Some road projects underway in Michigan are coming to a halt today because of a labor dispute between the construction companies and the labor groups that do the work. But, it’s a lockout and not a strike. The Michigan Infrastructure Transportation Association, MITA, calls it a “defensive lockout” and blames Operating Engineers Local 324 for having to take the action. Union spokesman Dan McKernan says it didn’t have to happen.
“We know a large number of our members have been informed they are laid off as of this morning at 7 from projects they’ve been working on all summer,” said McKernan. To MITA, he has a message. “Step out of the way. It’s the contractors that are bidding the project and the workers that are doing the work. Let us get to a solution together. We have a contract in place, we opened the door for them to negotiate with us and they chose not to.”
The union has negotiated contracts with MITA for decades, as the association represents about 40 construction companies, but this year they wanted to work out contracts with the individual firms. The last contract expired two months ago and no talks have taken place since. Not all projects are impacted around the state, but many will be.
