922 New England Textile Strike
  • Portland Waterfront strike, 1922
    • 1923756,584
  • 1923 San Pedro maritime strike
    • 1924654,641
    1925428,416-
    1926329,592
  • 1926 Passaic textile strike
    • 1927329,939
  • 1927 Indiana bituminous strike
  • 1927–1928 Colorado Coal Strike
    • 1928314,210
  • 1928 New Bedford textile strike
  • Cantaloupe strike of 1928
    • 1929288,572
  • Loray Mill strike
  • 1929 New Orleans streetcar strike
    • 1930182,975
  • Imperial Valley lettuce strike
    • 1931341,817
  • Santa Clara cannery strike
  • Ybor City cigar makers' strike of 1931
    • 1932324,210
  • Century Airlines pilots' strike
  • Vacaville tree pruners' strike
    • 19331,168,272
  • 1933 Detroit auto strike
  • California agricultural strikes of 1933
  • 1933 Wisconsin milk strike
  • 1933 Yakima Valley strike
  • El Monte berry strike of 1933
  • Los Angeles Garment Workers strike of 1933
  • Santa Clara cherry strike of 1933
    • 19341,466,695
  • Textile workers' strike (1934)
  • 1934 West Coast waterfront strike
  • Auto-Lite strike
  • Minneapolis general strike
  • 1934 New York Hotel Strike
  • 1934–35 Milwaukee sales clerks' strike
  • 1934 Kohler strike
  • Hardin County onion pickers strike
  • New York Shipbuilding strike
  • Salinas Lettuce strike of 1934
    • 19351,117,213
  • Pacific Northwest lumber strike
  • 1935 Gulf Coast longshoremen's strike
    • 1936788,648
  • Flint sit-down strike
  • SS California strike
  • Gulf Coast maritime workers' strike
  • Remington Rand strike of 1936–1937
  • 1936 Seattle Post-Intelligencer strike
  • Citrus Strike of 1936
    • 19371,860,62
  • Little Steel strike
  • Lewiston–Auburn shoe strike
  • Fleischer Studios strike
  • 1937 New York City department store strikes
  • Pennsylvania chocolate workers' strike, 1937
  • Stockton cannery strike of 1937
    • 1938688,000
  • 1938 San Antonio pecan shellers strike
  • 1938 New York City truckers strike
    • 19391,171,000
  • Tool and die strike of 1939
  • Chrysler Auto Strike
    • 1940576,988
    19412,362,620
  • Disney animators' strike
    • 1942840,000
  • 1942-43 musicians' strike
    • 19431,981,279
    19442,116,000
  • Philadelphia Transit Strike
  • Port Chicago mutiny
    • 19453,467,000
  • United Auto Workers strike of 1945–1946
  • Hollywood Black Friday
    • 19464,600,000
  • 1946 Steel Strike
  • 1946 UMW Mine Strike
  • 1946 Rail Strike
  • 1946 United Electrical GE strike
  • 1945–1946 Charleston Cigar Factory strike
    • 19472,170,000
  • Telephone Strike
    • 19481,960,000
  • 1948 US Meatpacking strike
  • 1948 Caterpillar strike
  • Boeing Strike of 1948
  • Goodyear strike
  • 1948 Miami Garment workers strike
    • 19493,030,000
  • 1949 New York City brewery strike
  • Puget Sound fishermen's strike of 1949
  • 1949 Calvary Cemetery strike
    • 19502,410,000
  • Atlanta transit strike of 1950
    • 19512,220,000
  • 1951 Caterpillar strike
  • 1951 Aliquippa steelworkers strike
    • 19523,540,000
  • 1952 steel strike
    • 19532,400,000
  • 1953 Milwaukee brewery strike
    • 19541,530,000
    19552,650,000
    19561,900,000
    19571,390,000
  • 1957 Western Electric strike
  • 1957 Long Island strike
    • 19582,060,000
    19591,880,000
  • Steel strike of 1959
  • 1959 United Mine Workers strike
    • 19601,320,000
  • 1960 Writers Guild of America strike
    • 19611,450,000
    19621,230,000
  • 1962 New York City newspaper strike
    • 1963941,000
    19641,640,000
  • 1964–1965 Scripto strike
    • 19651,550,000
    19661,960,000
  • 1966 New York City transit strike
  • Texas farm workers' strike
  • St. John's University strike of 1966–67
    • 19672,870,000
  • 1967 US Railroad strike
  • 1967 US truckers strike
  • November 1967 General Motors strike
  • 1967 Caterpillar strike
  • September 1967 General Motors strike
    • 19682,649,000
  • New York City Teacher's Strike of 1968
  • Florida statewide teachers' strike of 1968
  • Chrysler wildcat strike
  • Memphis sanitation strike
  • St. Petersburg, FL sanitation strike
  • 1968 NFL strike/lockout
    • 19692,481,000
    19703,305,000
  • 1970 General Motors Strike
  • U.S. Postal Service strike of 1970
  • Salad Bowl strike
  • 1970 Southern California construction strike
  • 1970 US truckers strike
    • 19713,279,600
  • 1971 Longshore strike
  • 1971 Rail strike
  • 1971 Telephone strike
  • 1971 Bituminous coal strike
  • 1971 Northern and Central California construction strikes
  • 1971 International Harvester strike
    • 19721,713,600
    19732,250,700
  • 1973 Chrysler strike
  • 1973 Pennsylvania Central Transportation strike
  • 1973 Caterpillar strike
  • 1973 Chicago teachers strike
  • 1973 Philadelphia teachers strike
  • 1973 Detroit teachers strike
  • 1973 Cleveland teachers strike
    • 19742,777,700
  • Bituminous Coal Strike of 1974
  • 1974 NFL strike
    • 19751,745,600-
    19762,420,000-
    19772,040,100
  • 1977 Atlanta sanitation strike
  • Bituminous Coal Strike of 1977–1978
  • 1977–78 Coors strike
    • 19781,779,800
  • 1978 New York City newspaper strike
    • 19791,727,100
  • 1979 Boston University strike
    • 19801,366,000
  • 1980 actors strike
    • 1981728,900
  • Air traffic controllers' strike
  • 1981 Writers Guild of America strike
  • 1981 Schlitz strike
  • 1981 Major League Baseball strike
    • 1982655,800
  • 1982 garment workers' strike
  • 1982 animators' strike
  • 1982 NFL strike
    • 1983909,400
  • 1983 AT&T strike
  • 1983 Arizona copper mine strike
  • 1983 Greyhound Bus Lines strike in Seattle
    • 1984376,000-
    1985323,900
  • 1985 Pan Am strike
  • 1985 Major League Baseball strike
  • 1985–1986 Hormel strike
  • 1985–1986 New Bedford fishermen's strike
  • 1985–1987 Watsonville Cannery strike
    • 1986533,100
  • Guilford Transportation Industries railroad workers' strike
  • Major Indoor Soccer League lockout
    • 1987174,400
  • International Paper strike
  • 1987 NFL strike
    • 1988118,300
  • 1988 Writers Guild of America strike
    • 1989
    200,000
    New England Telephone Company
    17 weeks
    1989452,100
    1990184,900
  • 1990 Major League Baseball lockout
    • 1991392,000-
    1992363,800
  • Southern California drywall strike
  • 1992 CSX railroad strike
  • 1992 NHL strike
    • 1993181,900-
    1994322,200
  • 1994 US truckers strike
  • 1994 Caterpillar strike
  • San Francisco newspaper strike of 1994
  • 1994–95 NHL lockout
  • 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike
    • 1995191,500
  • 1995 Boeing Strike
  • 1995 NBA lockout
  • Detroit newspaper strike of 1995–1997
    • 1996272,700
  • 1996 General Motors Strike
  • 1996 NBA lockout
    • 1997338,600
  • 1997 UPS Strike
    • 1998386,800
  • 1998 General Motors strike
  • 1998 Bell Atlantic strike
  • 1998–99 NBA lockout
    • 199872,600-
    2000393,700
  • 2000 commercial actors strike
  • Verizon strike of 2000
  • 2000 L.A. County Workers Strike
    • 200199,100
    200245,900
    2003129,200
  • 2003 Broadway musicians strike
  • Southern California supermarket strike of 2003–2004
  • 2003 Hospitality Congress Plaza Hotel strike
    • 2004170,700
  • 2004 SBC Communications workers strike
  • 2004–05 NHL lockout
    • 200599,600
  • 2005 New York City transit strike
    • 200670,100
  • University of Miami Justice for Janitors campaign
    • 2007189,200
  • 2007 General Motors strike
  • 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
  • 2007–2008 CBS News writers strike
  • 2007 Orange County transit strike
  • 2007 Freightliner wildcat strike
  • 2007 Broadway Stagehand Strike
  • Hayward teachers strike
    • 200872,200
  • Boeing Machinists Strike of 2008
    • 200912,500-
    201044,500
  • 2010 Georgia prison strike
  • 2010 Major League Soccer lockout/strike
    • 2011112,500
  • 2011 Verizon Strike
  • 2011 NBA lockout
  • 2011 NFL lockout
    • 2012148,100
  • 2012 Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach strike
  • 2012 NFL referee lockout
  • 2012–13 NHL lockout
    • 201354,500-
    201434,300
  • Tacoma nurses strike 2014
    • 201547,300
  • 2015 United Steel Workers Oil Refinery strike
  • 2015 Kohler strike
    • 201699,400
  • 2016 Verizon workers' strike
  • 2016–2017 video game voice actor strike
    • 201725,300
    2018485,200
  • 2018 University of California Medical Centers Strike
  • Marriott Hotels strike
  • 2018 DeKalb County School District bus drivers' strike
  • 2018 Alabama Coca-Cola strike
  • 2018 Atlanta sanitation strike
  • 2018 Taylorsville Georgia-Pacific strike
  • 2018–2019 education workers' strikes in the United States
    • 2019425,500
  • 2019 General Electric strike
  • 2019 Stop & Shop strike
  • 2019 Los Angeles Unified School District teachers' strike
  • 2019 AT&T strike
  • Wright State University 2019 faculty strike
  • 2019 Alaska ferry workers' strike
    • 202027,000
  • 2020 Bath shipbuilders strike
  • 2020 Michigan graduate students strike
  • 2020 University of Illinois Hospital strikes
  • 2020 Santa Cruz graduate students' strike
  • 2020 New Orleans sanitation strike
  • 2020–2021 Alabama aluminum plant strike
    • 202180,700
  • 2021 Washington state carpenters strike
  • 2021 John Deere strike
  • 2021 Columbia University strike
  • 2021 Virginia Volvo Trucks strike
  • 2021 New York University strike
  • 2021 Mercy Hospital strike
  • 2021 Kellogg's strike
  • 2021 Hunts Point Produce Market strike
  • 2021 Allegheny Technologies strike
  • 2021 Nabisco strike
  • 2021 Cook County nurses strike
  • 2021 Saint Vincent Hospital strike
  • 2021 Frito-Lay strike
  • 2021 Heaven Hill strike
  • 2021 St. Paul Park refinery strike
  • 2021 St. Charles Bend strike
  • 2021 Oregon Tech strike
  • 2021 Kaiser Permanente strike
  • 2021–2023 Warrior Met Coal strike
    • 2022120,600
  • 2022 University of California academic workers' strike
  • 2022 Minneapolis teacher's strike
  • 2022–2023 HarperCollins strike
    • 2023477,900
  • 2023 Writers Guild of America strike
  • 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike
  • 2023 Rutgers University strike
  • 2023 Starbucks strike
  • 2023 Los Angeles city workers strike
  • 2023 Los Angeles hotel strike
  • 2023 United Auto Workers strike
  • 2023 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers strike
    • 2025
  • 2025 Starbucks workers' strike