Unemployment Rates Decline, Opening Door for Wage Hikes

摘要

As the construction industry outlook gradually improves, craft workers are starting to see modest improvements in their compensation. However, in light of continuing concerns over ailing pension funds and rising health-care costs, many union laborers are getting meager wage increases in their checks. Carey Peters, executive director of the Construction Labor Research Council, says that, this year, union labor "continues to see a modest upward trend in compensation increases." Based on agreements through this past August, total compensation for union labor was up by 2.2％ nationwide-an average of $1.10, according to the Construction Labor Research Council. That increase is on par with 2012 settlements, which averaged 2％-or 88c-for the year. That uptick marked a reversal of a three-year decline from the peak of 4.6％ in 2008.