Many small and quite a few larger firms found lenders less than eager to honor lines of credit previously arranged.
In the early days of the walkout, nearly 2,000 workers honored picket lines in more than 12 states.
Thousands of New Yorkers found themselves figuring out ways to have packages delivered or the trash taken out as members of other unions, including garbage collectors, generally honored picket lines.
Firefighters, police officers and other workers who were to be honored were lined up along the way.
"We needed to honor the lines," said Sandy Garnett, a sculptor and painter based in nearby Norwalk, who assembled the winning team.
The 15,000-member International Longshore and Warehouse Union had indicated that longshoremen would honor picket lines if the roughly 750 clerical workers went on strike.
Stanley Aronowitz, a labor expert, said the scene had been set for this potential use of welfare recipients when municipal unions allowed the city to put them to work in city jobs, undermining union wages and eroding the city's strong tradition of honoring pickets lines.
Tornadoes, hurricanes and other perilous weather don't honor state lines.
The board is advising building owners to prepare for a possible strike by making necessary repairs now, as repair workers may honor picket lines.
About 1,800 mechanics and 650 clerks honored the picket lines.
The partial strikes by the Washington Federation of State Employees, the largest union of state employees, disrupted three ports as longshoremen honored the picket lines of grain inspectors.
