MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. - The labor dispute that shut down road work in many parts of the state continues.
The dispute is impacting projects in Muskegon, Oceana, Kent and Ottawa Counties.
Governor Rick Snyder said Tuesday he's not able to break an impasse between contractors and a union of heavy equipment operators. But he could call on Michigan's National Guard to do some road work.
"We do have engineering units within our National Guard that are heavy equipment operators," said Snyder. "They do this on a regular basis."
The Guard's 1436th engineering company is based in Montague. The company has a fleet of equipment used to move dirt, build roads, runways and replace culverts. Some members of the company were deployed earlier this year to the Upper Peninsula to repair roads damaged by flooding.
If Snyder orders National Guard units to road projects the 1436th would like activate equipment and soldiers.
But Snyder says if it'd only be on critical projects that left undone would create a risk to public safety. "That in particular have higher safety risk or higher commuter challenges to them that would be good that we could make some progress before winter happens to help ensure the safety," said Snyder. "And I think if you put it in that characterization I think I clearly have the authority to do that."
The National Guard is doing an assessment on the possible use of soldiers. Some 1,300 are attached to engineering companies.
The National Guard plans to inform the Governor what assistance is available, and it's also consulting with MDOT on the scope of the work needed around the state.
Mobilizing the National Guard takes time, and the road constructions season in Michigan is quickly closing.
On Tuesday, Mike Nystrom, the vice president of the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association, representing the contractors, also said MITA is now seeking temporary workers to operate the heavy equipment and restart the jobs, though he conceded that is no easy task.
In addition to considering deploying the National Guard, the state is also considering bringing in non-union workers.
A similar situation "really hasn't happened before," Snyder said. "We're blazing new ground here."
The Detroit Free Press contributed to this reporting.
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