Union apprentices more likely to finish training: GAO - Contractor Mag, IL
The report tracks apprentices that began training in 1994 to 1998 through six years of training up until 2004 when the 1998 class would have finished.
During that period, 52% of union plumbing apprentices completed training, compared with 31% of non-union apprentices, according to the report. The report notes that 55% of United Association pipefitter apprentices finished, as opposed to 30% of the openshop apprentices. For sheet metal workers, the percentages were 59% vs. 27%, and 61% of unionized heating and air conditioning installation and service trainees finished, compared with 29% for the open-shop group.
The report notes that the union-represented employees generally made more money, with a few exceptions. In 2004, the first year in which the Labor Department collected information on starting wages, apprentices in joint programs earned $12.28 per hour while non-joint apprentices earned $9.90 at the start of their apprenticeships.