Concrete strike pauses work on Sound Transit light-rail projects; contractors laid off

An advocacy group leader says an urban gondola system would be up sooner and cost less than a light-rail system.

An ongoing strike involving concrete workers is starting to impact Sound Transit light-rail projects, and there is no indication the disagreement will be resolved anytime soon.

More than 300 concrete workers are on strike against six King County companies. The labor stall has been going on for seven weeks, and Sound Transit has not received more than 14,000 cu yd of concrete during that span.

Sound Transit spokesperson John Gallagher said forms have been in place waiting for concrete, and that there is a lot of work on pause.

The negative impact of the strike also is spilling over into the contractor side of the business, as 164 workers have been laid off and another 120 will be without a job in the coming weeks.

So far the strike has not impacted project schedules for projects like the Lynnwood extension. A mediator was called last week to work out a deal between the two sides, but no progress has been made. It was the first meeting in two months.

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