* 3:41 pm - Striking unions have split management in two. Pretty good move on their part and will certainly help their PR battle. From a press release…
Early this morning, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 and the Laborers’ District Council of Chicago & Vicinity reached a tentative three-year agreement with the Chicago Area Independent Contractors Association (CAICA), one of the four major employer associations that bargain on behalf of construction contractors in the Chicago metropolitan area. Once ratified by union members and delegates, this contract would provide annual increases of approximately 3.25 percent over the next three years to cover skyrocketing healthcare and benefit costs.
“This tentative three-year contract with CAICA will protect the healthcare and benefits of the Unions’ members and get hundreds of contractors back to work,” said James M. Sweeney, President-Business Manager of Local 150. “There are about 1,300 small and medium sized contractors in the area that will likely be eligible to sign on to this agreement.”
More than 450 employers are currently signed to the CAICA agreement, and others will be able to sign a “memorandum of agreement,” making them signatory. MARBA currently has nearly 200 association members, who will not be eligible to transfer their bargaining rights to CAICA.
After MARBA delayed further negotiations until July 19th, it became apparent that MARBA’s strategy was likely not only to starve out union members, but also drive small and medium sized contractors out of business by prolonging the work stoppage for longer than these independent contractors can survive.
“There are a lot of contractors out there who don’t agree with MARBA’s stall tactics because it will put them out of business,” said James Connolly, Business Manager of the Laborers’ District Council of Chicago & Vicinity. “Our union members are not the only ones struggling during this strike. Plenty of contractors are asking MARBA to stop playing games and negotiate a settlement. This newly-signed agreement was negotiated with this in mind and will give many contractors the opportunity to get back to work.”
Still, the Unions’ offer to push up the negotiation date with MARBA stands. “We reiterate our willingness to meet day or night to work toward an agreement with MARBA,” said Sweeney. “To sit and wait until next Monday to negotiate is a colossal waste of time, and many independent employers agree with us on that, so signing on to CAICA’s agreement gives them an alternative to waiting for MARBA to take this situation seriously.”
This agreement further illustrates the fact that what the Unions have proposed in negotiations with MARBA is reasonable. In recent weeks, agreements have been reached in Peoria, the Quad Cities, Northwest Indiana, and throughout the construction industry in Northern Illinois for economic packages comparable to what the Unions have proposed to MARBA, and which far exceed what MARBA has offered.
The tables may have been turned here. Your thoughts?
- Joe - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 3:56 pm:
All the evidence you need to see who is being unreasonable is right here. The Laborers and Operators have signed agreements with “Peoria, the Quad Cities, Northwest Indiana, and throughout the construction industry in Northern Illinois for economic packages comparable to what the Unions have proposed to MARBA”.
And MARBA is composed (partly) of the biggest contractors around. If the smaller outfits in Northwest Indiana, the Quad Cities, etc. can afford it, MARBA obviously can too. They are trying to use the rough economic times as an excuse to line their pockets.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 4:17 pm:
Big win. Classic divide and conquer.
- Todd - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 4:25 pm:
its gonna get worse. Contractors have tried to use union busting workers to cross picket lines. Some of the large national contractors are now eying the Chicago market with work like the Illiana coming up. The shoe will be on the other foot now.
- Richard - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 4:28 pm:
How long do you think the rest of the contractors are going to sit on their thumbs while the others are making money. This should make some of them contractors WITHOUT a PLA agreement get just a little antsy. Interesting.
- Sacks Romana - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 5:13 pm:
There’s a lot of anti-union sentiment expressed by many commenters on the blog, so I really want to be one to express how happy I am to hear this. I hope the union reaches a fair agreement with MARBA soon.
- anon - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 6:05 pm:
I dont believe any of this is anti-union. I haven’t gotten a raise in two years and my health care has been cut back with more of a burden being on me. To ask for more money in the current economy is a bit unreasonable. The biggest thing to remember is that all public projects in Illinois are union. Which means that though we dont see it coming directly out of our pockets, we are all paying for it. Have you gotten a raise lately?
- Joe - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 6:13 pm:
anon-
you should join a union.
- 47th Ward - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 6:19 pm:
I’m raising my glass to some good news for a change. Here’s hoping MARBA gets a deal done quickly too.
- Richard - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 6:32 pm:
How come the little companies can sign but the bigger ones (who incidentally have most of the roadwork) won’t? Who is really holding things up?
- Richard - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 6:58 pm:
Rumor that Marba and the unions are meeting Now.
- Capt. Kirk for Senate - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 7:00 pm:
“To ask for more money in the current economy is a bit unreasonable.”
Of course we all remember when employers were falling over themselves to give their workers more money during boom times.
– MrJM
- Dick - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 7:13 pm:
I wonder if the little guys are going to start bidding on the bigger projects now. Sort of evens things out?
- Todd - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 7:45 pm:
MARBA is not meeting with us and has not altered their date from next Monday.
It’s going on 8pm and we still have contractors coming in to sign the agreement.
- fredformeranon - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 7:52 pm:
Skyrocketing Health Care Costs. What did we just pass this year!!!! What was health care all about!!! What FAILURES we are for not revolting.
- anon - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 8:20 pm:
Make sure before you check the previous contract for the operators when commenting about giving money during the boom times, the raises were huge. Also, dont forget that other than New York City, no operator in the country gets paid more.
- Joe - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 8:41 pm:
revolting? seriously?
- concerned citizen - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 8:52 pm:
Check out what the laborers and operators make, and what their benefit package is. I bet it is a lot better than most of ours. Asking for even more in these economic times? The taxpayer will be ultimately paying for this (again).
- Anon - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 8:58 pm:
This is good news indeed. I believe that MARBA was playing games and trying to give nothing. If you cut through the rhetoric of MARBA, it was not a pay increase that was being asked for but rather some help with the health insurance costs. Thus the workers won’t be getting a pay raise for those lucky enough to work.
As for the wages & benefits paid, while seemingly expensive, is not really for the dangers that they are exposed to every day while working. How many people here actually drive the reduced speed limit in the construction zones? I’ve been in similar situations (laying pipes on near south side of city) and many drivers have little respect for the safety aspects.
- haha - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 9:00 pm:
Insipid uninformed union drivel mostly here. Todd, how many roadbuilders signed up. Wait 48 hours. Rich Miller’s judgmenbt in running this will be called int serious question. A shame a once respected media guy is made a fool of by union goons.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 9:23 pm:
–What FAILURES we are for not revolting.–
Don’t sell yourself short — I’m sure you’re revolting in your own way.
- united and strong - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 9:24 pm:
Great move by Local 150. Big contractors were once small contractors. Congratulations to CAICA for having the foresight to do what’s right for thier members. Watch as MARBA crumbles.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 9:35 pm:
is this u fee baby!!!
- Anon - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 9:56 pm:
I don’t know that MARBA will crumble but I do think that they made a serious miscalculation on their part. If you look beyond their rhetoric and look at the facts you can draw your own conclusions from which I think the actions on the part of MARBA are quite arrogant - the contract required the to meet 3 times a week in June and didn’t. They’re (union) willing to meet now and they won’t.
- united and strong - Wednesday, Jul 14, 10 @ 10:20 pm:
plus marba must have just realized that thier spokeswoman was coming across miserably as they had someone else do thier talking tonight on Ch. 2. And yes, marba will crumble (or quickly come to their senses). Union winning the pr war, that’s for sure.
- Poppawheelie - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 6:24 am:
God Bless Union People! We are STRONGER TOGETHER!
- Todd - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 8:13 am:
haha — you looks to be a marba hack or sock-puppet.
CAICA has been around for 10 years if you want a list of contractors signed look here:
http://www.local150.org/Pages/caicacontractors.aspx
By the way tell your pr flack drucilla that it should be “effect” not affect.
There are crane companies that have signed, asphalt plants I wouldn’t call V3 a “small” guy so they are coming in all shapes and sizes.
Some inside baseball type stuff — Now that there are crane companies signed, your lapdog Imperial is gonna have problems hangn’ on to their work cause there is a bigger dog in town who signed. That means there is somewhere else for the refineries and chem plants to go to get their cranes.
So go tell Lorrig to take another vacation/honeymoon and see how having your guy/negotiator Rock continue to work under PLAs while prolonging the strike.
You want to try replacement workers, we got replacement contractors. Can you say Bechtel?
gotta run, gotta sign another memo with a contractor…..
- Todd2 - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 5:38 pm:
Talked to a few “members” of the CAICA who are on your list who have never heard of the CAICA, been contacted by the CAICA. Nor have they paid dues to the CAICA or ever heard of CAICA negotiations. So exactly who is the CAICA ??
- Anon - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 1:14 pm:
Check your facts about CAICA.