Thousands of laborers walk out

Workers represented by the Chicago Laborers District Council went on strike against the Mid-America Regional Bargaining Association, a building and construction contractors’ association, early on the morning of June 1, just hours after their five-year contract had run out. MARBA was the only holdout; the union had reached agreement with other contractors’ associations.

The impasse with MARBA came after more than a month of talks. The Laborers charge that the bosses’ bad faith negotiations forced them out on strike for the first time since a nine-day walkout in 1991.

This strike isn’t just over wages. Like millions of other workers during this period of a capitalist offensive on workers’ social wages, the laborers are concerned about the future of their pension fund. They also want a greater degree of control over subcontracted work.

The strike is solid. Other building trades unions and the Teamsters have shown solidarity by observing the Laborers’ picket lines.

The bosses and bankers in Chicago are truly shook up over the strike. Jack Ablin, the chief investment officer at Harris Bank, said, “A prolonged strike could have a profound negative impact on Chicago.” What Ablin is really saying is that he is terrified of the organized power of the workers and wants the strike to end before his bank’s investments and bottom line are affected.

People like Ablin have good reason to be afraid. The Laborers represent more than 20,000 workers in the Chicago area and 20 to 30 percent of the workers on current highway construction projects. The strike has shut down 150 of 200 road projects. Work at all seven O’Hare Airport projects, affecting contracts valued at $240 million, has stopped.

The Laborers are in a good position to win this one.