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Talk the TAUCAuthor: Kirk Westwood
Talk the TAUC podcast (formerly Construction User 2.0) is brought to you by The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC). Your host, Kirk Westwood, is Director of Marketing for TAUC. Kirk has helped many organizations tell their stories as a photographer, blogger, web-streamer, and consultant. In each episode, well explore the latest labor trends, industry insights, and important issues in the world of construction. Our guests are industry leaders, subject matter experts, and innovative visionaries discussing how we are building the world of tomorrow. TAUC is made up of more than 1,800 contractor companies that utilize union labor for their projects, as well as local contractor associations and vendors in the industrial maintenance and construction fields. TAUCs mission is to act as an advocate for union contractors and enhance cooperation between all parties to achieve the successful completion of construction projects. Language: en Genres: Business, Management, Non-Profit Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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Labor Cost Trends in 2025: What CLRC’s Settlements Data Means for Contractors
Episode 14
Tuesday, 24 March, 2026
at would happen if both sides walked into bargaining looking at the same data? CLRC has it — and it's completely free.In this episode of Talk the TAUC, host Kirk Westwood sits down with Carey Peters of the Construction Labor Research Council (CLRC) — the organization behind the most comprehensive database of union craft wage rates in the United States. Peters, who has spent years tracking collectively bargained labor agreements across every major trade and region, walks through the newly released 2025 Year-End Settlements Report. First-year settlements averaged 4.7% for the third consecutive year, a sharp jump from 2.8% just a few years ago — a trend Peters ties to post-COVID inflation and what he calls "the contractor's cost conundrum." The conversation covers regional disparities, trade-by-trade breakdowns, and what contractors should factor into bids and budgets heading into 2026. Can the industry sustain a new normal — or are settlements finally about to pull back? Carey Peters is a representative of the Construction Labor Research Council (CLRC), a nonprofit research organization that provides objective data and analysis on collectively bargained labor agreements in the union construction industry. CLRC’s annual Settlements Report is widely used by contractors, labor relations professionals, and industry leaders to forecast labor cost trends, benchmark negotiated increases, and inform strategic planning across crafts and regions.Subscribe now so you don’t miss an episode! Talk the TAUC podcast is brought to you by The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC). Your host, Kirk Westwood, is Director of Marketing for TAUC. In each episode, we’ll explore the latest labor trends, industry insights, and important issues in the world of construction. Our guests are industry leaders, subject matter experts, and innovative visionaries discussing how we are building the ‘world of tomorrow.’ TAUC is made up of more than 1,800 contractor companies that utilize union labor for their projects, as well as local contractor associations and vendors in the industrial maintenance and construction fields. TAUC’s mission is to act as an advocate for union contractors and enhance cooperation between all parties to achieve the successful completion of construction projects. Discussion points: (00:00) Introduction to the 2025 settlements report - what it is, and why every contractor should know it (04:53) The top-line numbers: 4.7% average settlements for three years running (07:15) Why inflation — not the labor shortage — drove wage increases up after COVID (11:26) Regional breakdown: the northwest leads and the northeast surprises (13:04) Which trades are seeing the highest and lowest settlement increases (16:00) How contractors can use CLRC data strategically for bidding and bargaining (22:08) The contractor's cost conundrum: competing economic pressures at the bargaining table Share with someone who would be interested, like, and subscribe now so you don’t miss an episode! Resources:CLRC 2025 Year-End Settlements Report: https://tauc.org/clrc-union-labor-costs-2025/ Construction Labor Research Council (CLRC): clrc.net TAUC Calendar of EventsTAUC WebsiteKirk Westwood TAUCThe Construction User Magazi...
