Many construction workers around the region are on strike, including those working on the corner of NW Market St and 15th Ave NW.
Work has come to a standstill at the half-finished site, soon to be the home of Target, Polyclinic, WeWork and Equal Exchange coffee. Keith Slack, superintendent for Lease Crutcher Lewis at the 15th and Market site, says the entire crew has stopped working in solidarity with the six union members who are striking at that site.
The regional crane operators union (International Union of Operating Engineers Local 302) told all members working the Washington Master Labor Agreement to not report for work after their latest contract proposal was rejected. The union wanted a 15 percent raise over three years, plus better health and pension benefits.
Workers have been on strike since Tuesday morning. “Now it’s kind of a waiting game,” Slack says, adding that the strike could potentially create some delays in finishing the build.
Those on strike include concrete pumpers, dirt workers, and pavers. The strike excludes some workers, such as those who work for Skanska, KLB Construction, and Cadman Materials. The strike is affecting sites all over the region, including the Amazon Spheres in downtown Seattle.