Striking Concrete Construction Delivery Drivers Reach Labor Agreement
Seattle concrete delivery truck drivers and five cement suppliers that employ the workers have reached a labor agreement, bringing a Teamsters union strike to an end.
On Aug. 11, drivers for CalPortland walked off the job in a fight for higher wages. Drivers for Salmon Bay Sand & Gravel, Stoneway, Lehigh Cement and Cadman said they were ready to strike as well, the Seattle Times reports.
The strike threatened to halt Seattle’s record construction boom — 74 major projects are underway in downtown Seattle alone. Crews working on projects including the Alaskan Way viaduct replacement SR 99 tunnel along the Seattle waterfront went without needed concrete during the strike.
The union drivers make an average of $31/hour and had been working without a contract since the beginning of August. The Teamsters union said the new four-year contract includes record-setting wage increases and increased benefits.
Terms were not disclosed, though union spokeswoman Jaimie Fleming told the Seattle Times the pay increases go beyond the employers’ three-year, 12% pay increase offer made earlier in the week.
