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

The majority of these strikers—about 33,000—were Boeing machinists who had begun their work stoppage on September 13. —Jack Kelly, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

Work on union projects largely halted during the dual writers’ and actors’ strikes in 2023 and production never fully rebounded after, including once IATSE negotiated a new contract with film and television employers, avoiding its own work stoppage, this year. —Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Oct. 2024

The existing agreement will stay in place for next season, meaning both sides have a year to negotiate a new deal and avoid a potential future work stoppage. —Ben Church, CNN, 23 Oct. 2024

But a work stoppage could still cost the U.S. economy anywhere from several hundred million dollars to $4.5 billion a day, analysts and business groups say. —Mike Calia, NBC News, 1 Oct. 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.”