A recent study from the Midwest Economic Policy Institute shows union training programs enroll 77% of the state’s construction apprentices, despite just 22% of Wisconsin’s construction industry being unionized.
The Wisconsin Building Trades Council is touting the findings of this report, which also shows union journeyworkers in the state typically earn more than their non-union counterparts as well as Wisconsin workers with bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Emily Pritzkow, the council’s executive director, says the report’s findings confirm the state’s building trades “are doing the heavy lifting” to address skilled labor shortages.
“We’re not just training workers — we’re building middle-class careers, creating ladders of opportunity, and ensuring Wisconsin employers have the skilled workforce they need to thrive,” she said in a statement.
The study found nearly 8,600 of the state’s 11,000 construction apprentices were enrolled in “joint labor-management” or union apprenticeship programs in 2022, while about 2,400 were in employer-only non-union programs.
It also found union programs have completion rates that are 9% higher than non-union programs. And union programs invested more than $7,500 per apprentice, compared to $1,200 per apprentice for employer-only programs.
MEPI Economist Frank Manzo IV, who co-authored the study, says the findings show the union apprenticeship model is “punching well above its weight to deliver the skilled workforce supply” needed by the state’s construction industry.
Meanwhile, study authors note union journeyworkers earned $40.52 in median hourly wages between 2015 and 2024, nearly double the hourly median of $26.80 for non-union workers.
Workers in the state with a bachelor’s degree earned $32.68 per hour during the study period, while those with a master’s degree earned $38.50 per hour. Only those with professional or doctorate degrees earned more, with $48.77 in hourly wages, the report shows.
Listen to an earlier podcast with Pritzkow.
