Seattle-area Teamsters, concrete companies set to meet with federal mediator [View all]

The first sign of progress toward settling Teamsters Local Union No. 174's strike against concrete companies has emerged with news that the two sides are scheduled to meet with a federal mediator Thursday.

Union spokesperson Jamie Fleming confirmed the meeting, writing in an email to the Business Journal that the Teamsters "sincerely hope tomorrow’s negotiations are fruitful. This strike has gone on long enough."

The strike, which began in November at Gary Merlino Construction and expanded Dec. 3 to other concrete suppliers, has slowed work on some large public and private projects and ground it to a halt on others, like a Meta Platforms Inc. office tower in Bellevue's Spring District. The strike impacts are being felt on Sound Transit light rail projects as well as at 11 affordable housing developments.

Fleming did not know the name of the mediator from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, an independent agency that aims to preserve and promote labor-management peace and cooperation.

https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2022/01/19/teamsters-concrete-companies-meet-mediator.html