Federal stimulus funding is creating jobs in a range of industries that have been traditional strongholds of organized labor, such as manufacturing and allied health. Plus, executive orders and other actions taken by the Obama administration and Congress will extend the reach of labor unions into employment opportunities spawned by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and other government spending.

In his first weeks in office, President Obama issued several pro-labor executive orders that, for example, encourage the use of union workers in large federal construction projects.

“Conservatives say there would be more jobs if builders didn’t have to pay union wages,” says John Russo, codirector of the Center for Working-Class Studies at Youngstown State University. “But these project agreements enable unionized staffing at pay levels that are below union scale. They allow a certain number of apprentices to be on a job site at a lower wage.” As a result, more entry-level opportunities are created and union labor becomes more affordable for building contractors, he says.

Stimulus Funding Will Spur Union Jobs, Especially in Construction

Politics aside, job seekers --- whether they’re laid-off longstanding union members or young workers looking for a new occupation that offers middle-class wages -- should see more employment opportunities, supported by stimulus spending, that fall under collective-bargaining agreements. This shift should be seen first and foremost in construction, one of the industries hardest hit by this recession.

“The stimulus will spawn union jobs in construction, including building roads, dams and other public-works projects,” Russo says. Union jobs in the industry range from entry-level laborers who transport materials on job sites to the folks who walk the high steel on skyscrapers and bridges.

Stimulus money allocated to states to help them keep or restore public healthcare services will also create or maintain healthcare jobs. Unionized nurses, home healthcare workers and other allied-health professionals stand to gain. “Unionization of home healthcare workers is increasing, and they’re being effectively organized by the SEIU and AFSCME,” Russo says.

As for education -- another Recovery Act priority -- funding “will mostly go toward saving the jobs of teachers who would otherwise have been laid off,” says John See, a spokesman for the American Federation of Teachers.

Manufacturing, Building Trades Will Get a Boost

The Recovery Act includes substantial funding for sustainable energy, and that will boost union employment, at least if big labor has its way.

“The union jobs in renewable energy are manufacturing jobs,” says Tony Montana, a spokesman for United Steelworkers of America. “There [are] tons and tons of steel required to build wind turbines. That steel will come from the same plants that have made steel for autos and construction materials.”

Stimulus money and future appropriations to beef up passenger railroads could also create union jobs. “Railroad tracks and cars require lots of steel,” Montana says. Federal funding for research and development of electric cars could also ultimately benefit union workers if those cars go into large-scale production.

Will union jobs in the green energy sector go to longtime union members or those new to the job? “It’s a mix,” Montana says. “For instance, in eastern Pennsylvania, they took a closed steel mill and turned it into a fabrication facility for wind turbine blades. They reopened and hired a number of former employees as well as new members.”

Gaining Entry to Union Employment

If you’re looking to enter an occupation where organized labor plays a significant role, you can either approach the employer, such as a general contractor or home healthcare agency, or speak with the relevant union. In some trades, unions and contractors will even pay the way of newcomers who are accepted into apprenticeship programs.

“If you’re interested in a career as an electrician, you can apply for an apprenticeship at the local union hall,” Montana says. “It’s like a paid internship -- you receive on-the-job training.” The union apprenticeship system applies to other trades in some regions, including plumbers and painters, for example.

Will the Recovery Act make a significant dent in unemployment in union-heavy industries like construction, which has lost about a million jobs in this recession? According to Montana, “We’re in a severe economic crisis, so it’s still a matter of being in the right place at the right time.”

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