The strike that began Wednesday, June 30, by construction laborers in the Chicago area is causing a temporary halt on the $95 million Eisenhower Expressway resurfacing project and the Wacker Drive reconstruction project.
Local 150 of the International Union of Operating Engineers and the Laborers’ District Council of Chicago are joined in a strike for improved health benefits and wages. The unions for carpenters, cement masons and technical engineers could potentially join the strike.
Marissa Kollias, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Transportation, told the Chicago Tribune that the strike has caused relatively minor disruptions to the Eisenhower project, but the situation could quickly worsen if more unions joined in the strike.
“We’re in OK shape now on the Eisenhower and we will be OK if the strike lasts a couple of days,” Kollias said. “But if this goes on for a couple of weeks or a month, the project will be seriously delayed.”
With the May 31 contract expiration, the unions are seeking a 5% annual wage increase for next three years while the contractors countered with a 1% offer.
Local 150 is demanding a 15% increase in health benefits, only to encounter an offer of 3% from construction companies.
Negotiations are expected to resume July 7, according to Lissa Christman, a spokeswoman for the Mid-America Regional Bargaining Association, which negotiates on behalf of construction companies.