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 of the industry’s skilled craft training, and has fewer occupational fatalities than the nonunion alternative.
• Union construction workers earn 10 to 20 percent more than nonunion workers.
• Joint labor-management (union) apprenticeship programs train the vast majority of all construction apprentices in the United States, including 97 percent in Illinois.
• Previous research has found that a 1 percent increase in unionization is linked with a 3 percent decrease in occupational fatalities.
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
