The Construction Labor Research Council (CLRC) has released a revised version of its annual Trends & Outlook Report now renamed Union Labor Costs in Construction. The report includes general and detailed information about trends in collectively bargained compensation in the industry, including data analyses by region, by time, and by trade. It can be a valuable resource when preparing for collective bargaining negotiations, particularly when used in conjunction with CLRC’s latest Settlements Report.
“The average increase for the first year of settlements has slowly and steadily risen since 2010/11, from 1.7 percent in 2010 to 3.0 percent in 2018,” CLRC states in the report. “The gradual trend is forecasted to extend to 3.3 percent by 2020.” The trend is similar when considering first-year increases by dollar amount rather than percentage, rising from $0.73 in 2011 to $1.70 in 2018, according to the report. CLRC projects the average increase to be $1.95 by 2020.
The report includes a break-down of wage-and-fringe packages, noting that wages made up the majority of the total package nationwide in 2018 at $33.40 (61%). Among fringe benefits, retirement was the largest category at $10.51 (19%), followed by health-and-welfare at $8.39 (15%). A catch-all “Other” category, which includes vacation, apprenticeship, unallocated and all other payments, was valued at $2.87 (5%).
AGC members can access the full report, which contains much more information, in AGC’s online Labor & HR Topical Resources library under the main category “Collective Bargaining” and subcategory “Collective Bargaining Agreements Data.” Be sure to log in as an AGC member to ensure full access.
AGC is a founding member of CLRC and supports its mission. Collective bargaining chapters are reminded to please send new contract data directly to CLRC promptly upon settlement of collective bargaining negotiations.