What's the fallout from the construction strike?
It was supposed to be the biggest roadwork season in Illinois history, but a recently resolved construction strike collided with those plans and now state officials are assessing the damage.
Members of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 and Laborers District Council of Chicago and Vicinity reached a compromise deal late Monday with contractors after about three weeks off the job.
The Laborers District Council ratified the agreement Monday and Local 150 will vote on it today. The labor action grounded 300 state projects in the region including the Eisenhower Expressway resurfacing and repairs along the I-290/Route 53 corridor.
Back in April, Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig heralded a multiyear $12.8 billion building program and the jobs it would create. But on Monday, Hannig told the Illinois Road and Transportation Builders Association in a letter that the strike "comes at a particularly sensitive time ... and has affected the completion of large infrastructure projects important to the Illinois economy and in turn, critical jobs."
Drivers could see summer road work pushed into late fall, IDOT spokesman Josh Kauffman said, adding he couldn't provide specifics until the agreement is ratified.
"Each project will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis," Kauffman said Tuesday. "The strike has not cost the state any money at this time. We're optimistic the settlement will be finalized so construction can resume and we can put people back to work."
Kauffman couldn't say if penalties will be imposed on contractors for missing deadlines.
State Sen. Martin Sandoval, a Chicago Democrat who heads up the Transportation Committee, was hopeful the hiatus could be dealt with.
"If the weather holds, I don't think projects will be compromised," he said.
Officials anticipated it would take a few days before all jobs are back at 100 percent.
The strike affected more than highways. Local construction in communities such as Algonquin Middle School in Des Plaines, Naperville Central High School and Batavia High School were temporarily halted.
The Illinois tollway has a no-strike clause in effect but its projects, including resurfacing the Edens Expressway Spur, were undercut because pickets stopped workers from crossing union lines to pick up materials and equipment.
The agency has now dropped plans to suspend construction because of the strike, spokeswoman Joelle McGinnis said.
"We're in the process of laying plans to recover time and productivity lost in the last few weeks," she said.
It's likely the strike will stretch the construction season but the tollway expects to finish its significant repairs and return all lanes to drivers by the end of the year, McGinnis noted.
So far, construction costs are within budget, but it's possible the authority would consider paying more to accelerate work, McGinnis said.
Under the original contract, members of the Laborers Council earn $35.20 an hour or $53.37 with wages plus benefits. The operating engineers received a range of $43.30 hourly or $66.38 with benefits up to $45.10 hourly or $68.18 with benefits.
The tentative contract gives workers raises of 3.25 percent annually over three years, which means a member of the Laborers Council making $35.20 an hour would receive $36.34 in the first year of the new agreement.
Workers received about $200 a week in strike pay, but the labor action was costly. For example, a member of Local 150 making $43.30 an hour would have lost $1,623 in wages a week, assuming a 37.5 hour week.
Local 150 spokesman Ed Maher said, "(It) wasn't easy going on strike. Members went on strike to protect (health) benefits that the unions had spent decades fighting for. If they had been given up, it would have taken decades more to get them back."
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<h1>More Coverage</h1>
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<h2>Stories</h2>
<ul class="links">
<li><a href="/story/?id=395313">Strike settlement eases crisis in Des Plaines schools <span class="date">[07/21/10]</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/story/?id=395296">District 203 breathing easier after apparent union agreement <span class="date">[07/21/10]</span></a></li>
<li><a href="/story/?id=395121">Deal reached to end construction strike <span class="date">[07/19/10]</span></a></li>
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