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work stoppage

work stoppage

9 4.2
A time when workers stop working to protest about pay or conditions
  • noun
  • /wɜrk ˈstɑpɪdʒ/
translation icon : paro laboral
  • The employees organized a work stoppage to demand better wages and conditions.
  • work stoppages and strikes
  • wildcat work stoppages

The strikes, which were so painful for so many of us, the work stoppages for so long, had some Silver Linings.

Examples

  • I wanna move you there... but the nurses' union is calling a work stoppage... until protocols are in place.

  • Photo (black & white): The Fort Myers immigrant rights march also included a one-day work stoppage.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Last night the mine called in a work stoppage.

  • I was at the mine when they called a work stoppage.

  • The girls are threatening a work stoppage.

  • This is a peaceful work stoppage.

  • Customers do not want to hold inventory during these work stoppages.

    Academic text (2002)
  • On Nov. 12, Hostess Brands permanently closed three plants as a result of the work stoppage.

    Blog text (27)
  • Since 1994, the NFL, NBA, and NHL have experienced eight work stoppages.

    Blog text (21)
  • Nevertheless, some cross-ethnic class solidarities were evident in the spontaneous work stoppages and strikes that occurred.

    Academic text (1991)

Synonyms

strike
vswork stoppage
442 3.7

A period when workers stop work to demand better pay

has the same organized refusal but is the general phrase for that action
walkout
vswork stoppage
33 4.8

A group of people who leave work together to protest

covers that leaving action but also other kinds of collective refusals
stoppage
vswork stoppage
15 4.1

A time when something stops moving or working

is specifically a collective refusal to work used as a form of protest
sit-down strike
vswork stoppage
3 4.4

Workers stay at their workplace and refuse to work until demands are met

is the broader term for a collective refusal to work as protest
sit-down
vswork stoppage
  • Archaic
2 6.4

Workers who stay in their workplace and refuse to leave until the employer meets their demands

is the general collective refusal to work rather than occupation specifically
wildcat strike
vswork stoppage
1 7.8

A strike by workers not approved by their union

is similar but usually involves formal or authorized collective action
sick-out
vswork stoppage
  • Literature
8.2

A group of workers who call in sick to protest and ask for change

is a direct refusal to work rather than pretending illness as tactic
sympathy strike
vswork stoppage
  • Jargon
7.0

Workers stop work to support other workers on strike

is a direct protest about the workers' own pay or conditions rather than solidarity
hartal
vswork stoppage
  • Indian
9.9

A large protest in South Asia where people stop work and shops close

is any collective refusal to work, not necessarily nationwide or general
compliance strike
vswork stoppage
  • Jargon
8.0

A stoppage of work by workers to make managers follow safety and other workplace rules

is broader, covering protests for pay, conditions, or other grievances

Antonyms

56 3.6

An act of something keeping going without stopping

13 5.6

To start something again after it stopped

How Disruptive

to strike
133 3.2
work stoppage
9 4.2
work to rule
  • Literature
7.2

Surface Forms

work stoppage singular

Morphology

work + stoppage

The phrase 'work stoppage' is directly compositional: 'work' (job activity) + 'stoppage' (an interruption or halt) yields the clear meaning 'a halt or interruption of work'. Although it often refers specifically to a labor action like a strike, that causal nuance is a straightforward extension of 'work stopping' and would be inferable by most B1 learners who know both words.

Etymology

The phrase work stoppage comes from the simple image of workers stopping their work and leaving machines and tools still to show they are unhappy. That's why it now means 'an occasion when workers refuse to work to protest'.