King County officials hope a multimillion-dollar proposal can jump-start talks between six Seattle-area concrete companies and their unionized workers. Local mixer drivers have been on strike for months. It all started with a smaller group in November and later expanded to 330 workers for six companies. Without concrete, construction has slowed or stopped on public and private work, including a RapidRide bus-line expansion in South Park and the Washington State Convention Center expansion.
Seattle says the reopening of the West Seattle Bridge, now set for midyear, could be delayed, and Sound Transit says its contractors have laid off more than 200 workers. The ongoing strike of concrete truckers and drivers is slowing down or stopping major projects in the Seattle region, including a possible delay to reopening the West Seattle Bridge.
The city and Sound Transit have both urged an end to the strike.
Job losses are now in “the thousands”.
Monty Anderson, executive secretary of the Seattle Building & Construction Trades Council, a coalition of unions. ”And it’s just going to get worse.”
On Wednesday, King County Executive Dow Constantine announced the county is seeking one or more suppliers of concrete building materials to make sure projects can resume without further delays and disruptions. King County published a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) this week to guarantee a supply of concrete so it can continue construction projects over the next three to six years. The RFQ is the first time the county has requested proposals directly from suppliers, according to the county.
In order to get the contract, an agreement must be in place that prevents work stoppages and employer lockouts to prevent impacts on construction projects in the future. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said the strike could cause major delays to the West Seattle Bridge reconstruction if it continues past Feb. 20.
