Construction crews return to work at Round Lake High School
Construction has resumed on Round Lake High School's $29 million expansion and renovation project in advance of a contract vote by sheet metal union workers who went on strike last week.
Round Lake Area Unit District 116 spokeswoman Heather Bennett said crews returned to work at the high school Saturday after a two-day shutdown.
Other construction trades honored a Sheet Metal Workers' Local 73 picket line last Thursday and Friday outside Round Lake High School.
Local 73 directed the union members to stop picketing and return to job sites after a tentative contract agreement was reached Friday with the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association.
In a letter posted on the Local 73 website, president and business manager Rocco Terranova said members will vote on the proposed contract from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m. today. The members will cast their ballots at the Local 73 hall in Hillside.
Sheet Metal Workers' Local 73 covers all of Cook and Lake counties, with about 4,400 members.
Last week, District 116 officials said they were concerned over the halt of work on the $29 million high school expansion and renovation because of a tight construction timetable calling for the building to open Aug. 18.
Local 73's contract with the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association, which has 1,834 member firms, expired May 31. An association spokesman said the strike affected hundreds of Chicago-area construction projects.