Post by title1parent on Jul 18, 2010 8:47:10 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/2506688,4_JO17_Striking-union-reaches-agreement.article
Striking unions reach agreement
July 18, 2010
By CINDY WOJDYLA CAIN ccain@stmedianetwork.com
COUNTRYSIDE – Striking union operating engineers reached a tentative agreement with the Contractors Association of Will and Grundy Counties Saturday morning, which means work on several large area road projects will resume today.
The 2½-week-old strike affected numerous road and bridge and construction projects in a nine-county Chicagoland area.
Saturday's deal means work will resume on: 23 miles of Interstate 55; Route 59; the I-55 and Route 59 interchange; Larkin Avenue from Route 30 to Route 52; and Weber Road from Lily Cache to I-55.
The only major contractor association the unions haven't settled with yet is the Mid-America Regional Bargaining Association.
Work will not resume on any projects for contractors that are represented by MARBA. That includes the new Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, said Ed Maher, a spokesman for the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150.
Under today's Will-Grundy agreement, Local 150 and members of the Laborers' District Council of Chicago, who reached an agreement on Tuesday, will receive annual 3.25 percent increases in health care and other benefits for three years.
"This significance of this agreement cannot be overstated because you will see projects that have been stopped for more than two weeks start up again (today)." said James Sweeney, president and business manager of Local 150.
Also, construction equipment and materials that have not been available for many projects throughout the strike, will now be available through the 55 contractors who signed today's pact.
"What we are proposing to contractors is completely reasonable," said Sweeney. "MARBA disagrees, but they are the only ones who do. These other associations have chosen fair contracts over needless stalling."
Earlier this week the unions reached similar deals with the Chicago Area Independent Contractors Association and the Illinois Valley Contractors Association.
But MARBA is not budging. MARBA officials posted a statement on their Web site on Thursday that said: "It is unfortunate that the locals are attempting to pit companies against each other, but it is transparent and does not weaken our resolve one bit. In fact, it unites us even stronger."
MARBA urged the unions to " … get serious about recognizing today's economic realities."
Striking unions reach agreement
July 18, 2010
By CINDY WOJDYLA CAIN ccain@stmedianetwork.com
COUNTRYSIDE – Striking union operating engineers reached a tentative agreement with the Contractors Association of Will and Grundy Counties Saturday morning, which means work on several large area road projects will resume today.
The 2½-week-old strike affected numerous road and bridge and construction projects in a nine-county Chicagoland area.
Saturday's deal means work will resume on: 23 miles of Interstate 55; Route 59; the I-55 and Route 59 interchange; Larkin Avenue from Route 30 to Route 52; and Weber Road from Lily Cache to I-55.
The only major contractor association the unions haven't settled with yet is the Mid-America Regional Bargaining Association.
Work will not resume on any projects for contractors that are represented by MARBA. That includes the new Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, said Ed Maher, a spokesman for the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150.
Under today's Will-Grundy agreement, Local 150 and members of the Laborers' District Council of Chicago, who reached an agreement on Tuesday, will receive annual 3.25 percent increases in health care and other benefits for three years.
"This significance of this agreement cannot be overstated because you will see projects that have been stopped for more than two weeks start up again (today)." said James Sweeney, president and business manager of Local 150.
Also, construction equipment and materials that have not been available for many projects throughout the strike, will now be available through the 55 contractors who signed today's pact.
"What we are proposing to contractors is completely reasonable," said Sweeney. "MARBA disagrees, but they are the only ones who do. These other associations have chosen fair contracts over needless stalling."
Earlier this week the unions reached similar deals with the Chicago Area Independent Contractors Association and the Illinois Valley Contractors Association.
But MARBA is not budging. MARBA officials posted a statement on their Web site on Thursday that said: "It is unfortunate that the locals are attempting to pit companies against each other, but it is transparent and does not weaken our resolve one bit. In fact, it unites us even stronger."
MARBA urged the unions to " … get serious about recognizing today's economic realities."