CONTRACTORS, DEVELOPERS AND CIVIC LEADERS CALL FOR END TO CONCRETE STRIKE

SEATTLE, Feb. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With regional construction projects grinding to a halt, a group of over 30 major contractors, developers and subcontractors called on the striking Teamsters Local 174 and concrete companies whose drivers are on strike, to come back to the table to find a resolution to the months-long dispute that began in November of 2021. The group is calling for an end to the strike and a return to work while the sides continue negotiations on the contract renewal. 

"We respect the right of the parties to bargain," said Turner Construction's GM, Bill Ketcham. "But the standstill has now shut down dozens of public and private construction projects and thrown thousands of people out of work at a time when the pandemic has already ravaged our economy.  People need to get back to work now, while negotiations continue in earnest."

The group, representing thousands of employees in the Puget Sound region, estimated there could be 15,000 people out of work due to the strike by the end of the month. These include not just the 300+ striking drivers but related tradespeople from industries including masonry, structural steel, roofing, curtainwall, mechanical, electrical, and more who cannot work because of the strike's impact on active projects. 

"Thousands of hard-working people have been idled by this strike and both parties must resume efforts to find a resolution," said Dean Allen, Chairman and CEO of McKinstry.  "We must do everything possible to support workers across our entire industry as well as the families and communities impacted by the strike."

"We are urging the negotiators to come back to the table and to place the highest priority on beginning these discussions again," said Sellen Construction CEO Scott Redman.  "Our construction community needs to get back to work."

Projects that have been idled include many of the light rail extensions that have come to a halt during critical stages of construction, including lines to Redmond and Bellevue. Other public infrastructure projects have been halted. A critical low-income housing project for Plymouth Housing and Bellwether Housing which will be Seattle's first affordable high rise in over 50 years––with apartments for seniors experiencing homelessness, and low wage workers––is at a standstill.

Developer and Civic Leader Greg Johnson, CEO of Wright Runstad & Company, said, "It's painful to see our region's infrastructure and affordable housing projects grind to a halt, not to mention the furlough of so many construction workers." 

The group urging an expeditious resolution includes 8 general contractors, 5 developers and property managers, and over 20 subcontractors, including BNBuilders, GLY Construction, Howard S. Wright Construction, JTM Construction, Lease Crutcher Lewis, Sellen Construction, Skanska, Turner Construction, Vulcan, Wallace Properties, Wright Runstad & Company, Pine Street Group, Seneca Group, All New Glass, Apex Steel, Conco, Crown Corr, DBM Contractors, EC Electric, Fairweather Masonry, Harmon, Hermanson Company, Kulchin Foundation Drilling Company, Level 5, Malcolm Drilling Company, McKinstry, Michels Construction Inc., Patriot Fire, Prime Electric, Sequoyah Electric, Snyder Roofing & Sheet Metal, The Erection Company, UMC, and Walters & Wolf.

Contact:
Lee Keller
206-799-3805
[email protected]

SOURCE Turner Construction