CONSTRUCTION APPRENTICESHIPS AS A CAREER DEVELOPMENT ALTERNATIVE IN INDIANA | Enrollment, Diversity, Hours, Completion Rates, and Earnings in Registered Apprenticeship Programs

Registered apprenticeships are training programs in which participants “earn while they learn” with tuition costs covered by employers or joint labor-management organizations, who gain access to a stable pool of skilled workers. Apprenticeship training is particularly important to combating skilled labor shortages in construction. Read full report here.

CONSTRUCTION APPRENTICESHIPS AS A CAREER DEVELOPMENT ALTERNATIVE IN MICHIGAN | Enrollment, Diversity, Hours, Completion Rates, and Earnings in Registered Apprenticeship Programs

Registered apprenticeships are training programs in which participants “earn while they learn” with tuition costs covered by employers or joint labor-management organizations, who gain access to a stable pool of skilled workers. Apprenticeship training is particularly important to combating skilled labor shortages in construction. Joint labor-management apprenticeship programs account for the vast majority of registered … Read more

The Economic Impact of Prevailing Wage Law Repeals on Construction Market Outcomes | Evidence from Repeals Between 2015 and 2018

Prevailing wage laws establish minimum wages for skilled construction workers employed on taxpayer-funded projects. The main purpose of prevailing wage laws is to protect local construction standards in the competitive low-bid process. The laws create a level playing field for all construction contractors by ensuring that public expenditures maintain and reflect local market standards for … Read more

THE UNION ADVANTAGE DURING THE CONSTRUCTION LABOR SHORTAGE | Evidence from Surveys of Associated General Contractors of America Member Firms

The United States is currently facing a tight labor market, and the construction industry has not been immune to its effects. Contractors have turned down work and suffered project delays due to workforce supply issues, which may stem from workers’ desire for high-quality jobs. At the same time, demand for construction workers is expected to … Read more

Implementing a Fair Workweek Law in Illinois | Protecting Frontline Workers from Unpredictable Schedules

Fair workweek laws, also called predictive scheduling laws, have been implemented in Oregon and seven municipalities—including the City of Chicago—to protect workers from unstable scheduling practices. Implemented in June 2020, Chicago’s Fair Workweek Ordinance covers workers at large employers in seven essential and face-to-face industries: building services, health care, hotels, manufacturing, restaurants, retail trade, and … Read more

The Impact of Unions on Construction Worksite Health and Safety | Evidence from OSHA Inspections

Construction consistently ranks as one of the most dangerous industries in the United States. This report assesses whether there are differences in safety outcomes between union and nonunion construction worksites by analyzing Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violations in the industry.Prior research has found that the unionized construction sector delivers higher wages, finances most … Read more

THE ECONOMIC AND FISCAL IMPACTS OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTION

Following the severe economic recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Illinois is in urgent need of good jobs that provide family-supporting incomes and ensure access to quality health care coverage. One essential industry that has consistently offered pathways into good, middle-class careers is construction– primarily because it is highly unionized with strong collective bargaining agreements … Read more

THE APPRENTICESHIP ALTERNATIVE

Joint labor-management apprenticeship programs account for the vast majority of registered apprentices in Illinois’ construction industry. These programs are significantly more rigorous than employer-only construction programs and require more hours of on-the-job and classroom training than a typical bachelor’s. However, despite requiring more hours of training to graduate, joint construction programs have a completion rate … Read more

PREVAILING WAGE AND THE AMERICAN DREAM: IMPACTS ON HOMEOWNERSHIP, HOUSING WEALTH, AND PROPERTY TAX REVENUES

Prevailing wage laws establish a local wage floor for different types of skilled construction work on public construction projects. This study examines links between prevailing wage laws and homeownership, housing wealth, and property tax revenues for these workers and their communities. By stabilizing the wage floor and supporting apprenticeship programs, state prevailing wage laws promote ladders … Read more