Negotiators conducting collective bargaining between January and June of this year agreed to raise construction craft workers’ wage and fringe benefits by an average of 2.8 percent or $1.65 during the first contract year, 2.7 percent or $1.65 during the second contract year, and 2.7 percent or $1.67 during the third contract year, according to the Construction Labor Research Council’s (CLRC) latest Settlements Report. While these numbers are all slightly lower than those reported last year, CLRC notes that the data should be considered preliminary for the year, as many additional settlements are likely to be added to CLRC’s database during the second half of the year.
The first half of the Settlements Report provides an analysis of data from newly settled agreements as discussed above, while the second section also covers data from previously negotiated agreements that are currently in effect. When previously negotiated data are included, the average increase given in the first half of this year was 2.8 percent or $1.62. Based on trends, CLRC projects an increase of 3.0 percent or $1.75 by 2021.
Additional data and analysis are provided in the full report, which is available to AGC members in the Labor & HR Topical Resources area of AGC’s website under the main category “Collective Bargaining” and subcategory “Collective Bargaining Agreement Data.” (Be sure to first login as an AGC member.) An updated report is expected in December or January.
AGC’s collective bargaining chapters are reminded to please send settlements information to CLRC at clrc@clrcconsulting.org promptly after completion of bargaining. Chapters and members are also reminded that CLRC is available to assist with custom projects, such as analyses of local market share, contract language costs, union vs. nonunion wage and benefits comparisons, and wage and benefits benchmarks, at a discount for AGC affiliation. For more information about these services, please call CLRC directly at (202) 347-8440.