The country’s unionized construction workforce, largely consisting of workers whose march toward retirement shrinks the overall construction employment pool, has reached a record low at just 10.7%, according to a release from Associated Builders and Contractors, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics data. At the same time, unions in industries from auto manufacturing to Hollywood have notched wins in the past year, and provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Law give unions more favorable terrain to expand membership. “This is the best shot the unions have had in decades,” said Joshua Freeman, a Queens College, City University of New York history professor. “There’s low unemployment, a sympathetic administration, an infrastructure ramp and sympathetic public attitudes. Lots of things are going in the right direction for unions.” 
A reversal of fortune can’t come soon enough if unions want to boost their numbers. The size of the union workforce and its ability to scale up is especially important given the key role it is set to play in the Biden administration’s investment in a green transition. The IRA… Read the full story here. | 
