Unions and Open Shop, Each In Vegas, Plan Market Pushes

摘要

Hardly on the same plane when it comes to labor strategies, nonunion contractors and construction labor unions turned up in the same place earlier this month, as both coincidentally scheduled virtually overlapping conventions in Las Vegas. The open-shop Associated Builders and Contractors touted its new influence with the Bush administration and claims of dwindling union membership at its March 15-19 national convention. Nationwide union construction employment dropped to 13% last year, its lowest point ever, while ABC membership grew 4%, to 23,000 member firms during the same time frame, claimed M. Kirk Pickerel, ABC president and CEO.