work stoppage

noun

: concerted cessation of work by a group of employees usually more spontaneous and less serious than a strike

Examples of work stoppage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As America’s busiest-ever Thanksgiving flying period begins, workers at one airport are throwing a wrench into operations with a work stoppage. —Melvin Backman, Quartz, 25 Nov. 2024

The picket is not a work stoppage, but nurses and other health care workers plan to participate on their own time, the union said in a statement emailed to the Free Press. —Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press, 21 Nov. 2024

After just a few days, a work stoppage at ports along the East Coast could lead to shortages of goods from overseas. —Cassidy Jensen, Baltimore Sun, 15 Nov. 2024

Striking workers for what company voted to approve their employer’s latest contract after a seven-week work stoppage? —Maria Gracia Santillana Linares, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

work stoppage

noun

: a cessation of work by employees as a job action

Note: Work stoppage is often used to refer to a cessation of work that is less serious and more spontaneous than one referred to as a strike. As used in the Labor Management Relations Act strike refers to “any…concerted stoppage of work by employees…and any concerted slowdown or other concerted interruption of operations by employees.”