Some Seattle-area concrete drivers return to work, others await go-ahead from employer
Mar 17, 2022, 12:43 PM | Updated: Mar 18, 2022, 7:06 am
Looking north, crews finish concrete for the decks of the South Bellevue Station platform in 2018. (Photo courtesy of Sound Transit/Flickr)
(Photo courtesy of Sound Transit/Flickr)
The union representing Seattle-area concrete delivery drivers says that workers for one facility have now returned, but they have not yet been permitted to return at other sites.
Some concrete deliveries set to resume Saturday
Teamsters Local 174 announced Monday that workers with three of the region’s six concrete suppliers would resume deliveries to select Seattle plants while negotiations for a new union contract continued. The intention was to reopen the flow of concrete to crucial projects across the region, spanning the Washington State Department of Transportation, Sound Transit, and more.
As of Thursday morning, drivers for Salmon Bay Sand & Gravel are reportedly back at work at the company’s facility in Ballard. The union reports that Cadman has “refused” to allow drivers to return to its East Marginal Way site, and has not provided a return date.
Earlier in the week, four employers — Cadman, Glacier Northwest, Stoneway Concrete, and Salmon Bay Sand & Gravel — issued a statement claiming that “the union can return to work at any time and does not require the companies’ approval,” going on to note that companies “look forward to welcoming back the partial return of drivers.” Subsequent statements from Salmon Bay and Cadman clarified that the companies “have five days to process the orderly reinstatement of the strikes.”
What’s next for West Seattle Bridge as concrete strike continues?
Several prominent projects continue to face delays, including the West Seattle Bridge. A source told KIRO Newsradio on Tuesday that the bridge repair project may not start receiving concrete until next week at the earliest, given that WSDOT still needs to work out a deal with the companies where drivers are returning to work.
The larger strike continues in the meantime, with negotiations between Teamsters Local 174 and concrete suppliers having ground to a halt in recent weeks.
