At the end of last year, we described 2022 as the year that “architecture’s labor movement roared back to life.” In 2023, the movement kept the volume on 'high.' Across the U.S. and internationally, reforms in labor conditions continued from the top down and the bottom up.

Throughout the year, worker-led movements across both academia and practice exercised their right to form a union, as well as their right to strike against unfair or unsatisfactory working conditions. Meanwhile, conversations over working conditions in design studios were joined by concerns over treatment and protections for construction workers.

In tandem with conversations over workplace conditions, moves were also made to improve salary transparency, whether from the passing of new laws on a state level, or workers themselves taking the initiative to collect and share salary information.

To further explore these trends, we have set out the key developments and stories throughout 2023 related to topics surrounding labor in architecture.

Worker-led labor movements

Rhode Island School of Design’s architecture faculty voices support for striking workers

The “unequivocal support” from the school’s architecture faculty came in April. The strike was being carried out by 60 movers, custodians, and ground service staff, represented by the Teamsters union. “When employers use standards of minimum rather than standards of care, today’s living wage is tomorrow’s living precarity,” the statement noted.

While University of Michigan’s Taubman College staff went on strike over fair wages

The group of 40 striking graduate student instructors and staff assistants reportedly had their April wages taken from them in response to their participation in a campus-wide movement that has sought improved working conditions and better pay for workers. Several figures, from Taubman’s dean to the Architecture Lobby, voiced support for the strike.

Back in professional practice, Snøhetta’s U.S. employees sought to unionize

In May, workers announced that they were filing to form a union. “We are proud of our work at Snøhetta, and we are committed to our studio’s success,” the group said. “Through unionization, we will gain a collective voice in the future of our workplace and our profession.”

However, Snøhetta’s workers ultimately voted against the move

July’s final voting counts from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) resulted in a 35–29 final vote count against unionizing. According to the AWU, Snøhetta's management team hired the anti-union law firm Stinson LLP to assist in putting a halt to unionization efforts.

After the vote, Architectural Workers United charged Snøhetta with anti-union tactics

The charge was filed on August 29th with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing Snøhetta of unlawfully discriminating against employees over their support for the unionization campaign. “Today’s filing sends a message to the architecture industry that they are no different from any other industry and that if employers use illegal tactics to obstruct their employees from organizing, they will be held accountable,” AWU said.

Elsewhere, Sage and Coombe Architects workers formed a union

Employees from the New York office announced the union in September. “Sage and Coombe Architects is pleased to announce it has recognized a union as requested by a committee of firm employees,” the firm’s management said. “Although we are uncertain about the impact of this process on an architectural office of our size and history, we respect the right to organize and are proud of what the committee called our 'humane, open, collegial, and supportive culture.’”

While in the UK, architecture workers were offered the chance to join a major union

In November, the UK’s Section of Architectural Workers (SAW) announced its affiliation with Unite, one of the country’s most influential trade union groups. The move will see SAW operate under the same union group as the UK’s wider construction sector.

Labor conditions for construction workers

The Guardian exposed the exploitation of immigrant women on NYC construction sites

The women featured in the Guardian article also detailed a culture of sexual discrimination where gender norms are often a reluctant means to financial stability. As one worker stated, “Because we’re women, we are constantly being devalued in these jobs.”

As summer hit, concern grew over a lack of heat standards on construction sites

Amid record-high temperatures, Construction Dive’s Zachary Phillips detailed the consequences on job sites. "For construction workers, the sweltering conditions mean an additional job site hazard,” Phillips wrote. “But there is no enforceable standard for protecting workers during extreme heat that contractors can look to for guidance.”

The concerns led to the creation of a workplace heat safety plan by the Federal government

In July, the U.S. Department of Labor issued hazard alerts notifying employers and employees about ways to stay protected from extreme heat. The Department also pledged to increase its inspections of at-risk workplaces such as farms and construction sites and heighten its enforcement of heat safety violations.

Throughout the year, the demand for construction workers remained high

As Construction Dive noted, construction was somewhat unique amid the nationwide decline in labor demands. Construction counted 363,000 job openings at the end of July alone, 10,000 more than the same period in 2022.

Salary transparency steps

In September, Yahoo! and ERI rounded up a list of the 15 highest-paying countries for architects

Using data acquired from the Economic Research Institute (ERI), Yahoo! Finance “identified the countries with the highest demand for architects and then made a list for 27 countries with the average salaries for architects.” Switzerland topped the list. Is your country included? We want to hear your thoughts on the list’s accuracy in the comments.

New York State’s salary transparency law came into effect in September

As of Sunday, September 17th, employers with at least four workers must disclose the minimum and maximum annual salary or hourly range of compensation in any advertisement for job, promotion, and transfer opportunities. The law covers advertised opportunities “physically performed, at least in part, in the State of New York,” including “any opportunities that are performed outside the state, including remote or telecommuting opportunities, that report to a supervisor, office or other work site in New York State.”

Meanwhile, UK workers were offered a more transparent look at salary levels in their firms

The UK-based salary transparency advocates The Pay 100 released their latest set of survey data on average salaries across UK firms. Expanding upon last year’s inaugural snapshot of results, the 2023 addition also includes data on unpaid overtime.

You can help us make U.S. architecture salaries more transparent

Archinect’s ongoing salary poll allows workers from practices across the U.S. and globally to anonymously offer their salary levels. The poll is currently approaching 20,000 submissions.

Be sure to follow Archinect's special End of the Year coverage by following the tag 2023 Year In Review to stay up to date.