The collective bargaining between the Associated General Contractors of Washington and five trade unions expires at the end of the month, and both sides hoping to avoid a conflict such as the concrete workers' strike last August, which halted several local construction projects in the Puget Sound region.
The AGC Master Agreement with carpenters, cement masons, teamsters, laborers and operating engineers expires on May 31. Laborers have already signed a new agreement and contract talks are going smoothly between the builders' trade group and most of the unions. But discussions with the International Union of Operating Engineers stalled in April and than resumed in an unprecedented manner, observers say. "I've never seen a situation like this," says Doug Petersen, AGC of Washington director of labor relations. "We met with them five times and then they walked away from the table and said they wouldn't bargain with us."