Strike's over; school, road construction resumes

A unanimous vote by union members Wednesday night put to rest a strike that hobbled the summer construction season.

Workers with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 approved a 3.25 percent annual increase in wages and benefits over three years. Their decision followed a vote Monday by the Laborers' District Council of Chicago.

The labor action lasted about three weeks and involved 15,000 workers. It ground to a halt 300 Illinois Department of Transportation projects including high-profile ones such as resurfacing the Eisenhower Expressway, improvements to the I-290/Route 53 corridor, and fixing the Congress Parkway bridge.

The strike also disrupted local construction including a casino in Des Plaines and a bridge at Stearns Road in Kane County. A number of schools suffered also, leading to concerns projects at Naperville Central High School and Algonquin Middle School in Des Plaines wouldn't be completed in time for classes to start.

Negotiations between the unions and the Mid-America Regional Bargaining Association, representing contractors, melted down in late June.

MARBA accused workers of seeking too much given the tough economic climate and scarcity of jobs.

The unions countered that they were fighting to protect threatened health benefits. Under the contract that expired May 31, wages range from $35.20 to $45.10. The average number of hours worked by union members is 1,000 a year.

Both sides had harsh words for the other during the strike, but in the future, "we look forward to a mutually beneficial and productive relationship," MARBA spokesman Lissa Christman said.

"The members made a tough decision and protected the benefits fought for over generations," Local 150 spokesman Ed Maher said in an e-mail.

A tentative deal was reached Monday night after nine hours of negotiations.