A Union Worker's Blog

LIUNA 4/9/2012

Washington, D.C. (April 9, 2012) – LIUNA General President Terry O’Sullivan issued the following statement in reaction to the sudden passing of Mark H. Ayers, President of the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department (BCTD) on April 8:

It is with great sadness that I and the LIUNA General Executive Board, on behalf of our half-million members, offer heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and many union brothers and sisters of BCTD President Mark Ayers.

As leader of the BCTD, Mark was a true trade unionist and a valiant warrior for change. His death is a loss to us all.

Mark was a passionate and effective champion for strengthening the voice of construction workers and their families in government, on the job and within their own communities. Mark truly has left the labor movement and our country a better place than the way he found it.

It was the labor movement’s good fortune to have had Mark on our side all these years. The advancements he helped make for the rights of workers throughout North America will live on for generations to come.

While we are all saddened by his untimely death and he will be greatly missed, Mark will live on in the hearts he touched and with the working men and women whose lives he improved.

3/28/2011 LIUNA

Republican “Duct Tape” Approach With Highway Bill Extension Will Force American’s to Play Russian Roulette with Every Deficient Bridge Crossed

Washington, D.C. (March 28, 2012) – LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – today stepped up its pressure on House Republicans to stop playing politics with the Highway Bill and adopt a bipartisan Senate bill that will preserve investment in bridges and highways, support jobs and protect motorists.

The union has been at the forefront of the effort to pass the Senate’s two-year bi-partisan effort with intensive radio ads in Ohio and Kentucky, direct mail and the use of its “Emergency Bridge Repair Team” truck. The 15-foot flatbed truck – carrying a giant roll of duct tape to symbolize the House Republican approach to caring for America’s bridges – began traveling to bridges in metro Washington, D.C.

“One in four bridges in the U.S. is structurally deficient or obsolete. The average bridge is 45 years old, dangerously close to the average bridge lifespan of 50 years,” said LIUNA General President Terry O’Sullivan. “Yet Republicans in the House, led by Speaker John Boehner, are mired in political gamesmanship and blocking adoption of a bipartisan Senate solution. What they offer at best is a Highway Bill extension that is nothing more than duct tape for a bridge crisis that is threatening safety, jobs and our economy.”

The current Highway Bill expires March 31. The bill is the single-largest jobs-creating legislation in the nation and is mainly how highways, bridges and transit systems are built and maintained.

In early March, LIUNA began airing “London Bridge,” a radio ad in Kentucky and Ohio. In the ad, children sing “America’s bridges falling down” and call on House Speaker John Boehner to lead the effort to pass the bi-partisan Senate bill in the House. The union has also introduced “Russian Roulette,” a hard-hitting ad in Rep. Boehner’s district and other Ohio cities. The ad asks, “How many people do you imagine will have to die before we repair our crumbling infrastructure?”

In addition, LIUNA sent Ohio voters 90,000 pieces of direct mail, entitled “How to Survive A Collapsed Bridge: Inspired by Speaker of the House John Boehner.” The tongue-in-cheek piece provides both details on bridge deficiencies and guidance from the U.S. Army Survival Guide.

While the I-35 bridge collapse in Minneapolis was a high-profile fatal tragedy, research shows that poor road conditions contribute to 53% of traffic fatalities – and surpasses speeding and drunk-driving as single largest variable in increasing the severity of crash injuries. The Emergency Bridge Repair Truck Team will stop at several high-profile bridges, including the Key Bridge, the 14th Street Bridge over Maine Avenue and the Anacostia Freeway Bridge over Firth Sterling Avenue – all deficient bridges within the shadow of the U.S. Capitol. LIUNA members will actually duct tape the bridge with tape carrying a sticker that says, “John Boehner: Fix This Bridge!”

O’Sullivan noted that several House Republicans have indicated support for the bi-partisan Senate Highway Bill and that it could likely pass the House with Democratic and Republican votes. He urged the Speaker to free himself from fringe tea party elements blocking passage of the Senate bill and to abandon the effort to write a partisan bill.

“That partisan effort has failed to gather enough support for more than a month and underscores the failure of the Republicans and their leadership,” O’Sullivan said. “It’s time to put one and one together – men and women who desperately need work and bridge repair that desperately needs to be done. Politicians preach about building bridges – how about just fixing some? If the House doesn’t pass the bi-partisan Senate bill, we’re going to need more than an entire fleet of duct tape trucks.”

As Deadline Looms, Truck Carries Giant Roll of Duct Tape to Symbolize House Speaker’s Approach to America’s Bridge Crisis

LIUNA 3/21/2012

Cincinnati, OH (March 21, 2012) – LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America –today launched a multi-city media tour in U.S. House Speaker John Boehner’s home state of Ohio, highlighting the safety crisis of America’s roads and bridges and urging the Republican leader to swiftly adopt the U.S. Senate’s bi-partisan Highway Bill.

A 15-foot flatbed truck labeled “Emergency Bridge Repair Team” made the first of several stops at the Cincinnati’s Brent Space Bridge – one of nearly 6,400 structurally deficient or functionally obsolete bridges in Ohio – where LIUNA members passed out information about the Highway Bill. The truck carried a giant roll of duct tape, symbolizing the current approach to the crisis facing America’s aging bridges. Local labor, elected and business leaders also convened a press conference near Rep. Boehner’s West Chester district office.

“If extremist Republicans in Congress have their way, we will need a whole fleet of trucks and a lot more duct tape,” said Randy McGuire, Marketing Director for the Ohio Laborers’ District Council. “Instead of passing a bipartisan bill that will protect bridges and jobs like the Senate has done, the House continues on the path of partisan politics and is putting public safety at risk.”

The average U.S. bridge is now 45 years old, dangerously close to the average bridge lifespan of 50 years. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, one-in-four bridges nationwide are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Many are unsafe – and thousands of others create a chokehold on commerce because they are unable to carry commercial vehicles. Another 3,580 are closed altogether because they’re unsafe for travel.

The week-long tour includes additional stops in Dayton and Columbus as the current extension of the Highway Bill is set to expire on March 31. Last week, the Senate passed a two-year, $109 billion investment that enjoyed broad bipartisan support.

“It is now up to Speaker Boehner to lead the House to follow suit,” said McGuire. “Bipartisanship is hard to come by these days, but the Senate came together to pass a good Highway Bill last week. Speaker Boehner can now lead his party to do the same in the House. So far, previous efforts to pass the bill in the House have been blocked by Republicans efforts to slash investment and jobs.”

“Playing politics with our nation’s crumbling roads, bridges and highways isn’t just putting the chokehold on jobs – it’s endangering lives,” said Butler County community leader and life-long resident Jodi Billerman, citing the fatal bridge collapse on I-35 in Minneapolis four years ago. “We don’t want a terrible tragedy like that to happen here in Ohio – and if Congress can pass a Highway Bill to keep people safe and protect jobs at the same time, that just seems like a no-brainer to me.”

In addition to the “Emergency Bridge Repair Team” truck, LIUNA’s multi-media campaign also includes a powerful radio ad – “Russian Roulette” – which warns motorists that the House is in effect forcing motorists to play Russian roulette every time they cross an unsafe bridge. The ad is saturating airwaves in Speaker Boehner’s home district, including Dayton, as well as in Columbus and Cincinnati.

The effort also includes a direct mail piece, “How to Survive a Collapsed Bridge: Inspired by House Speaker John Boehner.” The tongue-in-cheek brochure draws from the U.S. Army Survival Guide on bridge collapses. The brochures were mailed to 90,000 activist Ohio voters last week.

And thousands of LIUNA members across the country continue to call their representative in the House, urging passage of the bi-partisan Senate bill in the House.

“This campaign is hard-hitting and it’s provocative – it’s also accurate,” said McGuire. “The crisis is real. What is it going to take for Mr. Boehner to listen, to rise above partisanship and to lead the passage of a bi-partisan Highway Bill to save our bridges, support jobs and protect lives?”

By Andrew Joseph

March 6, 2012 | 4:51 PM

Radio, Direct Mail, Creative Tactics in Kentucky and Ohio Urge McConnell, Boehner to Halt Political Stunts and Protect Americans from Deteriorating Bridges

LIUNA 3/6/2012

Washington, D.C. (March 6, 2012) – LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – today launched a hard-hitting multi-media campaign to highlight the growing public safety crisis posed by America’s crumbling bridges, deteriorating roads and struggling transit systems. The campaign appeals to voters to call on the Republican leadership in Congress to support a long-term Highway Bill that protects investment in transportation systems.

The provocative effort includes:

Extensive radio spots in Ohio and Kentucky. The first ad, “London Bridge,” features children singing “America’s Bridges falling down.” A second, harder-hitting ad will be added to the airwaves shortly after London Bridge debuts.

Direct mail targeting voters in both states that takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to the serious crisis of our nation’s transportation systems. Entitled “How to Survive a Collapsed Bridge,” the literature informs voters of bridge deficiencies in their state and includes information on bridge collapses from the U.S. Army’s survival guide. It urges voters to contact House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Creative tactics in the form of a flatbed truck carrying a giant roll of duct tape. Signage on the truck will state “Emergency Bridge Repair Team.” The truck will travel though Ohio and Kentucky.

The campaign comes as Congress faces a March 31 deadline to extend the Highway Bill. Last fall, Congress passed a temporary extension, but a desperately-needed long-term Highway Bill to fix America’s ailing transportation systems has been repeatedly sabotaged by Republican political games.

“The average age of bridges in the U.S. is 45 years – dangerously close to the designed lifespan of 50 years,” LIUNA General President Terry O’Sullivan said. “With this campaign, we’re letting Congress know that while they’re busy playing politics, Americans are being forced to risk their safety every time they cross a deficient or obsolete bridge.”

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, 24% of bridges – 143,000 nationwide – have been deemed structurally deficient or functionally obsolete by Federal Highway Administration inspectors. About 3,580 bridges in the U.S. are closed to all traffic because they are unsafe. About 77,000 create a chokehold on commerce because they are obsolete and can’t handle the weight of commercial vehicles.

Meanwhile 1.5 million construction workers – who are trained, ready and able to repair our nation’s bridges – are jobless. “It is insulting to the public and to working people that Congress has politicized the traditionally bi-partisan Highway Bill,” O’Sullivan said. “Politicizing the Highway Bill is bad for America.”

The Highway Bill doesn’t just sustain bridges – it protects investment in the nation’s overall transportation systems. Due to the logjam in Congress and the failure to keep up, poor road conditions have become a contributing factor in 53% of traffic fatalities, according to a Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation study. The study also found that poor roadway condition is the single largest variable in increasing the severity of crash injuries – more than speeding, alcohol or failure to wear seat belts.

Currently a bipartisan bill in the Senate has been stalled by politically-motivated amendments un-related to transportation put forth by some Republicans. The $109 billion Senate bill would keep investment level for two-years. The House has been handcuffed by extremist Republicans seeking to slash investment.

“This campaign is jarring, hard-hitting and provocative – and accurate. It is exasperating that it takes this kind of effort to motivate elected officials to act on behalf of the country,” said O’Sullivan. “Congress, in an election year, should be fearful of failing to act. At best, these aging bridges contribute to deteriorating lifestyle for Americans and are crippling our country’s ability to compete. At worst, as witnessed with the tragic I-35 Minneapolis bridge collapse, they are thousands of accidents waiting to happen.”

Date: February 28, 2012

Subject: Laborers' Support Helps TransCanada Move Forward

on Southern Portion of Keystone XL Pipeline

The Southwest Laborers’ District Council is proud to join TransCanada in announcing their plans to build the southern leg of its $7 billion Keystone XL oil pipeline. Thanks in part to the overwhelming support of Laborers in Oklahoma and Texas, TransCanada and is committing to building the entire southern portion from Cushing, Oklahoma to Port Arthur, Texas

TransCanada, whose initial Keystone XL application was rejected in January after more than three years of review, said it wants the southern portion of the pipeline, running to Texas refineries from Cushing, Oklahoma, to be in service by mid- to late 2013. The approximate cost is $2.3 billion.

The approval process for the full TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline provided the opportunity for the Laborers to join business leaders, chambers of commerce and other labor unions in support of good-paying American jobs and energy independence. The SWLDC led these efforts in coordination with TransCanada representatives to rally support for the pipeline at the Department of State’s Public Hearings in Port Arthur and Austin, Texas and Midwest City, Oklahoma. Hundreds of members of the Southwest Laborers attended and spoke in support of the project as a lifeline for American workers and the American economy.

“The Keystone XL will deliver much-needed oil to Texas refineries, while immediately creating desperately needed jobs throughout the Southwest District Council. This pipeline is a major step in establishing our energy independence, getting America’s economy moving and putting our members to work,” stated Reno Hammond, SWLDC Business Manager.

Members of Congress are back in their districts and LiUNA and Americans for Transportation Mobility have followed them home. What would increased transportation funding and more road and highway projects mean for you? Tell us how this affects you.

Watch this video, and ask yourself which is better: 20,000 pipeline-related construction jobs, or no jobs? Which is better: oil from Canada or oil from the Middle East? Which is better: shipping oil through one LEED-certified pipeline, or on hundreds of barges, tankers, rail cars, and trucks? Which is better: reason or extremism?

by Adele Stan, Feb 6, 2012

With the graduation of seven newly certified weatherization technicians from its Eastern New York Laborers Training Center, the New York State Laborers’ Union (NYSLIUNA) is blowing holes in several right-wing myths all at once, proving that jobless people do want to work, government programs can spur the creation of good jobs and labor unions can lead the way to prosperity.

Working in partnership with Peter Young Housing, Industries & Treatment (PYHIT), a non-profit that provides treatment, housing and vocational training to disadvantaged people struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, the Laborers trained these first members of Green Jobs Local 58, chartered by the Laborers (LIUNA) as the first local in the Albany, N.Y., region dedicated exclusively to green jobs. Participants in the training had to be clean and sober for at least six months in order to be accepted into the program.

Thanks in part to the state’s 2009 Green Jobs/Green New York Act and a new program launched by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the demand for the retrofitting of homes to be more weather-resistant and energy-efficient is expected to climb. (Through the NYSERDA program, residents will be able to finance the weatherization of their homes via their monthly utility bills.)

The new Local 58 members will work for Eagle Street Construction, one of PYHIT’s vocational enterprises. Local 58 Business Manager Frank Marchese Jr. told the Albany Times Union that the workers would earn $14 per hour, plus a benefits package. He told the paper:

We are taking people involved in social programs who are now moving into being viable taxpayers.

Pete Wilcox, one of the local’s new members, expressed his enthusiasm to the Times Union this way:

I am very thankful for the opportunity to get green jobs training. I live in Albany and it means a lot to me to be able to have the skills to weatherize homes in my own backyard.

LIUNA 1/27/2012

Washington, D.C (January 27, 2012) – LIUNA General President Terry O’Sullivan issued the following statement in reaction to the passage of so-called right to work legislation by the Indiana Legislature:

By ramming through so-called right to work legislation against the will of the people, the corporate-controlled GOP majority in the Indiana Legislature has taken a stand for lower living standards for working men and women at a time when they have already sacrificed their jobs, homes and futures to the Wall Street created economic crisis.

For decades, Indiana has proudly been a place where workers could join together for a common cause and better lives, and to succeed in cooperation with their employers. But now, as this bill advances, Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma and his allies want to undermine that. They are showing themselves to be appallingly out of sync with the working middle class families and to be bought and owned by cash-rich, right-wing corporations with a national anti-worker agenda.

Statewide, unemployment sits at 9 percent and workers are struggling to find jobs and pay their bills. Yet instead of offering real solutions to create good jobs, these elected officials are attempting to undermine existing jobs to increase the profits of their campaign contributors, such as the infamous Koch Brothers.

This year and in 2011, thousands of hard-working Indiana LIUNA members took to the streets and the state Capitol, enraged at the attacks on the American work ethic and fundamental fairness. Their fight is not over.

LIUNA 1/25/2012

Washington, D.C. (Jan. 25, 2012)– Terry O’Sullivan, General President of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – made the following statement in response to President Obama’s State of the Union address:

At a time when 1.3 million construction workers are still jobless, we are particularly encouraged by the President’s ideas to create jobs in one of the economy’s hardest hit sectors.

As the men and women of LIUNA have long argued, investing in America’s crumbling transportation systems will put millions of men and women back to work. We applaud his proposal to invest half of our nation’s “peace dividend” in rebuilding America’s basic, critical infrastructure. Congress can start by passing a long-term Highway and Transit Bill by March 31 that makes a full investment in rebuilding America’s basics – the highways, bridges and transit systems that are falling apart across the country.

The President’s “all-of-the-above” strategy to increase development of American energy – including oil, hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas and investment in renewables – can create and support desperately needed jobs. Hydraulic fracturing alone will provided needed energy and jobs for an estimated 600,000 men and women. The President accurately noted that our nation does not have to choose between good jobs and protecting our environment and he reinforced that comprehensive climate change legislation is the best, if not only way, to tackle global warming.

The President’s proposal to make it possible for responsible homeowners to refinance their mortgages can ease the pain for millions of working people, help cure our still sick housing market and add fuel to a robust economic recovery.

President’s Reported Denial of Keystone XL Permit a Political Decision at a Time When Workers Are Desperate for Jobs and Need Leaders with Courage

LIUNA 1/18/12

Washington, D.C. (January 18, 2012) – LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – called the reported decision by the Obama Administration today to block permitting for Keystone XL pipeline “politics at its worst.”

Last fall the Administration delayed consideration of a permit for the pipeline until after the 2012 elections. Today, in response to Congressional legislation requiring a 60-day decision, the Administration reportedly denied a permit.

“The score is Job-Killers, two; American workers, zero. We are completely and totally disappointed. This is politics at its worst,” LIUNA General President Terry O’Sullivan said. “Once again the President has sided with environmentalists instead of blue collar construction workers – even though environmental concerns were more than adequately addressed. Blue collar construction workers across the U.S. will not forget this.”

The project would create thousands of good jobs at a time when unemployment in the construction industry is 16 percent with 1.3 million men and women jobless.

Environmental groups have used the Keystone XL as a disingenuous proxy for arguments about global warming. The pipeline would carry up to 900,000 barrels of oil a day from Canada’s Tar Sands to the U.S., reducing reliance on oil from hostile nations. While environmental groups decry Tar Sands development, the Canadian government and Trans-Canada, the company developing the Tar Sands, have made clear the oil will be developed – and possibly sold to China – regardless of whether Keystone XL is built.

In addition, experts believe the project would be the safest ever constructed. Design included 21,000 sensors, monitored by satellites to immediately detect leaks and automatically stop the flow of oil. In addition, a revised route alleviated concerns in Nebraska over the project crossing water resources. Overall, the pipeline has undergone more than 1,100 days of governmental review.

LIUNA 1/20/2012

Washington, D.C. (January 20, 2012) LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – said today it has left the BlueGreen Alliance in response to job-killing attacks on the Keystone XL pipeline by some of the alliance’s labor and environmentalist members.

“AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka recently said there was a divide in the labor movement over this project,” LIUNA General President Terry O’Sullivan said. “That is an understatement. That divide is as deep and wide as the Grand Canyon. We’re repulsed by some of our supposed brothers and sisters lining up with job killers like the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council to destroy the lives of working men and women.”

O’Sullivan said Keystone is only the beginning of what will likely be a protracted struggle over major projects to build and strengthen America’s energy infrastructure. “LIUNA plans to unite with the support of the strong and proud unions of the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department to fight for good jobs that build America and strengthen our energy resources,” he said. “We will not stand idly by, nor will the Building Trades.”

In addition to expansion of solar, wind and geothermal power, LIUNA favors expansion of other energy resources, such as clean coal, natural gas and nuclear power.

“We believe in protecting the planet, but we must also care about the people on it,” O’Sullivan said. “We believe green jobs must put green in workers’ pockets.”

The Keystone XL pipeline would have created thousands of family-supporting construction jobs. Among those opposing it were environmental groups and some unions, whose members had no jobs to gain or lose on the project. Pipeline opponents acknowledged their real issue was with oil sands development in Canada, which will continue regardless of whether the pipeline is built.

“Their real target wasn’t the pipeline, but the oil sands. They missed that target – the oil sands will be developed whether Keystone XL is built or not – but hit tens of thousands of working men and women,” O’Sullivan said. “It is impossible for LIUNA to stand side-by-side with these groups. Construction workers are struggling with 16 percent unemployment and 1.3 million of them are jobless. The Keystone XL was not just a pipeline to them, it was a lifeline.”

O’Sullivan stressed LIUNA’s concerns were not with the leadership or staff of the BlueGreen Alliance. “Executive Director Dave Foster and his team have done historic and groundbreaking work to highlight the need for good green jobs under trying circumstances,” he said.

LIUNA members have long done the work of environmental remediation, making buildings and communities safe from hazardous waste, lead and asbestos contamination. The union has led the development of training programs for workers in emerging job sectors such as building weatherization and retrofitting and has joined with allies across the country to fight for investment to make the projects possible.

And the union has been on the forefront of calling for cap and trade legislation with curbs on carbon emissions exceeding those backed by other unions and the Obama Administration.

By Tanya De Jesus

[email protected]

Bridges. We all use them but now a billboard is putting Iowa bridges especially one in Sioux City in the spotlight because of safety concerns and the organization behind it wants to fix the problem by putting people to work.

If you're one of 23,000 drivers who go over the Gordon Dr. viaduct every day you've probably seen it. A huge billboard from the Laborers International Union of North America that says over 6,000 bridges in Iowa are in bad condition and jobs should be created to fix them. But if you think the sign's location is a coincidence, well think again.

"It's got big chunks of cement falling out of it and has a lot of traffic going over it day in and day out," said Chris Berkenpas.

And Adam Gilpin says, "When you pass bridges you'll see a crack here and there. You know it makes you think."

Right now the US House of Representatives is considering a bill that would cut 34% of a $51 billion fund that's destined for the nation's infrastructure over the next two years. And LIUNA is hoping you'll tell your member of congress that you don't want to see those cuts. That's because the union says a lot of our bridges need to be repaired.

LIUNA member Andy Schoenewe says, "A lot of them are deteriorating and that would actually help as far as the situation we have right now as far as jobs for construction also."

Jobs that will come to Sioux City when the Gordon Dr. viaduct is replaced or even relocated.

"It's near the end of its design life so we have to address it but we took care of its more critical needs with the $5 million project."

Right-to-Work Really Means No Union Work

An Attempt to Cut Your Pay and Destroy Your Pension

So-called “right-to-work” laws are nothing less than an attempt to weaken your union and take away

the wages and benefits you’ve won through years of hard work. We must fight to stop them.

“Right-to-work” laws cut wages, put pensions in jeopardy and destroy good benefits.



“Right-to-work” means workers can choose not to pay their fair share of union dues, stretching

your union to the breaking point by forcing it to cover “free riders.” Your voice and that of your

fellow workers is weakened.



“Right-to-work” will deprive you of the family-supporting wages you deserve – workers in

“right-to-work” states make over $5,000 a year less than workers in free-bargaining states.



The health of you and your family will suffer – in “right-to-work” states, 21 percent more people

lack health insurance. And your pension will be threatened as companies run away from their

obligations.



“Right-to-work” laws can be deadly. The rate of workplace deaths is 51 percent higher in “rightto-

work” states. Workers in those states also lose out on workers’ compensation.

“Right-to-work” is bad for your employer, too – it gives the upper hand to “low road” companies

that offer poor pay and benefits. They can also devastate your local economy.



Employers like yours negotiate with a union for a reason – they get access to a skilled, trained

workforce. “Right-to-work” laws hurt their ability to compete on the quality, safety and

productivity advantages they offer by using union workers. They get undercut by companies who

don’t offer good wages or benefits.



The good wages you make – the wages your union negotiated – allow you to spend more money

at local shops, restaurants and other businesses. By weakening unions and putting those wages at

risk, “right-to-work” laws can hurt your community’s economy as well.

“Right-to-work” laws take from the pockets of all working people -- especially women and

minorities.



Latino union members earn $45 more each week than nonunion Latinos, while unionized

African Americans earn 30 percent more each week than those not in a union. On average,

women in labor unions earn $149 each week more than their nonunion counterparts.



“Right-to-work” laws undo the major gains unions have made in closing the gap between men’s

and women’s pay. While the overall gender gap is 32 percent, it is only 5 percent among men