SEATTLE — Hundreds of concrete workers who have been on strike for months returned to work Monday. However, they still have not reached a deal with concrete companies.
"We're going to go back to work and get the mud flowing through our region again," said Brett Gallagher, with Teamsters Local 174.
Empty construction sites found throughout western Washington will no longer be as common. More than 300 concrete workers and drivers agreed to an unconditional return to work starting Monday, despite not having a deal finalized with the concrete companies as workers continue to fight for better pay and benefits.
"It's time to do this for the city," said Gallagher. "Everybody in the city of Seattle is hurting right now, not just us, not just the other trades either. It's every commuter, so we're going to try a different approach."
Countless projects across the region have been impacted by the five-month strike, including four major light-rail extension projects in King and Snohomish counties. Those projects were expected to add 34 miles to the regional light-rail system by the end of 2024. That might not be the realistic timeline anymore, however.
"We've been tracking impacts, we've been tracking what work has not been able to progress, and now we need to go back and work with each of our contractors for each of the projects," said Ron Lewis, the Sound Transit Executive Director of Design, Engineering & Construction.
Another problem lies in the fact that even though work is scheduled to start again, Sound Transit's project may not be the priority right away.
"The demand is very high on both public and private side, we're going to be right there early when they open and try and be first in line, but everybody's got that hope in being first in line," added Lewis.
Though some workers returned to work Monday, it's just the beginning of a long road ahead.
"It wasn't an easy decision for us to go out on strike because we knew this very scenario, if [the strike] went on this long, we have a mountain of backlog. It is going to be almost insurmountable," said Gallagher.
Again, the workers have not reached a deal with concrete companies. KING 5 was told negotiations would continue as workers returned to job sites Monday.