yes, looks like its working out for all the union members. your dad has a job but about 67% of the other union guys have lost theirs over the last 30 years. wake up pal
http://www.data360.org/dsg.aspx?Data_Set_Group_Id=1387
Accross the nation the picture is grim, sure. I've gone on and on about how unionization rates in America have declined from near 40% to ~12% nationwide and I've layed the blame on right to work states. Consider this graph:
As you can see the south, where most right to work states are, has the lowest unionization rates - far below the national average (with membership as low as only a couple percentage points in some states). Now without actually going and digging up the stats (because I'm familiar with them as I'm sure you are too) the south has the highest poverty rates, the lowest performing schools, etc (seems like fewer unions works GREAT for the south!)...
Oregon, my home state, obviously has higher levels of unionization. But that's not the whole story... Oregon is actually looking to buck the national trend! Here is what the last 10 years of union membership looks like for Oregon:
Now if you consider that my dad works between Oregon, Washington and occasionally Montana - it looks like he is in exactly the right place for a union construction worker to be.
Besides that, check out these little tidbits I found floating around the internets:
Union jobs are 17% more productive than non-union jobs. …
Good labor productivity not only reduces project costs, but also
improves the project’s schedule and quality.
How about specifically construction? Well:
The productivity of union construction workers on commercial
and retail buildings was at least 31%, and as much as 51%,
higher than non-union workers … and … union workers are
better trained.
(source)
