Construction trades celebrating return of concrete workers
There are cheers in the construction trades as striking concrete workers agree to return to work while continuing to negotiate.
The impact on Sound Transit and other large projects during the nearly five-month-long strike has been significant.
There were huge smiles on construction sites across western Washington after the decision by concrete workers to go back to work.
Now the work begins to gear up to receive regular concrete deliveries for the first time since mid-November.
Among those hardest hit by the strike was Sound Transit. Their struggle led them to invite reporters to the Shoreline link light rail site, where work had slowed down considerably without those concrete deliveries.
As a result, the end of the strike was very welcome news.
Sound Transit’s Executive Director of Design, Engineering and Construction Management, Ron Lewis, was all smiles the day after concrete workers decided they would return to work without a new contract.
“We thank the Teamsters for taking this action as they continue to seek a long-term contract,” he said.
Still, Lewis says, despite the strike, Sound Transit made progress on its link light rail project, which is visible along I-5 and I-90.
“But if you look closely at the exposed rebar and empty concrete forms at this and other construction sites,” Lewis said, “you can also see evidence that our progress has been greatly slowed down for several months.”
Indeed, Lewis says, the concrete workers’ nearly five-month-long strike has impacted all four of Sound Transit’s major light rail extensions in King and Snohomish counties.
The extensions are an ambitious project to add 34 miles to the region’s light rail system by the end of 2024. From Bellevue to the project in Lynnwood, the pain of the strike has been felt by everyone involved.
“The impact of the concrete strike will not vanish overnight,” Lewis said.
“Well, we tried one approach and now we weren’t getting anywhere,” concrete worker Brett Gallagher said. “So, we’re going to try a different angle.”
Gallagher is on the union’s bargaining committee. He insists their decision to resume delivering concrete is not a capitulation.
“No, absolutely not,” Gallagher said. “We’ve got no intention of stopping the fight. But we also want to honor our brothers and sisters and all the associated construction trades in our region. They’ve been suffering along with us. They’ve been supportive. And it’s time to put everybody back to work.”
And it does appear there is work aplenty for all.
“The demand is very high on both the public and private side,” said Lewis. “We’re going to be there early when they open and try to be first in line.”
But he expects fierce competition to be a feature of the reopening.
As for the union, Gallagher says retirement benefits are the main sticking points. They say they are close to a deal, but they are not there yet.
No matter, come Monday morning, they will be back on the job.
