The Way We Build: Restoring Dignity to Construction Work

by Mark Erlich

The construction trades once provided unionized craftsmen a route to the middle class and a sense of pride and dignity often denied other blue-collar workers. Today, union members still earn wages and benefits that compare favorably to those of college graduates. But as union strength has declined over the last fifty years, a growing non-union sector offers lower compensation and more hazardous conditions, undermining the earlier tradition of upward mobility. Revitalization of the industry depends on unions shedding past racial and gender discriminatory practices, embracing organizing, diversity, and the new immigrant workforce, and preparing for technological changes. Mark Erlich blends long-view history with his personal experience inside the building trades to explain one of our economy’s least understood sectors. Erlich’s multifaceted account includes the dynamics of the industry, the backdrop of union policies, and powerful stories of everyday life inside the trades. He offers a much-needed overview of construction’s past and present while exploring roads to the future.

144 pages, Hardcover

Published July 18, 2023

Reviews

[Michele Minor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells about the history of construction work in America, even going into more recent history. He tells of a time when a career in construction was a path to the middle class, especially for those in skilled trades. He did acknowledge that unions did make this path possible and when the membership in the unions declined so did the wages that construction workers made. He did talk about now how now subcontractors are labeled as contract workers instead of workers of the company where they could get benefits. He does explain about how workers are mislabeled in order to keep them from being eligible for benefits. He did say that it was more dangerous for construction workers today with companies wanting to keep costs low and the unions aren't negotiating with the companies for better conditions. He does make an argument on how unions are beneficial to construction workers, even for those who don't belong to a union but work for a company that has a relationship with a union. I would recommend this book to those who are looking to get an insight into the construction industry. I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review from NetGalley.

[Zuzu Burford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Making comparisons with America's and Australia construction sector and learning about its history were enjoyable. I've discovered that Australia have much the same issues, and many of them are related to profiteering and dismantling unions.
The primary problem here right now is the private building inspections, which were previously the duty of the government. Due to privateers checking the buildings' security without actually entering the premises, multi-story buildings have collapsed as a result.
Shortcuts have resulted from huge construction companies now hiring tiny, independent family businesses that must compete for a job.
Teaching facilities in schools have been turned over to private enterprise, a calamity that has resulted in the employment of unqualified people without licences.
Just letting Mark Erlich see that America is not alone in a battle to correct the wrongs in building industries.
An independent review for NetGalley / University of Illinois Press

[Scott Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good Construction 101. A companion to Royal Blue by Herb Applebaum. One glaring omission though was the lack of discussion about construction safety and health which has been critical to the union movement and the industry. Also he didn't address the split that occurred when the Carpenters pulled out of the AFL-CIO. And the fact that while other unions are merging, there are still 15 building trades unions, many of which are very small (maybe 10,000 members nationwide). There haven't been any building trades mergers in over 40 years. They would probably be more effective if the smaller unions merged with the larger ones.

[Mr. MojoRisin]

Good intro to construction industry in the US