The Way We Build: Restoring Dignity to Construction Work

The construction trades used to offer a path to the middle class, but union strength has declined, leading to lower compensation and more hazardous conditions. Revitalization depends on unions shedding past discriminatory practices, embracing organizing, diversity, and the new immigrant workforce, and preparing for technological changes. Mark Erlich's book provides an overview of the industry's past and present and explores roads to the future.

Format: Hardback
Length: 144 pages
Publication date: 18 July 2023
Publisher: University of Illinois Press

The construction trades once offered a pathway to the middle class and a sense of pride and dignity that was often denied to other blue-collar workers. Today, union members still earn wages and benefits that compare favorably to those of college graduates. However, as union strength has declined over the last fifty years, a growing non-union sector has emerged, offering lower compensation and more hazardous working conditions. This has undermined the earlier tradition of upward mobility in the industry.

Revitalization of the construction trades depends on unions shedding past racial and gender discriminatory practices, embracing organizing, diversity, and the new immigrant workforce, and preparing for technological changes. To achieve this, the industry must focus on attracting and retaining young workers, providing training and education opportunities, and addressing the challenges of an aging workforce.

Mark Erlich's book "The Last Trades: The Decline of the American Building Trades and the Future of Construction" provides a comprehensive and insightful account of the construction trades' past and present. Erlich blends long-view history with his personal experience inside the building trades to offer a much-needed overview of the industry. He explores the dynamics of the industry, the backdrop of union policies, and powerful stories of everyday life inside the trades.

Through his book, Erlich provides a roadmap for the future of the construction trades. He advocates for policies that promote unionization, such as collective bargaining and worker protections. He also highlights the importance of diversity and inclusion in the industry, recognizing the contributions of women, people of color, and immigrants to the construction trades.

In conclusion, the construction trades have a rich history and a bright future. By embracing organizing, diversity, and the new immigrant workforce, and preparing for technological changes, the industry can continue to provide a pathway to the middle class and a sense of pride and dignity for its workers. Mark Erlich's book "The Last Trades" provides a valuable contribution to understanding the industry and its challenges, and offers a roadmap for revitalization.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780252045196