Chicago sheet metal workers on strike
Local 73 walkout affects HVAC construction throughout region
Many HVAC construction projects in and around Chicago may stop with Sheet Metal Workers Local 73 on strike.
The walkout by the 5,000-member union was announced Tuesday night on the union’s Facebook page. The most recent contract proposal from SMACNA Greater Chicago, which employs the union’s members, was rejected 544-321, the union said.
Bargaining was set to resume today.
In a post on its website, officials with the Sheet Metal and Air-Conditioning Contractors’ National Association’s Greater Chicago chapter said they were “deeply disappointed” the union has decided to strike. It notes that work operating under project-labor agreements will continue, since their terms forbid walkouts.
The association said its most recent offer was a three-year contract with 3 percent annual raises that would have brought journeyman wages up to $81.78 per hour.
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