Look for the union label on public works projects. A new study of public works projects in Sacramento County, California, shows union contractors saved taxpayers money and finished construction projects faster than non-union outfits:
In a recent study, Larissa Petrucci of NorCal Construction Industry Compliance and I teamed up to test this hypothesis. We examined 128 public works projects completed in Sacramento County, Calif., between 2018 and 2022. Seventy-five projects were led by unionized contractors, while 53 were led by non-union contractors.
On controlling costs, the difference was substantial. Across all projects, final costs averaged about $236,000 above those laid out in initial contracts. But projects led by non-union contractors experienced average cost overruns that were more than 10 times larger than those on union-led projects.
On timeliness, unionized contractors also outperformed. While the average project in our data set took 274 days to complete, union-led projects were completed in an average of 268 days, compared to an average of 283 days for non-union-led projects.
To better isolate these effects, we then employed industry-standard regression analysis to control for factors such as project size, construction type, agency type, project type, location, start year and other relevant characteristics. This analysis showed that projects led by unionized contractors had cost increases that were up to 6.3 percentage points smaller than comparable non-union projects. Union-led projects were also completed 14 to 22 percent faster, which translates to 38 to 60 days faster on an average-duration project. These are not marginal differences [Matthew Hinkel, “The Myth That Unionized Construction Costs Governments More,” Governing, 2026.08.19].
We shouldn’t be surprised that union shops work faster and cheaper—after all, their labor is organized.
You said it perfect CAH.
Their labor is organized against the very hand that feeds their mouths. That unions have so much red tape and overhead is exactly why they are rare in the Great State of South Dakota, the freest state of them all.
Unions are bad, they are very bad.
That’s literally ridiculous, grudz. That SD has so much red tape and overhead against unions is why they’re rare. Most believe labor unions are socialist, too. lol
Unions and their members realize record profits (and stock buybacks) are stolen wages.
Unions are regulated out of existence in SD because simplistic mottos lie like grudznick’s. SD uses regulation to inhibit union membership and true union power. Right to work (for less) is state controlled power against the working class. The government’s thumb has been put on the scale to enriched the investor class. They. Take no food from the mouths of owners – maybe a few feet off the investor’s second super-yacht.
Unions also champion licensing and professional development. Unions are not the enemy of the working class: the billionaire/ CEO investor class is.
Again, the enemy of truth: the right wing must ignore evidence to come to their conclusions.
Unchecked capitalism is bad – very, very bad.
Oh grudzs you don’t know shit from shinola. I just laugh at you. I know the workings of the IBEW from attending meetings from the time I was a kindergartener. Those men and women raise each other up. You would never understand.