LANSING - There's still no end to a labor dispute that has stalled dozens of Michigan road projects for three weeks as the end of the construction season draws near, Gov. Rick Snyder said Tuesday after a joint meeting with both sides in the dispute.
"We weren't able to get either a short-term or a long-term solution," Snyder told reporters.
"The parties were not in agreement," but agreed to stay in touch, he said.
Snyder said he doesn't want to take sides or get involved in the middle of a labor dispute, but with major road projects stalled, he's concerned about "the safety of our citizens and their quality of life."
He said he is continuing to assess his options, including the possibilities of imposing late fines on contractors or using the National Guard, not to take over projects, but to get stalled projects to a stage where the roads could re-open for winter.
Snyder made his remarks after meeting for less than one hour Tuesday morning with the two sides in the dispute -- the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association, representing the contractors, and Operating Engineers Local 324, representing the unionized operators of cranes and other heavy road construction equipment.
The meeting was announced Friday as a possible breakthrough in the impasse, in which the union was refusing to meet with MITA. Snyder said Thursday the National Guard could be brought in to help finish work on high-traffic stretches of freeway, such as I-696 in Macomb County.
The contractors, represented by the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association, on Sept. 4 locked out the union, Operating Engineers Local 324, which had been working without a contract. The union said it won't negotiate with MITA on a new contract -- citing alleged anti-union rhetoric and actions -- but wants to strike deals with contractors individually.
The Free Press reported Sept. 13 that the busy eastbound lanes of I-696 remain torn up amid the dispute, and with an estimated two and a half months of work required to complete the project, the Michigan Department of Transportation is increasingly worried the $90-million highway job — along with many other of the more than 100 road projects affected by the dispute — might not be finished before frost sets in and fresh concrete can no longer be poured.
Contact Paul Egan:517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4.