540
Building Trade Unions: Basic Concerns
"Though wages are high, annual earnings are generally low for
construction workers. This paradoxical situation has been assumed to
exist because work is seasonal, hazardous, and subject to an extensive
amount of time lost because of bad weather and industrial strife; also,
workers lose time looking for work between short-term jobs."
543.2.3
The study shows that the difference in employment between the most
active month and the least active month is more than 600,000 jobs. In
addition, more than one-fourth of the industry's total work force earns a
majority of its income in another industry and only about half of those who
earn all or most of their wages in construction, work during all four
quarters of the year. (7)
543.2.4
During 1971, the alarm over the pace of wage increases in the
construction industry has caused the President to suspend the Davis-
Bacon Act, requiring payment of local prevailing wages (which in practice
means union wages) on Federally financed projects, from February 23 to
March 29. When the provisions of Davis-Bacon were reinstated, the
formation of the Construction Industry Stabilization Committee was
announced. This Committee reviews and approves or disapproves
proposed wage settlements in the construction industry. While early
efforts of this Committee were ineffective (painters in Little Rock, Arkansas
were granted a 36% increase spread over three years), later efforts have
held settlements to about 7% per year. (8)
543.2.5
One reason for the ability of labor unions to command such large
increases is their ability to control the availability of labor through their
apprentice training and hiring hall practices. In fact, the shortage of labor
is the second greatest factor (after weather) causing job delays. (9)
543.3
JOB SECURITY
543.3.1
Perhaps as great a goal for the unions as high wages is full employment
and increased job security. This goal has two spin-offs which influence
union attitudes toward industrialization -- worries about their skills
becoming obsolete, and worries those other trades will take over their
work.
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