Identification and assessment of the unionization factors of the US electrical construction trade
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
ISSN: 0969-9988
Article publication date: 27 May 2021
Issue publication date: 31 May 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Construction trade unions have been a vital force in improving the job standards and wellbeing of trade workers. However, the union membership in the construction industry has dropped by half between 1983 and 2017. The objective of this study is to identify and assess the controlling factors of construction electrical trade unionization in the United States.
Design/methodology/approach
The study involved four main steps. Literature review and industry townhall meetings were conducted to identify the electrical trade unionization factors. A new unionization trend metric was developed using available union market share data to quantify the growth and decline of local unions. Mixed-mode surveying was used to collect questionnaire and interview data on the unionization factors in different local units of the electrical trade union. Finally, the survey data from the questionnaire and interviews were merged and their correlation with the unionization trend data was assessed.
Findings
The study found that the unionization of this specialty trade is dependent on increasing the crew ratio, expanding the non-apprenticeship union membership program, organizing larger contractors, and continuing the union focus on public and heavy industrial projects.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the construction management body of knowledge by providing a data-driven industry-wide assessment of the factors that affect electrical construction unionization. The study advances the understanding of construction trade unions by narrowing the theory-practice knowledge gap, illustrating the use of macro quantitative empirical research methods, and developing a new unionization trend metric.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This study was conducted through the financial support provided by ELECTRI International, as part of grant number 2019-03. The authors thank the members of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) for their support of this research work.
Citation
Said, H., Mali, A. and Deshmukh, A. (2022), "Identification and assessment of the unionization factors of the US electrical construction trade", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 29 No. 5, pp. 2207-2231. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-12-2020-1062
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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