This study examines the extent to which strikes impaired productivity in nine manufacturing industries, as well as in other industries linked as suppliers or purchasers to the struck industries, in 1967–81. The analysis shows that strikes were associated with productivity declines of greater statistical significance in the linked industries than in the industries experiencing the strikes. The author concludes that studies using only the individual struck firm or industry as the unit of observation underestimate the impact of strike activity on short-run labor productivity.
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