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

Last year, the government forced the country’s two major railroads into arbitration with their labor union during a work stoppage. —Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2025

The airline’s flight attendants overwhelmingly agreed to the system-wide work stoppage, with 99.7% in favor of the strike, and walked out around 1 a.m. ET on Saturday. —Auzinea Bacon, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2025

In early 2021, as the pandemic continued to cause supply chain chaos, LAP saw work stoppages several times, delaying vehicle production. —Olivia Evans, The Courier-Journal, 12 Aug. 2025

The strike marked the first-ever such work stoppage in Fenway Park’s 113-year history. —Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 29 July 2025

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.”