"Striking" disconnect from reality?

[bpwallace49]

Striking union asks construction firms to return to negotiations

July 2, 2010 6:35 AM | 95 Comments | UPDATED STORY

 

Laborer Dave Wesselhoff, left, is joined by colleagues on West Monroe Street at South Wacker Drive today. (Alex Garcia/Tribune)

 

While motorists on the Eisenhower Expressway enjoyed newly opened lanes Thursday thanks to a massive work stoppage by construction workers, many area residents were left dealing with half-paved roads and unfinished sewer upgrades.

 

"We're making sure everything is safe," said Janet Spector Bishop, spokeswoman for the village of Glenview, where work on a water main, street lighting and new sidewalks was halted. "We're basically sitting tight. We're hoping for the best, preparing for the worst."

 

The wage-related job action by some members of the Chicago Laborers District Council and Local 150 of the International Union of Operating Engineers left dozens of projects in Chicago and the surrounding area in limbo.

 

Projects on hold ranged from a 32-story structure being built at Roosevelt University to a main thoroughfare in Oak Park that will now have to wait for its second layer of asphalt.

 

"This will have a significant impact," said Oak Park Village Manager Tom Barwin.

 

On the eve of the Fourth of July weekend, there was little promise that the strike could be resolved until after the holiday.

 

"Let's get through the holiday weekend and then see where things stand when we get back," said Marisa Kollias, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Transportation, which has had to shut down the $95 million Eisenhower resurfacing project. "We're going to continue to work and make sure that everything is safe, which is our first priority for the motoring public."

 

A meeting between union officials and the Mid-America Regional Bargaining Association, which negotiates on behalf of construction companies, was set for Wednesday. On Thursday afternoon, however, union officials called on area construction firms to return to the negotiating table before then.

 

"Why wait?" James Sweeney, head of Operating Engineers Local 150, asked in a letter to the Bargaining Association.

 

The association responded to Sweeney's question with its own statement, "Why strike?" and said that it would stick to the previously established meeting date.

 

Construction companies and labor unions are divided over health care packages. The unions seek a 15 percent annual benefits increase over three years, while contractors have countered with a 1 percent annual increase.

The unions' three-year contracts expired May 31.

 

Several suburbs had prepared ahead of time for the work stoppage. In Arlington Heights, project engineer Briget Schwab said construction sites were buttoned up as of Tuesday, with crews addressing safety issues and ensuring residents had access to their driveways.

 

"We kind of knew this might happen, so we tried to make everything safe," she said. "A contractor is going to be driving through all our streets to make sure there's no safety issues."

 

The strike also postponed demolition of Kiddieland, the Melrose Park amusement park that shut down last year after 81 years. Demolition crews were scheduled to begin tearing down the remaining buildings at First and North avenues Thursday to make room for a 150,000-square-foot Costco store.

 

Instead, several pieces of large demolition machinery sat idle in the Kiddieland parking lot because the crew hired to operate the equipment was on strike, according to a superintendent for the project who declined to give his name.

 

the average pay for these workers is $45-50 dollars an hour . . . which hundreds of people would kill for right now.

[WaterMan]

the average pay for these workers is $45-50 dollars an hour . . . which hundreds of people would kill for right now.

 

There was a time and place for unions, but many Americans are getting greedy with it. I knew a guy who was recently laid off from Verizon(and everyone else there) in Texas, after they fought for and won through a union, more pay when they were all ready making good money.

[Perchoutofwater]

I got the following email today form TEXO which is the AGC.

 

General Contractor Alert!

Recently a union representative showed up on a member’s job site and identified himself as an OSHA representative. He took a number of pictures, talked to workers and left. Shortly thereafter, OSHA showed up to the job site. They said the inspection was based on a complaint. After finding no violation, OSHA left.

Please be aware of such organizing tactics. The person who visited the job was Timothy Bryant, Local #68 Sheetmetal Workers International. Once confronted, he confessed to trying to organize non-union workers on the site.

Please call the Chapter office should this occur at any of your jobsites. It is important that we document these occurrences.

[Jimmy Neutron]

I got the following email today form TEXO which is the AGC.

 

We've seen similar tactics in NY and PA - crazy stuff. We've had to take classes on how to identify genuine OSHA, State BoP and DOT credentials and phone into their headquarters to make sure we're dealing with genuine inspectors.

 

Don't get me started on under and heavy handed uniion tactics duriong site vote campaigns.

 

That said, my company has successfulyy kicked union ass in the two facilities they had gained a foorhold in. All but the drivers in NY have sent the union packing due to unfillfilled promises over the course of several years. Some of our strongest company proponents are guys that voted the union in a few years ago and saw nothing in return but headaches and individual losses of thousands of dollars per employee.

[tazinib1]

IATSE 728 WOOP WOOP!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dmarc117]

awesomeness

[SEC=UGA]

IATSE 728 WOOP WOOP!!

 

Sounds GHEY