Laborers Union Breaks Free From AFL - By Will Lester/AP, BusinessWeek
The Laborers' International Union of North America has about 700,000 members in the U.S. and Canada, mostly in the construction industry. Those in the Laborers' union are in a wide variety of construction trades, and also work in demolition and cleaning up hazardous materials such as asbestos and lead.
A large share of the unions' newer members are recent immigrants, including many Hispanics.
Greer said construction workers have seen declines in wages, benefits and working conditions over the last decade.
"We want to change that," Greer said, "so construction workers are better rewarded for the hard, dirty and sometimes dangerous work they do.