ISSN:
1432-0592
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Architecture, Civil Engineering, Surveying
,
Geography
,
Economics
Notes:
Conclusions The tentative answers reached to the questions posed in the introduction to this paper are as follows: The relative level of union wage scales in a particular city are related to the degree of unionization of the state in which the city is located, the level of wages in manufacturing in the particular city, city size, and whether located in the South. The percentage change in journeymen's wages between 1965 and 1968 was related to the degree of unionization, to location in the highly industrialized Northcentral region, and to the percentage change in contract construction employment. The unemployment rate in the area and changes in the areas' unemployment rate were not statistically related to construction wage changes. The latter finding can be interpreted in two ways: The unemployment variable pertained to all unemployed workers in the area, rather than to unemployed construction workers, and it may be that a more refined measure of unemployment would show the expected relationship. This seems most plausible as an explanation for the lack of association with changes in journeymen's wages, but less plsusible in the case of helpers and laborers' wages. An alternative interpretation is that among the more important factors influencing construction wages in the recent past have been demand factors and factors associated with the strength of trade unions in collective bargaining, rather than pronounced shortages of labor. The latter interpretation seems to be consistent with casual empiricism and with the commonly held view that the trade unions are indeed very powerful and that, within limits, they are able to gain large settlements even when there are substantial unemployed resources.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01285519
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