LANSING, MI (AP)-- Gov. Rick Snyder is calling for a resolution after road builders' lockout of union workers has slowed or halted work on more than 150 projects statewide.
Snyder said Thursday the Michigan Department of Transportation and other agencies have limited legal authority because the dispute is between contractors and their employees. But he's asking for state Attorney General Bill Schuette's guidance on whether the situation is legally a labor dispute, which might allow MDOT to consider steps such as issuing penalties for late completion of roadwork.
A contract between the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association and the Operating Engineers 324 union expired June 1. Work continued until the lockout came Sept. 4.
Affected UP projects include construction at the Escanaba River Bridge on us-2.
Snyder says it's a "terrible situation" and drivers need both sides to "sit down and resolve their differences soon."
