Open-shop contractors employ the vast majority of construction workers in Massachusetts.

Four out of five construction workers are employed by open shop companies, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Open-shop contractors are employers in the true sense; they provide traditional benefits, offer stable and consistent employment and provide pay raises and promotions based on achievement.

Open-shop contractors produce high quality work.

The National Constructors Association, a union employer group, surveyed end-users of construction and found they overwhelmingly preferred open-shop contractors. The reasons cited were quality, flexibility, better control and a better attitude among workers.

Open-shop work is cost effective.

Lacking the burdensome staffing requirements of union construction, open-shop companies are able to deploy manpower more efficiently.

Open-shop contractors also lack many of the "terms and conditions" provisions found in union construction. Terms and conditions, which include items such as "show up pay," add an 8 percent premium to the cost of union construction, according to the Construction labor Research Council, the research organization of unionized construction.

Open-shop work is safe.

According to the only statistical study of construction fatalities investigated by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), open-shop fatalities were significantly lower than those of union contractors.

Open-shop contractors pay competitive wages and benefits.
 
Hourly union wages may sometimes be higher, but annual wages paid by open-shop companies are competitive because their employees work more consistently throughout the year.

According to research conducted by noted Wharton School labor economist Herbert R. Northrup, vacations, and health and life insurance are available in "all but the smallest" open-shop companies. Northrup also notes that profit sharing is much more common in open-shop than union companies.