What does it take to reach 100? As part of our 100th anniversary celebration, we’re posting a piece of Berglund’s history on our blog each day for 100 days. Check in each day to learn new tidbits about our company, win prizes based on your Berglund knowledge, and, most of all, to help us celebrate.
The Way We Were: Power of the People
Unions play a big role in the construction industry, particularly in the Midwest, and it’s been that way since long before Berglund opened its doors. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 801,000 construction workers nationwide belonged to a union in 2010, more than 13 percent of the workforce.
These organizations, which negotiate with employers on behalf of workers to establish wages and working conditions, have evolved significantly during the past century. As part of our look back at the history of the construction industry, check out these union milestones:
1914: The Clayton Antitrust Act establishes a safe legal harbor for union activity, reversing an earlier law — the Sherman Antitrust Act — that suggested unions were illegal under antitrust laws.
1924: Famed labor union leader Samuel Gompers dies. Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor and worked to establish the collective bargaining procedures that are key to union activity today.
1935: The National Labor Relations Act clears the way for greater union activity by defining several unfair labor practices and prohibiting employers from engaging in them, including interfering with the organization of unions or discriminating against employees that join one.
1947: The Taft-Hartley Act passes, overriding President Harry Truman’s veto and amending the National Labor Relations Act. The Taft-Hartley Act, which is still in effect, prevents employers from requiring workers to join a union.
1955: The American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organization merge, making the resulting 16-million-member organization, the AFL-CIO, the largest union in the world.
2001: The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners in America, one of the largest trade unions in the United States, disaffiliates from the AFL-CIO amid political and operational disagreements.
2009: President Barack Obama signs an executive order encouraging the use of project labor agreements on large federal construction projects. These pre-hire collective bargaining agreements typically require that contractors hire all workers through union halls.
