Unionized Construction Workers Research Articles

Valence of and Satisfaction with Job Outcomes

Approximately 2,800 unionized construction workers were surveyed and responses were received from 703, representing all crafts except Boilermakers. The workers were asked about the importance they attach to various job related factors and their satisfaction with each factor. The 28 individual factors were reduced to seven using a factor analysis technique. The most important set of factors were those relating to the intrinsic nature of the work: working like a craftsman, performing challenging work, etc. The set of factors with which the workers was most satisfied was that of Performance Level: high productivity; quantity; and doing your work in a craftsmanlike manner. Individual factors that require attention on the part of contractors to improve worker motivation and satisfaction were identified using a 2×2 matrix that allowed the combination of importance and satisfaction scores. Overall satisfaction with the job was measured and a multiple regression analysis revealed that satisfaction with intrinsic factors makes the greatest contribution to general job satisfaction.

Unionized Construction Workers are More Productive

This paper presents evidence on the effect of unionism on productivity in construction. The linkages are distinct from those studied previously in industrial settings. Apprenticeship training and hiring halls probably raise union productivity, while jurisdictional disputes and restrictive work rules lower it. Using Brown and Medoff's methodology, union productivity, measured by value added per employee, is 44 to 52 percent higher than nonunion. The estimate declines to 17 to 22 percent when estimates of interarea construction price differences are used to deflate value added. Occupational mix differences and, possibly, apprenticeship training account for 15 to 27 percent of this difference.