In European and American project logistics, labor costs are never calculated by “working hours”—a hard lesson from our Las Vegas project.  

Last year, a Las Vegas client (a seasoned American) emphasized: “Union rules matter more than material costs.” For example, workers get paid a full day’s wage if they stay on-site for 4 hours—*even if no work is done*. We ignored this until we saw their cost sheet: Workers were paid full wages for just 2 hours of work. The client explained: “This is a union requirement—disobey, and workers strike, halting the project.”

Many Chinese enterprises miscalculate costs by only factoring in materials and construction time, ignoring union-protected labor costs. A client once budgeted for 8-hour workdays but found workers left after 4 hours (still paid full wages), leading to a 20% cost overrun.  

Our advice: For European/American projects, consult a union-savvy lawyer or forwarder early. Clarify rules like “worker standby time” and “wage structures”—these hidden costs can sink a project if unplanned.