"More than 40 road construction companies plan to lock out hundreds of workers who operate heavy equipment on Tuesday as a summer-long labor dispute comes to a boil and could disrupt road projects throughout Southeast Michigan.
Contractors in the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association have voted to implement a "defensive lockout" of members of Operating Engineers Local 324 after the union has "refused" to negotiate a new contract, said Mike Nystrom, executive vice president of the road-builders trade group."The only reason for this lockout is to bring the Operating Engineers to the table and come to a resolution on a fair and equitable contract," Nystrom told Crain's.
"And the only way this lockout ends is with the Operating Engineers ratifying a industry-proposed contract."
The Operating Engineers Local 324 said major road construction projects on Interstate 75, I-96 and I-696 could be affected by its members being locked out.
...MITA's members offered the Operating Engineers workers pay increases of $2 per hour each year in the first three years of a new five-year contract, and $1 per hour raises in the fourth and fifth years. The base wage for unionize heavy equipment operators is $27.97 per hour; fringe benefits amount to another $27.70 in hourly compensation.
"We added 2.7 percent per year — and they won't even meet," Nystrom said.
"I think there's a lot of folks out there that think that's a pretty good deal."...
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