CBAs are agreements negotiated between employers and unions and cover work terms like rates of pay and other conditions of employment. The study said additional benefits for construction workers in northeastern Illinois covered by CBAs were:
- Wages increased by 11% over three years, beating a 6% rate of inflation.
- The union worker household homeownership rate is 76% compared to 73% for nonunion worker households.
- Union workers are covered by private health insurance at a rate of 98% compared to 70% for their nonunion counterparts.
- Only 3% of union construction workers receive assistance via the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) compared to 12% of nonunion construction workers.
