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Published Monday, June 2, 2008 | 6:38 p.m.
Updated Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008 | 10:15 a.m.
Construction workers will walk off the job at CityCenter at midnight tonight if the general contractor, Perini Building Company, does not follow through on steps to improve safety, union leaders said today.
Flanked by nearly 30 local union leaders, Steve Ross, executive secretary-treasurer of the Southern Nevada Building Trades Council, announced at a press conference this afternoon that in a meeting this morning union leaders had unanimously voted to demand that Perini agree to pay for additional safety training for workers, allow national union researchers to examine root causes of safety problems on the site, and allow union leaders full access to the work site.
The deaths of six construction workers at CityCenter is "unacceptable," Ross said.
The public pronouncement was prompted in part by the death of Dustin Tarter, a 39-year-old operating engineer who became the latest casualty when he was crushed to death Saturday by the counterweight of a crane at the $9.2 billion MGM Mirage project.
Ross said workers were prepared to "take action" if the site's general contractor, Perini, did not adhere to a list of demands by tonight. Ross declined to state firmly that workers were prepared to walk off the job, but after the press conference Building Trades consultant Steve Redlinger told the Sun that if no agreement is reached by midnight to examine safety problems at CityCenter, workers would refuse to work.
Eleven workers have died in construction accidents on the Las Vegas Strip in the last 18 months - more than were reported during the entire 1990s Las Vegas building boom. Nine of those workers died at projects overseen by general contracting giant Perini, including the six at CityCenter.
"It's time to stop talking about worker safety, and time to start putting into place policies that are going to improve worker safety on this job site," said Ross.
After the press conference, Ross followed the local labor leaders into a meeting room where the group planned to negotiate into the evening with Perini.
Perini has, according to Ross and Redlinger, already agreed informally in previous conversations to the Council's demands. The Council is waiting for the contractor to officially sign papers to put the plan into action.
"There was a tacit agreement that these things would be no problem, but the problem is in the follow-up," Redlinger said.
Perini representatives could not be reached today for comment.
Eleven construction workers have died in the last 16 months at Strip construction sites including Six at the City Center
HOW MANY MORE
LAS VEGAS CONSTRUCTION WORKERS
MUST DIE
BEFORE OSHA WILL TAKE ACTION?
It's Time To Bring Awareness
to The Safety Issues at
MGM Dubai World
City Center Project
and all other Las Vegas Construction Sites!
In Solidarity the SPFPA has Now Joined
The Fight to Bring Awareness to The Safety Issues Facing Unionized Construction Workers at Various Las Vegas Construction Sites.
http://www.spfpalocal7777.org/SAFETYFIRS...
THE WAY TO STOP THE ACCIDENTS IS TO FINE THE CONTRACTOR, AND EDUCATE THE MEN, AND MEAN IT. THEY ARE ASKED TO DO THING TO FAST. HOW CAN YOU OIL A CRANE THAT IS STILL MOVING?? CRAZY
CONSTRUCTION FATALITIES PREVENTABLE YES' I BELIEVE SO.. AS A CONSTRUCTION SAFETY PROFESSIONAL WITH OVER 18-YEARS, CONTRACTORS SPEND A LARGE SUM OF MONEY TO EDUCATE EMPLOYEES REGARDING JOB-SITE HAZARDS. SAFETY IS A STATE IF MIND' EMPLOYEES NEED TO MAKE A CHOICE TO WEAR PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT' AND ADHERE TO THE RULE.
Word..........
I worked on the City Center job. One problem I saw, was the way they took down scaffold systems.
We would take off the braces, lower the jacks and let everything just collapse on itself. Very bad practice. Speed was always an issue.
Too many new hands were being asked to do things they were not trained to do.
I firmly believe that construction companies can make money and have a safe work place.
Don't blame the worker, he just tries to please management and keep his job.
These deaths were preventable.
Push a worker to hard and they'll make a mistake.