'Open shops are 20-30 percent less expensive than union shops'

Merit shop contractors offer many benefits to their clients over what their union competitors provide. Maximizing construction dollars is the goal of merit shops, and that allows building owners to get a better value.

And contrary to union spin, the savings comes from efficiencies, and not low-pay and benefits. If that were true, why do unions represent less than 1/5th of the Massachusetts construction workforce? Wouldn't more construction workers join unions if they thought they'd get a better deal? The truth is merit shop contractors provide competitive pay and benefits. Merit shop workers received benefits unseen in union contracts (employer-paid holidays and sick time, for example).

The following infographics demonstrate the merit shop advantage and explain how the merit shop system provides quality and value to building owners.