Union Membership Declines, Wages On Rise In 2005

Union membership in the construction industry declined from 14.7 percent in 2004 to 13.1 percent in 2005, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of construction workers represented by unions but not members of a union also declined, from 15.4 percent in 2004 to 13.8 percent in 2005.

However, settlements in newly negotiated labor agreements increased an average of 3.9 percent in 2005 for the first year, up an average of $1.53 an hour, according to the Construction Labor Research Council. The percent increase is close to the 2004 level (3.8 percent), but above the dollar increase of $1.36 in 2004. The average second-year increase for multiyear agreements was 4.2 percent ($1.81).