King County Executive Dow Constantine today made an emergency motion before the King County Council that the county, with partners in the City of Seattle and the Port of Seattle that a feasibility study be conducted regarding the manufacturing of concrete. The ongoing labor dispute between ILWU Local 174 representing local area concrete truck drivers and the concrete manufacturing companies in the area has meant the delay in numerous projects around the region.

in a statement he said,

Sound Transit, the Port of Seattle, the University of Washington, the City of Seattle and other local jurisdictions will join in the feasibility study. Each have projects delayed by the lack of available concrete, ranging from Link Light Rail, to a new University of Washington Behavioral Health Teaching Facility, to the West Seattle Bridge.

"Clearly, the local concrete industry is failing the people of King County, and I won’t let our region’s infrastructure hang in the balance. For the future of our infrastructure and our economy, the public sector must act to secure a reliable supply of concrete, even if that means manufacturing our own," said Executive Constantine. "While this won’t solve the stalemate today, we will begin the work to ensure taxpayers aren’t put in this position again, and to keep our region moving forward."

"The many critical infrastructure projects on hold today, along with even more on the way, have cemented the need for reliable concrete production. New projects and major infrastructure investments are an opportunity to reshape our City and our region for the better -- further uncertainty driven by concrete manufacturing concerns cannot be allowed to derail this potential. Creative, effective, lasting solutions are in order, and I look forward to next steps as we consider this path forward," said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell.

"From the build out of Sound Transit to upgrading our sewer system, concrete is an essential component of the many public projects that make our growing region work," said King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci. "I applaud the Executive for thinking creatively about how we can keep public projects moving while preserving the rights of workers and look forward to seeing the feasibility assessment."

"The motion introduced today is a positive step to provide public agencies with more tools to manufacture the concrete that our projects need," said Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff. "We are a willing partner in this effort. The feasibility study in this motion will not solve our problems overnight, but we owe it to the region and the taxpayers to look at how to reduce the risk to our projects now and in the future."

"I applaud Executive Constantine’s leadership in seeking a regional solution to moving critical infrastructure forward," said Redmond Mayor Angela Birney. "Creating solutions that support projects in our individual communities like light rail, housing, and business expansion will have a long-term positive impact for our entire region."

"Delays in construction projects have big consequences for our supply chain and our communities," said Toshiko Hasegawa, Port of Seattle Commissioner and Northwest Seaport Alliance Managing Member. "This motion is a meaningful step to ensuring timely completion of projects in the future. Meanwhile, I thank the Teamsters for continuing to go to work as a good faith effort in negotiations."

Also speaking at the Council meeting were Deputy Mayor Monisha Harrell and Port of Seattle Commissioner Toshiko Grace Hasegawa.

Deputy Mayor Harrell said,

The current concrete strike. has resulted in a significant loss of productivity. and growth. It really sets back the work that we are trying to do in the City of Seattle and in the county at large. 

As we are trying to grow our industry and really grow our opportunities for affordable housing and for infrastructure for this time period of being without concrete for an unforeseen amount of time, we want to do everything we can to bring all parties back to the table for a successful resolution. 

And it is the responsible thing to do as government leaders to not continue to put ourselves in this position every few years. 

This is a critical time period for growth and we really need to do things like have the West Seattle Bridge completed so that we can reconnect all of our region with the things that they need like fire, police and other critical services. 

So we're not saying that this is absolutely a done deal, but we would be foolish to not at least look at all of the options available to us. 

This gives us a look at to what those options are, and I just want to commend King County for being so forward, thinking and bringing this forward to know what the future could look like and take this really proactive step. 

Commissioner Hasegawa said,

The port is currently working against a 5 year $4.4 billion capital improvement program supporting an average of 1400 full and part time construction jobs per month. Our projects emphasize efficiency, safety, sustainability and economic vitality. Terminal 5. Our newest marine cargo facility in the Seattle Harbor and the airport's new international arrivals facility are obvious game changers for our region's economy. 

And as the language of the motion points out, scheduled delays and major construction projects have big consequences, including to our regional transportation. 

Projects see when commuters cannot access public transportation. 

More vehicles lined up on roads, including our freight corridors. 

This congestion impacts our supply chain. It drives up carbon emissions. It pulls down the quality of life for our King County residents.

It is imperative that light rail terminal projects be completed so that  people continue to flow about our region. 

This motion is a meaningful first step to ensuring timely completion of projects in the future. 

I'm the daughter of a teamster household, and a beneficiary of the labor movement, and I understand the vital role that labor unions play in ensuring fair paying family wage jobs that sustain our communities. 

The Port of Seattle and the Northwest Seaport Alliance commended and thanked the Teamsters for continuing to work as a good faith effort in negotiations. 

I'm coming to you from an event with the ILWU with US Secretary of of Labor Marty Walsh, who just addressed us saying that you can't have negotiations when two sides don't come to the table. 

We, the Port, and the alliance stand with our regional partners today to urge the swift resolution of negotiations between the two parties. 

And I urge the Council to pass this emergency motion and add that we at the port would be happy to support the development of the feasibility study."