While much of the Gulf Coast region remains in ruins following the devastation from Hurricane Katrina, area construction unions are gearing up for an active collective-bargaining season. But the promise of large-scale reconstruction efforts may not trigger significant wage hikes for union construction workers in the immediate future.
In Louisiana, 56% of collective-bargaining agreements tracked by the Construction Labor Research Council, Washington, D.C., are set to expire in 2007. In Alabama, 73% of the pacts will expire, according to CLRC.