Letter: It’s called Labor Day, not Labor Union Day

Wednesday, Sept. 2, 1998 | 10:11 a.m.

Labor unions use this day to laud the union worker, but we also must remember the vast majority of American workers -- "the other guys" -- who choose not to belong to a union. Unfortunately, their efforts often are overlooked as the media focuses on the union worker.

The sheer numbers make this oversight perplexing. Labor unions have steadily declined in membership since the 1950s. Today the U.S. Bureau of Labor estimates that more than 85 percent of American workers are working open shop (nonunion) with unions representing just more than 14 percent of the work force. In the construction industry, of which I am part, more than 80 percent of workers choose to work open shop and build the majority of U.S. construction projects each year.

I have seen the accomplishments of the open shop crafts makers firsthand. They're trained to the highest national standards of skill and safety, with no limit to how many crafts they can master or how far they can go.

I have the privilege of serving as both president of Las Vegas-based Silver State Materials and president of the Southern Nevada Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors. ABC is a national association representing about 23,000 merit (or open) shop construction and construction-related firms in 83 chapters throughout North America.

I would like to take this opportunity to publicly acknowledge and thank "the other guys" just in case others forget.

Steve Hill