Strike grounds work at O'Hare

June 2, 2006

BY FRANCINE KNOWLES AND MARK J. KONKOL Staff Reporters

Major construction at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Trump Tower and O'Hare Airport ground to a halt Thursday and roadwork on the Dan Ryan Expy. was delayed because of a Laborers union strike that affected nine Illinois counties.

The strike, launched early Thursday, shut down roughly 200 state road projects, the Illinois Department of Transportation said. It also slowed remodeling at Chase Bank's main Chicago administrative offices and stopped work on Northwestern Memorial Hospital's $500 million Prentice Women's Hospital.

But progress was reported in talks Thursday, which could lead to a quick end to the ordeal.

"We recognize that this issue is between workers and contractors," said Holli Salls, a vice president at Northwestern hospital. "We hope it is resolved quickly so it will not have an impact on our ability to complete this important hospital building project."

Pickets were up at all seven project sites at O'Hare, affecting $250 million worth of contracts and halting excavation, cement pouring and site preparation work on the modernization project.

Road projects that came to a stop included the ramp at Interstate 80 to the northbound Bishop Ford Freeway, the new interchange at I-80 and I-55 in Will County, U.S. 30 in Joliet and Illinois 56 in Oak Brook.

'Patience is our watchword'

Any effect the strike has on the cost of the projects isn't expected to be borne by the state. "As far as I know, contractors still have deadlines, and we're not expecting any added cost to the state as a result" of the strike, said IDOT spokesman Mike Claffey.

City officials couldn't quantify how the strike will affect the cost of public projects, and its impact on private projects was unclear.

But depending on the length of the strike, it could lead to delays that will prompt financial penalties or keep contractors from gaining financial incentive rewards linked to early completion of work on a project, said Edward M. Hogan, a spokesman for the union.

Projects by Kenny Construction Co., one of the biggest construction firms around, were shut down because of the strike, said company President John E. Kenny Jr. "Patience is our watchword," he said.

Work on Donald Trump's development was also halted but expected to continue today, according to the union. The site should not have been targeted because a separate labor agreement was in place.

The Construction and General Laborers' District Council of Chicago Vicinity and its affiliated unions, representing 20,000 workers, launched a strike against more than 200 companies represented by the Mid-America Regional Bargaining Association, or MARBA, after their contract expired at midnight Wednesday.

Accord with half of contractors

Other trade unions and the Teamsters, who deliver supplies to and from construction sites, honored the pickets, which prompted shut-downs and delays.

But Thursday, union representatives said they made progress negotiating with separate contractor association groups and independent contractors. Those talks were initiated after MARBA said it no longer would negotiate on behalf of the contractors, Hogan said.

Tentative agreements were reached with roughly half of the MARBA contractors, said Jeff Ziemann, president and business manager with Laborers Local 6. He said those contractors' projects would not be picketed today and workers would be free to report back to work.

The strike didn't shut down the Dan Ryan reconstruction project because the union has a separate contract agreement with Walsh Group, the general contractor. But subcontractors represented by MARBA were asked by Walsh to leave the Ryan work site to avoid picketing, Hogan said.

MARBA said Thursday it will ask a federal mediator to call the Laborers union back to the table to resolve the strike.

The dispute, in part, centers on wages, pensions and overtime.

fknowles@suntimes.com
mkonkol@suntimes.com