Union craft workers for the first half of this year enjoyed an average wage increase of 3.6%, according to a new report just issued by the Construction Labor Research Council.
Brick and stone masons, electricians, plasterers, plumbers, and pipe fitters are among those classified as craft workers.
According to the Settlements Report, which is published by the council, wage growth has been particularly seen in the “sizes of increases the past year and a half.”
This year’s increase comes after a dormant 2020, with a 0.2% decline. That number improved to around 3.3% last year.
Painters experienced a 4.8% increase, with cement mason and electrician wages both up by 4.3%. Smaller increases of 3.2% were recorded for insulators and painters, while roofers received an overall 2.9% wage increase.
Generally, union craft workers have been enjoying settlement increases near or above 3.0% for the last five years. The increases were at their lowest point of 1.7% in 2010 during the Great Recession.
Regionally, the states of the Northwest, comprising Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, saw the greatest wage increases, at 5.6%.
The states of the west north central region, which is made up of the Dakotas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska, were on the lower end of the scale, with an average 2.6%.
By Garry Boulard
