Black workers plan to stop Mississippi River Bridge project, Belleville News Democtrat

East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks Jr. talks about the group's plan to shut down the construction on the new Mississippi   River Bridge. - Derik Holtmann/BND

EAST ST. LOUIS -- Mayor Alvin Parks and a group of black contractors, residents and local pastors said they plan to shut down work on the new Mississippi River Bridge project Friday because talks between community leaders and the state have broken off. Neither Parks nor others at a news conference Friday would discuss exactly how, or whether, their actions would lead to any traffic disruptions. "Unfortunately, it has come to this," Parks said.

 

They talked at length about why they plan to protest.
Parks and several local pastors, elected officials, community members and members of the Metro-East Black Contractors Organization said they are sick and tired of watching outsiders come into their community to get construction jobs, while they have one after another from the community who are unemployed coming to them.
Bill Mason, president of MEBCO, is disturbed that those individuals who have graduated from the Illinois Department of Transportation Highway Construction Preparatory Training program are not getting the opportunity to work.
"They call me on a daily basis or come to my office about jobs. I encourage them to keep hoping," Mason said.

A number of the graduates, Mason said, were recruited off street corners. He said he doesn't want to see them return to that life. But, he said if a person can't pay his rent or feed his family, there is no telling what he will do.

Parks said Illinois Department of Transportation leaders on Monday walked out of a meeting with a federal mediator present. He said the action came as members of MEBCO and other leaders were trying to make their case for increased minority participation in the project to put another four traffic lanes across the Mississippi River.

Parks said that level of disrespect from IDOT at the meeting has led black leaders to elevate the issue with plans for a shutdown. Parks put out a call for his fellow colleagues in Belleville, Swansea, Collinsville, Maryville and everywhere to join in. Parks described the issue with a quote from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

Parks said letters were sent to many elected officials. He said St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern is standing with East St. Louis and that his office would reach out to Gov. Pat Quinn, who he called a friend of East St. Louis.


IDOT spokesman Josh Kauffman said Friday afternoon, "The Illinois Department of Transportation met with representatives of MEBCO for more than four hours on Monday, Aug. 29, the third meeting with the group in four weeks. IDOT briefed the group on the very strong participation numbers to date on all Mississippi River Bridge projects, where minority workers made up about 35 percent of the total workers on the job as of Aug. 29, and account for 23 percent of the man hours worked on Mississippi River Bridge jobs to date, both significantly higher than the federal participation goals of 14.7 percent on the MRB projects. About 85 percent of the minority workers on MRB projects live in the metro-east area, and those workers have performed about 85 percent of the total work hours by minorities. More than 90 percent of the minority workers on MRB projects are African-American."

Parks said, "I thought we were moving in the right direction with IDOT. We were moving toward making sure more African-Americans and other ethnic minorities were working. Unfortunately, the Aug. 29 meeting netted a backward step. When we were ready to make a presentation, they walked out. The federal mediator was so frustrated with IDOT. The disrespect they showed for the federal government and the community have left leaders no alternative but to shut the MRB project down."

Parks said the group wants to ensure IDOT exceeds the requirements calling for 14.7 percent minority participation. He also said the federal law mandating 14.7 percent minority participation is outdated and should be revisited.

He said when the 14.7 percent law was enacted in 1966, the communities of Alorton, Brooklyn, Venice Washington Park, Centreville and East St. Louis did not have predominately black populations.

"IDOT is proud of its record of minority participation in all aspects of the Mississippi River Bridge projects and intends to continue its efforts to further improve minority participation as much as possible," Kauffman said. "IDOT is committed to working with all community groups on participation opportunities and issues."

Tiamo Dent, a black female graduate of the training program, said, "It's time to take it to the streets and to the citizens of East St. Louis. We're asking the citizens to come out and support this cause. The fight is for the citizens of East St. Louis. You have no right to complain if you don't come out."  Courtesy of BND