Operating engineers come to last minute agreement with contractor associations

The International Union of Operating Engineers Locals 14 and 15 reached new three-year deals late yesterday with contractor associations, avoiding a strike that may have brought city construction to an abrupt halt, Crain’s reported.

Louis Coletti, president of the Building Trades Employers’ Association said the unions “made major adjustments” in order to facilitate a deal though details of the agreements were not immediately available. Operating engineers put a “substantial offer” on the table, according to one labor source.

Had a strike happened, it would have idled more than 11,000 workers at private-sector jobs, according to the Real Estate Board of New York.

“No one wins with a prolonged strike,” the New York Building Congress said in a statement. “Workers lose paychecks. Contractors lose jobs and developable sites sit idle. Our nascent economic recovery comes to a screeching halt, and the industry is set back by years.”

Concrete workers and bricklayers are still negotiating, according to Crain’s. Unionized carpenters are expected to have their current agreement extended beyond the deadline as court proceedings continue. [Crain’s]