LANSING (WKZO AM/FM) — The lockout that brought road projects to a halt three weeks ago is over and heavy equipment operators could be back to work as soon as today.
The Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association claims that the Union’s agreement to enter mediated talks with MITA this winter, convinced them to end the lockout.
Sources say a notification that MITA would be held financially responsible for failure to complete the contracts may have also played a role.
Governor Snyder is getting credit for moderating the compromise.
In a statement on Thursday Snyder announced that “Work will begin on Michigan’s road projects immediately now that the contractors’ association and operating engineers’ union has agreed to continue working without a contract through the 2018 construction season.”
About 150 projects were stalled statewide including half a dozen projects in Kalamazoo and 9 in Calhoun County due to the labor dispute.
