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

This work stoppage follows the 13-day strike from more than 7,400 longshoremen at the British Columbia ports in July 2023. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 4 Nov. 2024

October’s numbers were seen as being temporarily weighed down by worker strikes and work stoppages resulting from severe weather events like Hurricane Milton. —Jena McGregor, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

This work stoppage has had and is expected to continue to have negative impacts on our key suppliers and customers. —Melvin Backman, Quartz, 28 Oct. 2024

Experts warn that even a short work stoppage at the ports that could close in a strike could temporarily disrupt supplies of food, auto parts and many other products, potentially driving up costs for consumers. —Kate Gibson, CBS News, 26 Sep. 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.”