Work Stoppage Data (WS) ws.txt Section Listing 1. Survey Definition 2. FTP files listed in the survey directory. 3. Time series, series file, data file, & mapping file definitions and relationships 4. Series file format and field definitions 5. Data file format and field definitions 6. Mapping file formats and field definitions 7. Data Element Dictionary ================================================================================ Section 1 ================================================================================ The following is a definition of: WORK STOPPAGE DATA (WS) Survey Description: The series covers all work stoppages--strikes and lockouts--involving 1,000 workers or more and lasting one full shift or longer. The Bureau does not attempt to differentiate between strikes and lockouts. The series does not measure the indirect or secondary effect of stoppages on other establishments whose employees are idled by material shortages or lack of services. For the series, a stoppage is considered to be ended when the number of workers involved dips below 1,000. The series presents annual data from 1947 through 1981 and annual and monthly data thereafter; it is not comparable with the one terminated in 1981 that covered stoppages involving six workers or more. Summary Data Available: The number of stoppages beginning in the period. The number of stoppages in effect in the period, comprising those that began in the period and those that began earlier and continued into the period. The number of workers directly involved in stoppages beginning in the period. Thte number of workers directly involved in stoppages in effect in the period. The total number of workdays lost by workers directly involved in the stoppages in effect in the period. Total workdays lost in the stoppages in effect, as a percent of the number of workdays in the period multiplied by total national employment in the period. (Private household, forestry, and fishery employees are excluded from total national employment.) Frequency of Observations: Monthly in all cases. Annual Averages: Annual data are available. Data Characteristics: All percent changes are stored with one decimal place. Updating Schedule: Updates become available about 3 weeks after the end of each month. All monthly figures are preliminary until final monthly and annual figures are issued in February. References: BLS Handbook of Methods, Chapter 27, "Work Stoppages", Bulletin 1910 (1976). ================================================================================== Section 2 ================================================================================== The following Work Stoppage Index files are on the BLS internet in the sub-directory pub/time.series/ws: ws.contacts - Contacts for ws survey ws.data.1.AllData - All data ws.footnote - Footnote codes mapping file ws.measure - Measure codes mapping file ws.period - Period codes mapping file ws.series - All series and their beginning and end dates ws.txt - General information ================================================================================= Section 3 ================================================================================= The definition of a time series, its relationship to and the interrelationship among series, data and mapping files is detailed below: A time series refers to a set of data observed over an extended period of time over consistent time intervals (i.e. monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, annually). BLS time series data are typically produced at monthly intervals and represent data ranging from a specific consumer item in a specific geographical area whose price is gathered monthly to a category of worker in a specific industry whose employment rate is being recorded monthly, etc. The FTP files are organized such that data users are provided with the following set of files to use in their efforts to interpret data files: a) a series file (only one series file per survey) b) mapping files c) data files The series file contains a set of codes which, together, compose a series identification code that serves to uniquely identify a single time series. Additionally, the series file also contains the following series-level information: a) the period and year corresponding to the first data observation b) the period and year corresponding to the most recent data observation. The mapping files are definition files that contain explanatory text descriptions that correspond to each of the various codes contained within each series identification code. The data file contains one line of data for each observation period pertaining to a specific time series. Each line contains a reference to the following: a) a series identification code b) year in which data is observed c) period for which data is observed (M13, Q05, and S03 indicate annual averages) d) value e) footnote code (if available) ================================================================================= Section 4 ================================================================================= File Structure and Format: The following represents the file format used to define ws.series. Note that the Field Numbers are for reference only; they do not exist in the database. Data files are in ASCII text format. Data elements are separated by tabs; the first record of each file contains the column headers for the data elements stored in each field. Each record ends with a new line character. Field #/Data Element Length Value(Example) 1. series_id 17 WSU100 2. measure_code 3 001 3. seasonal 1 U 4. begin_year 4 1947 5. begin_period 3 M13 6. end_year 4 2002 7. end_period 3 M01 The series_id (WSU001) can be broken out into: Code Value survey abbreviation = WS seasonal (code) = U measure_code = 001 ================================================================================== Section 5 ================================================================================== File Structure and Format: The following represents the file format used to define each data file. Note that the field numbers are for reference only; they do not exist in the database. Data files are in ASCII text format. Data elements are separated by tabs; the first record of each file contains the column headers for the data elements stored in each field. Each record ends with a new line character. File Name: ws.data.1.AllData The above-named data file has the following format: Field #/Data Element Length Value(Example) 1. series_id 17 WSU001 2. year 4 1947 3. period 3 M13 4. value 12 25,720 5. footnote_codes 10 It varies The series_id (WSU001) can be broken out into: Code Value survey abbreviation = WS seasonal (code) = U measure_code = 001 ================================================================================ Section 6 ================================================================================ File Structure and Format: The following represents the file format used to define each mapping file. Note that the field numbers are for reference only; they do not exist in the database. Mapping files are in ASCII text format. Data elements are separated by tabs; the first record of each file contains the column headers for the data elements stored in each field. Each record ends with a new line character. File Name: ws.footnote Field #/Data Element Length Value(Example) 1. footnote_code 1 1 2. footnote_text 100 Text File Name: ws.measure Field #/Data Element Length Value(Example) 1. measure_code 3 001 2. measure_text 100 Text File Name: ws.period Field #/Data Element Length Value(Example) 1. period 3 M01 2. period_abbr 5 JAN 3. period_name 20 Text ========================================================================================= Section 7 ========================================================================================= WORK STOPPAGE DATA (WS) DATABASE ELEMENTS Data Element Length Value(Example) Description begin_period 3 M01-M13 Identifies first data observation Ex: M01=Jan within the first year for which (M=Monthly, M13=Annual data is available for a given Avg) time series. begin_year 4 YYYY Identifies first year for which Ex: 1975 data is available for a given time series. end_period 3 M01=M13 Identifies last data observation Ex: M01=Jan within the last year for which (M=Monthly, M13=Annual data is available for a given Avg) time series. end_year 4 YYYY Identifies last year for which Ex: 1980 data is availabe for a given time series. footnote_code 1 Ex: 1 Identifies footnote for the data series. footnote_codes 10 It varies Identifies footnotes for the data series. footnote_text 100 Text Contains the text of the footnote. measure_code 3 Ex:001 Code identifying the number of stoppages in the period. measure_text 100 Text Description of number of Ex: Number of work work stoppages measured by work stoppages the observation. beginning in the period period_abbr 5 Period name Abbreviation of period name. abbreviation Ex: JAN period 3 M01-M13 Identifies period for which Ex: M01=Jan data is observed. (M=Monthly, M13=Annual Avg) period_name 20 Text Full name of period to which Ex: January the data observation refers. seasonal 1 S=Seasonally Code identifying whether the Adjusted data are seasonally adjusted. U=Unadjusted series_id 17 Code series identifier Code identifying the specific Ex: WSU100 series. value 12 Data Value Observation for the series. Ex: 25,720 year 4 YYYY Identifies year of observation. Ex: 1990