By STEVE PINKLEY

It’s no secret that the construction industry is facing a significant labor shortage. Some estimates say that as many as 400,000 workers are needed right now, just to keep pace with demand and allow contractors to take on all the additional projects that need building.

We also know industry recruiting has a few things working in its favor these days. Many young Americans simply cannot afford the sky-high cost of college tuition. This is pushing recent high school graduates to explore a variety of career options that may have been ruled out just one or two generations ago. Also working to our advantage is the exceptional pay and benefits packages that often take years, if not decades, to reach in other careers.

What regularly gets overlooked in discussing construction industry recruiting, however, is health and safety. To be perfectly blunt, this is a serious profession that requires constant safety vigilance and awareness of surroundings. A busy construction site is packed with heavy equipment, sharp tools, loud noise and risk of falling from heights. No one should be working on jobsites where safety procedures aren’t being followed. The well-being of every man and woman on those sites must be their employers’ top priority. Always.

This is where union contractors have an exceptional selling point when planning their recruitment strategies.

Unions are designed to represent workers’ interests, and nothing is more important to any worker than returning home safely from the job each day. We actively push for better safety standards, more training and strict enforcement. Too many non-union employers prioritize productivity or cost-cutting over safety, especially if there’s little pressure from employees.

Unionized workers are less afraid to speak up, report hazards and refuse unsafe work because they know they will be protected from retaliation by their union representatives. Sadly, this is not the case for those construction workers who are being taken advantage of, getting paid well below industry standards and facing daily, critical safety violations.

Unions are experienced with state and federal regulations. We’re experts on OSHA standards, and we incorporate extensive safety education into every training program. Here at the Carpenters Union, for example, we have a fully staffed team of safety professionals, led by our Safety Director Al Jotautas, visiting jobsites to make sure procedures are being followed and those sites where our members work are being run safely. Union members receive more thorough and consistent safety education; it’s a proven fact that unionized workplaces have lower injury and fatalities rates.

This is information we consider vital for every potential recruit. No one likes to think about getting hurt on the job, but in our line of work it’s an everyday concern. The professional, ongoing  training available to union members is a powerful incentive in recruitment and retention.

But safety is more than procedures and protocol. Workers’ health, both physical and mental, also plays a part in their well-being, and trade unions simply cannot be matched on this front. We offer the kinds of health and retirement benefits that are the envy of many, if not most, of America’s private-sector employees. Our union carpenters have access to members-only wellness centers where doctor visits, eye exams, physical therapy and prescription medicines come with little or no out-of-pocket copays. Removing the stress of crushing medical expenses and scarce retirement funds means our people have less to worry about when they’re heading to work every morning.

There’s much ground to cover and many questions to answer every time we speak to a class of graduating seniors or staff a career fair booth. Understandably, the size of their paycheck is what most recruits want to know about first. There’s nothing wrong with that and it’s certainly an important consideration when choosing a career. But, at the end of the day, it’s their health and safety that matters most, and it’s our strongest talking point for attracting and keeping the next generation.

Based in St. Louis, Steve Pinkley is the regional director for the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council.