Construction industry is safer in states without 'right-to-work' laws, Univ. of Michigan study finds

[Bozita]

Source: AnnArbor.com

Construction industry is safer in states without 'right-to-work' laws, University of Michigan study finds
By: Nathan Bomey
AnnArbor.com Staff
Posted: Apr 7, 2011 at 12:20 PM


States with "right-to-work" laws, which make it harder for unions to organize, have higher rates of death among construction workers than states that preserve union rights, according to a study released today by the University of Michigan.

The study — conducted by Roland Zullo of the U-M Institute for Research on Labor, Employment, and the Economy — found that fatality rates are higher among construction workers in states with "right to work" laws.

Death rates are 34 percent to 40 percent higher for construction workers in right-to-work states, depending on how those workers are classified, U-M said in a news release. The study did not conclude that right-to-work laws caused the higher fatality rates, suggesting that the rates might be higher because of bad weather or dangerous geographic terrain in those states.

But the study does suggest that states with higher rates of unionization might be safer for workers because unions often push for safety training and accident prevention.

Read more: http://www.annarbor.com/business-review/construction-industry-is-safer-in-states-without-right-to-work-laws-university-of-michigan-study-fin/

---

[The Magistrate]

1. The Hell You say, Sir....

[xchrom]

2. Recommend

[Blue Owl]

3. K&R

:kick:

[meegbear]

4. K&R

[progressoid]

5. Huh. Imagine that.

[BrklynLiberal]

6. Gosh. I wonder why????

:crazy:

[Yavapai]

7. We have "right-to-work" laws here in Arizona,

but many of us call it "The right to starve" law.

[plumbob]

8. Safe workplace is just code for Communism! By gawd, when I was

young, we reveled in having an unsafe workplace! None of that government nanny-statism for us!

John Galt lives!



:evilgrin:

[abqmufc]

9. Great news, but won't change a thing in AZ or NM....sad to say.

[bongbong]

10. What???!

You mean those evil libruls were right AGAIN???

Well, maybe the repigs & teabaggers will be right next time. They're only running 1 for 2,332 in the category "political predictions proven right". The one they got right?

Obama is a MARXIST ATHEIST MUSLIM RADICAL KENYAN MARTIAN!!!!

[TNLib]

11. right to work laws mean rights to be a slave

nt

[glowing]

12. DUH!

[Evolve_Already]

13. Numbers baby numbers.

Why should they care if more workers are injured, or killed. If you folks recall a few years ago when the republicans devalued human life, you knew shit was going to hit the perverbial fan.

Similar to automobile companies constantly struggling with whether or not to repair a defective part or just pay out when maybe a few lives are lost.

[joneschick]

14. bing, bing bing bing!! We have a winner!

if it can be stated in $$ why bother with lives?

Welcome to DU---I see you're another fine Wisconsinite. :hi:

[Evolve_Already]

15. Thanks

As a recent transplant to Wisconsin, I am quite proud of my future tradition here.

[DBoon]

16. "Your life is cheap"

"It is worth less than my yacht, or my second home in the Bahamas. You deserve to die."

[harmonicon]

17. what a surprise. nt.

[Donnachaidh]

18. thank you Captain Obvious!

My DH worked in construction warehousing, and those guys were driven hard all the time. He got hurt on the job and had a horror show, trying to get good (versus cheap) treatment and WC benefits.

We're in Georgia -- nuff said. :grr:

[No Elephants]

19. Duh?

[sofa king]

20. Heh, how are all those houses working out for you in No. VA?

What they were doing in a dozen housing developments from Alexandria to Sterling was bringing in union workers to build one house in each subdivision--the demo house.

Then the developer would fire the union workers and bring in less-skilled and unorganized laborers. It didn't work out so well because those guys couldn't read blueprints, didn't know safety regulations or construction standards, and were using the interior measurements of a finished home to deduce the structural measurements of the rest of them.

Oftentimes the union workers would be brought back in once a home was constructed poorly enough that it was unworkable, and they in turn would try to bring it up to code. My friend never lacked for fix-this electrical jobs on unfinished houses.

Knowing this, many of my friends sought out and acquired the demo homes in a number of neighborhoods there. They'll be the only ones left standing in another fifteen years.