There were five major strikes and lockouts involving 1,000 or more workers in 2009, the lowest number since the major work stoppages series began in 1947, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports.

BLS says the five major work stoppages in 2009 idled 13,000 workers for 124,000 lost workdays, both record lows, and a large decrease compared to 2008 with 15 stoppages idling 72,000 workers for 1.95 million lost workdays. Since 2007, the number of major work stoppages and the number of employees involved in major work stoppages have fallen sharply, according to BLS.