* 4:07 pm - The striking Local 150 has split off another employer group. From a press release…
Today, the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 150 reached a tentative agreement with the Illinois Valley Contractors Association (IVCA), the major employer association covering LaSalle, Putnam, Bureau, and Livingston Counties. The agreement, like yesterday’s tentative agreement with the Chicago Area Independent Contractors Association, would provide an annual increase of approximately 3.25 percent for three years.
“The IVCA represents small and large contractors, and historically, they have agreed to the same terms that we reach with the Mid-America Regional Bargaining Association (MARBA),” said James M. Sweeney, President-Business Manager of Local 150. MARBA has stalled negotiations with Local 150 until July 19th, calling the Union’s proposals “unrealistic.”
The Illinois Valley Contractors Association represents approximately 150 contractors, ranging from small local employers to national contractors.
“This tentative three-year contract with IVCA will protect our members’ healthcare and benefits,” said James M. Sweeney, President-Business Manager of Local 150. “Both sides sat down to negotiate and we found this to be a fair agreement that benefits the union members as well as the employers.”
“Obviously, employers across Northeastern Illinois find our proposal reasonable,” said Sweeney. “We are not looking for wage increases or to expand our benefits. We have committed $150 million of our money to stabilize our funds, and we are just asking employers to share the costs so workers can maintain what they have.”
Local 150 joined the Laborers’ District Council on strike against MARBA on July 1st in protest of unfair labor practices. MARBA has stalled negotiations once again until July 19th. “We once again repeat our offer to meet with MARBA earlier to try and work toward an agreement,” said Sweeney.
More than 100 contractors signed on to the CAICA agreement between this morning and noon, according to Sweeney. He continued that “MARBA’s stalling tactics were apparently meant not only to starve out union members, but small contractors as well. Now the contractors who are not on board with MARBA’s agenda have an alternative and they have been lined up since this morning to sign on with an association that wants to work instead of play games.”
Thoughts?
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 4:21 pm:
A lot of contractors out there need to get paid, too. They need to get the money flowing.
- ChicagoR - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 4:22 pm:
Hopefully this will be done by early next week. Chicago needs to get moving again.
- Greg in Monticello - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 4:24 pm:
How about getting these contracts done before the construction season starts?????????
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 4:29 pm:
No sock puppetry, people. I’ve already deleted one. No more.
- Todd - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 4:40 pm:
Chicago — it could be. It is up to MARBA. The LaSalle guys took the same deal the independents got. so tell me that if the $$$ is fair for them, how is it unreasonable in Chicago?
MARBA can solve this real quick if they want to. If not, they will find out what it is like to be hauling their equipment off jobs as THEY get replaced.
- haha - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 5:08 pm:
Todd. You work for Local 150. So we can assume you are speaking officially for them. Confirm that the governor has told labor he will invalidate legally binding contracts and take labor’s side in the current dispute. thank you.
- Billy the Bandit - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 5:23 pm:
From the LCCA website:
“but it is apparent that the unions do not understand, or aren’t willing to realize, there is simply no work out there to accommodate the types of increases they are asking for”
Hmmm, isn’t any increase to wage or benefit a VARIABLE EXPENSE? That is an expense ONLY incurred as the work is performed. So if there isn’t the work there isn’t the expense. The thing is these big hitters are the ones with the only work around (road work, thanks to the lobbying efforts of the Laborers Union and the IUOE last year to get the 31 Billion dollar capital bill passed for road work without much assistance from the contractors). And now they want the unions to look like parasites. How about a little truth here? Could this tactic backfire?
- Todd - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 5:34 pm:
haha — yes I work for 150. What I give here is my opinion from an informed perspective.
I have not talked to anyone from the tollway if you are referring to the CH 2 piece from last night. However, I read the PLAs and can see where they clearly call for a current collective bargaining agreement to be in place. MARBA contractors don’t have one.
So that is something you can remedy, if you choose to come back to the table and quit taking week long vacations.
Good luck Drucilla.
- Billy the Bandit - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 5:39 pm:
Yeah, me and Todd are Bros.. Wind of change in the air???
- haha - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 5:40 pm:
Domt know who drucilla is, todd. But thanks for clarifying that you’ve bought and paid foer governor quinn to do your bidding. The voters (who don’t support labor in this dispute) have a right to know who their governor takes his marching orders from..
- Macbeth - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 5:41 pm:
Finish my street, dudes. Settle with whatever union you need to settle with — do whatever needs doing — but get back to work, get the 16 tons of sewer pipes out of my street, move the (ripe!) portapotties, and get back to work.
- Billy the Bandit - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 5:42 pm:
At least that money is coming into the local economy and not being spent on some fishing trip in Canada because some can’t afford to take care of the guys who make the money for you? Come on?
- dave - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 5:43 pm:
haha - if you are referring to the tollway contracts (which you have not clarified), it is only a binding contract if both sides uphold their end of the contract. If the contract clearly states that there must be a current CBA in place, than the contract is clearly being violated.
- dave - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 5:45 pm:
By the way, haha, can you explain to all of us why you don’t have the financial ability to settle with the unions for what the other associations are settling for?
- Billy the Bandit - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 5:47 pm:
VARIABLE EXPENSE + NO WORK = NO EXPENSE
FIXED EXPENSE + NO WORK = EXPENSE
The logic behind saying that there isn’t the work doesn’t fly here. Stop it with the BS please.
- Macbeth - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 5:48 pm:
BTW — some voters *do* support labor. Contrary to most of right-wing, Brady-loving. FOX-watching posters on this blog — I am union and I support the union. Plus, I support Quinn.
I support what the union is asking for in this case. I’m AFSCME, so I completely understand what these guys are asking for. And as I’ve watched these guys fix my sewers on my suburban street before they struck — believe me, these guys earn every penny. It’s hard work made even harder due to the fact that it’s seasonal and not year-round.
- bwana - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 8:41 pm:
ask sweeney how many “core”members go back to work with the independents? or are they Laborer contractors that dont want to be caught up in the fray! as far as the IVCA is the amount they settled for REALLY the same as “Chicago” or LESS based on total package? My guess is its less! and how about Indiana’s total package bet thats less also! Sweeneys caught in Blackmail negotiations lets see if MARBA has the stones to take him on? plus ask Sweeney what conditions hes giving up to settle vs.his initial demands?
- Vote Quimby! - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 8:52 pm:
A great strategy by the union, and glad to hear people will be earning money again.
- heliwoman - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 9:53 pm:
“VARIABLE EXPENSE + NO WORK = NO EXPENSE
FIXED EXPENSE + NO WORK = EXPENSE
The logic behind saying that there isn’t the work doesn’t fly here. Stop it with the BS please.”
The formula above works but does not apply to the unions. If one does not work, one does not receive any “contribution” to their benefits, so it truly is a variable expense. It’s not a fixed expense like a phone or internet service (where you pay regardless of usage). The contractors are not paying into the health & pension funds if no one is working.
Again, while it may seem on the surface that the laborers are paid a high salary plus good benefits, who here would swap job positions and work in today’s heat or the winter’s cold or risk your life every day to the craziness of unknown drivers? I wouldn’t and I’m glad that they do and should be paid for it accordingly.
- Pioneer P. - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 10:02 pm:
Anybody want to talk about how the union election ballots go out in two weeks? Seems like that’s a big issue and no one is mentioning it.
- Billy the Bandit - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 10:04 pm:
Exactly, Heliwoman.
Look at my original post. The LCCA is trying to portray unions proposals as unreasonable and unrealistic. And yet these expenses are not incurred unless they actually get the work. Other associations have signed because they know that this is not an unreasonable proposal on the part of the union. Their argument that things are rough (despite the fact that the unions worked way harder to lobby for the roadwork that we now have and everyone should benefit from) is what is and ‘unreasonable statement’. I’m with you.
- Todd - Thursday, Jul 15, 10 @ 10:48 pm:
lets see, the $$$ in the last IVC agreement as I recall are the same as the MARBA agreement. So the package is the same. IVC historically has adopted the MARBA language and $$$.
As far as contract changes, we took out the 30 day cooling off period. The contractors did not want to live up to it, so why have it? Our next contract will expire on the 31st of May.
There was a change on oilers for backhoes. They are now required on machines that gross over 107,000 if memory serves me right. That is a move up from the 90,000 requirement (I believe). Those are the only changes in contract language.
Brandenburg signed the Independent agreement. He’s not a small guy and our “core” heavy/highway guys work for contractors like him. Just like V3 and others on the list. We had direction bore guys, small pavers, couple of crane companies. Matter of fact we expect one of the largest crane companies to sign real soon.
Pioneer P — Sure we can talk about it. I think the Contractors are being aided by a former officer. I think their coaching was to drag this out till the middle of August when the ballots go out to try and swing an election, then come in and cut a sweat heart deal with the NGMF.
If you add the guys that have been out of work with the recession, along with the guy on strike and create a bunch of discord, then toss in the 5% that would vote against mom, apple pie and Jesus, you could have a perfect storm.
Take us out, roll in a new guy who doesn’t know a ERISA fund from a CBA and have the sock puppet run the show — what was it he called himself — oh yea a “lapdog” for the last loser.
We have been told from the get go that the MARBA guys wanted to be out 6-8 weeks. They wanted to take us down so they could use that against the weaker trade unions. Then they wanted to be out 12 weeks to see what might happen with the election, hoping they could break our guys spirit via their wallets.
But now, as we explain what the big greedy guys who got PLAs and are still working wanted, membership is holding strong.
All day I was in the office and contractor after contractor came in and could not believe the package. “We stayed out for this?” was uttered more than once today.
- Billy the Bandit - Friday, Jul 16, 10 @ 9:23 am:
My old man sat out for 10 weeks in 1981. He is retired and doing GREAT!! Thanks to the fortitude of the members of the IUOE this union is more united and stronger than ever. WE will prevail.