The contractor employed to finish Maryland’s Purple Line building has reached an settlement with a serious labor union, ending months of negotiations over assured wages and advantages, venture officers stated.
Maryland
Labor agreement reached on Maryland’s Purple Line construction
Main work on the 16-mile rail line resumed this month. With the brand new labor settlement in place, extra will resume after Labor Day and “ought to actually begin to take off” in October, stated Steve Lanning, Native 11 enterprise supervisor for Laborers’ Worldwide Union of North America (LIUNA).
Greater than 50 building staff protested the venture in Might, saying the brand new contractor had backed off a dedication to offer agreed-upon wages and advantages.
Mission officers stated the deal, often called a “venture labor settlement,” will guarantee a gentle provide of staff throughout a nationwide labor scarcity and maintain building on schedule.
The wages and advantages are “honest and aggressive,” stated John Undeland, spokesman for Purple Line Transit Companions, the personal consortium managing the venture.
“It ensures there will probably be a ample provide of laborers to get the work completed,” he stated.
The settlement was signed Aug. 16 between LIUNA’s Native 11 and the consortium’s new contractor, a three way partnership led by the U.S. subsidiaries of Spanish corporations Dragados and OHL. The state is just not a celebration to it.
Undeland stated the contractor is working to achieve related agreements with unions for carpenters, machine operators and steelworkers.
Lanning stated the settlement units an hourly wage of $27.81 for less-skilled laborers and $28.50 to $31.87 for pipe layers and tunnel staff. As well as, they are going to obtain medical insurance, pension plan contributions and annual wage will increase, he stated.
In alternate, the union has promised it should comply with a grievance course of, reasonably than go on strike, if labor disputes come up.
Lanning stated the settlement’s “very engaging” wages and advantages will entice the most effective staff and “ensure it’s completed on time and on price range.”
Mission labor agreements have been controversial. Supporters say they shield staff and forestall delays. Critics say they exacerbate labor shortages, improve building prices and harm nonunion firms and staff.
David Abrams, the state’s Purple Line venture spokesman, stated “main building work” is underway alongside the complete alignment. It features a new rail bridge over Rock Creek Park, an elevator shaft in downtown Bethesda and a storm water drainage system on the New Carrollton Metro station.
The Purple Line is being managed as one of many first public-private partnerships for a U.S. transit venture and, when accomplished, will present the primary direct suburb-to-suburb rail service within the Washington area.
After losing to both Washington and Oregon on the road, Maryland picked up a signature win against UCLA on Friday evening. The Terps handed the Bruins a 79-61 loss to move Maryland to 12-4 on the year. The Terrapins moved to 2-3 in Big Ten Conference play and Maryland now has three winnable games in a row against Minnesota, Northwestern, and Nebraska before facing a tough Illinois team.
The Terps aren’t quite ranked in the top 25 yet but Maryland did rise in advanced analytics. According to KenPom, the Terps are ranked at No. 23 in the country after Saturday’s games were played. The Terrapins have a +22.46 NET rating and are ranked 21st (defensive rating) and 22nd (offensive rating) by KenPom.
Then over on ESPN, the Basketball Power Index has Maryland ranked 21st in the nation. The Terrapins have a 15.6 BPI rating and Maryland rose three spots after their win over the Bruins. ESPN now has Maryland projected to finish the season going 21.4-9.6 on the year and they give the Terps a 12.5% chance of winning the Big Ten Conference.
Maryland will have to continue to ride the hot hands of center Derik Queen, guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie, and forward Julian Reese who are all averaging 13 or more points on the season.
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BALTIMORE – The Biden-Harris Administration announced an $18.6 million grant to Maryland on Friday to expand zero-emission EV charging and fueling infrastructure.
The grant is part of President Biden’s effort to build 500,000 publicly available EV chargers by 2030, a goal that may be on track to be achieved earlier than expected.
“The Biden Administration has made historic investments to support the EV transition and make sure it’s made in America,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
“These investments will help states and communities build out a network of EV chargers in the coming years so that one day, finding a charge on a road trip will be as easy as filling up at a gas station.”
As of Friday, there were more than 206,000 publicly available EV charging ports, with 38,000 new public chargers initiated in 2024.
“Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts, we now have over 200,000 publicly available chargers nationwide and hundreds of new manufacturing facilities across 40 states, creating jobs and economic growth. Today’s awards bring us one step closer to a cleaner transportation future.”
The new fueling stations will be built on the I-81 and I-78 corridors across Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and West Virginia.
“This funding showcases the harmony in government efforts to maximize federal investments and will build on the Department of Energy’s work to develop the 21st-century energy workforce and prepare the grid to power zero-emission fueling infrastructure nationwide,” said Jeff Marootian, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “The new charging and refueling locations will deliver more accessible and equitable transportation options, create good-paying new jobs, and open up opportunities for innovation in communities across America.”
To learn more about President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and investments in electric vehicles, click here.
The New York Jets made one of the more surprising moves when they announced they had completed an interview with Maryland head coach Mike Locksley. The offensive-minded coach just ended the 2024 season going 4-8 and Locksley has a 33-41 record while coaching the Terps.
The Jets aren’t leaving any stone unturned when it comes to finding their next head coach. But The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman and Zach Rosenblatt can’t come to terms as to why New York would interview Locksley. With far more college coaches who have had more success than Locksley, why the under-.500 coach?
“Yet, this one feels like a head-scratcher — if the Jets were going to interview a college candidate, my reporting had indicated there might be some mutual interest in Iowa State coach Matt Campbell, who rejected an interview request from the Jets in 2019 before they hired Adam Gase. That has yet to happen, though it’s still possible it could — especially since Campbell is already expected to interview for the Bears opening.
“It feels like a long shot that the Jets would seriously consider Locksley to be their next coach, considering he has no NFL coaching experience and Maryland has been inconsistent under his watch. But perhaps there’s an outside chance he’d be interested in joining the Jets as an offensive coordinator when they eventually hire a head coach.”
We have completed an interview with Mike Locksley for our Head Coach position.
— New York Jets (@nyjets) January 10, 2025
It’s quite unlikely that the Jets hire Locksley away from Mayland. But if anything, it shows that teams are impressed with how the former Alabama offensive coordinator has run his program at Maryland. Playing in the Big Ten with powerhouses like Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, and now Oregon, is no easy feat for a program like Maryland that can’t quite recruit at the same level.
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