In response to the bosses’ attacks on their health and safety, 300 members of Local 150 of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) went on strike on June 7 in Cook County, Illinois.

The local unites material production workers and heavy equipment operators, who directed their collective action against three major employers operating approximately 35 quarries and mines across Northern Illinois. The companies in question –_Lehigh Hanson, Vulcan Materials, and Lafarge Holcim, united in the Chicago Area Aggregate Producers Association (CAAPA) – had unilaterally changed their policies on time off following Covid-19 exposure, in violation of the collective agreement previously negotiated by the union.

On May 22, after several futile complaints to the National Labor Relations Board, the workers of Local 150 unanimously voted to take up the class weapon of strike action if necessary, a step they proceeded to take fifteen days later, despite the bosses’ threats to fire any worker who would do so. This marked the local’s first strike since 1967.

The heavy equipment operated by these workers is essential to the continued operation of facilities supplying aggregate materials such as gravel, sand, crushed stone, and mine rock, which are in turn needed to produce asphalt, concrete, and other critical inputs for the construction industry. As a result, the strike soon made itself felt in the Chicago area as contractors depleted their aggregate stockpiles, leading to delays in municipal construction work ranging from the repaving of Milwaukee Avenue and the replacement of the Central Street bridge in Evanston to major infrastructure projects affecting some of the busiest bottlenecks and critical commuting links in the city, such as the Jane Byrne Interchange reconstruction and the I-55/Weber Road interchange upgrade.

Despite the immediate busing in of scabs lacking basic safety training, denied by CAAPA but well-documented by the picketing workers, the impact of the strike was further strengthened by solidarity from members of other trades. “We are gaining support from other unions. The Teamsters refuse to cross our picket lines,” said Local 150 spokesman Ed Maher.

The duration of the strike was deliberately prolonged by the bosses, who repeatedly stalled negotiations in the hope that the picketers, growing increasingly anxious about their livelihoods, could eventually be persuaded to return to work. When this despicable tactic failed to yield results after almost 40 days, CAAPA’s attorney attempted to circumvent the union’s bargaining committee, and on July 15, sent a “final offer” to Local 150 president James Sweeney, who swiftly denounced the would-be ultimatum on the union’s website: “Clearly, after dragging their feet through this entire strike, the companies wanted to put a gun to your heads.”

After the repeated failure of this and other dirty tricks, including yet another rejected “final offer” and a threat to withdraw owed backpay, CAAPA finally caved in to the workers’ demands. On July 26, the workers unanimously voted to approve a new contract, now including over 20 changes called for by the union in areas such as job classifications, safety, and equipment allowances. In addition, the contract provides for continued pension and healthcare benefits, and guarantees a minimum 16.14% pay raise over the three-year term of the agreement, with additional increases for members working evening and night shifts, skilled heavy equipment operators, and miners working underground.

The victory of the quarry workers of IUOE Local 150 represents yet another example of the recent wave of union struggles that has swept not only the Chicago area or the construction sector, but the US at large. Only a firm, clear-sighted class union front is capable of consolidating such victories, and extending them across the narrow boundaries of state and trade.