Lawsuit Seeks More Minority Hires For River Bridge
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - A group representing minority contractors and workers has sued the Illinois Department of Transportation for $650 million, claiming the state hasn't done enough to hire underrepresented laborers for projects including a new Mississippi River bridge at St. Louis.
The federal lawsuit, filed in East St. Louis by Metro East Black Contractors Organization Inc., looks to halt the additional awarding of contracts until a judge address what the group has decried as racism in doling out work for such regional projects.
``We've done everything we know to do, demonstrating and all of that. And we get these promises but they don't follow through,'' said William Mason, president of the 11-year-old contractors' group.
``Right now, we see workers coming here carpooling long-distance doing work while trained workers in struggling area towns stand on street corners, looking for jobs.
Metro East is striving to bolster employment of workers from East St. Louis and other largely black communities nearby that are plagued by poverty and violent crime. APby JIM SUHR
Latest Stories
- Cook County Assessor’s Office Hosts Inaugural Neighborhood Housing Forum
- Celebrity Chef Carla Hall and The Fresh Market Team Up to Support Alzheimer’s Association During Month of June
- ONYX MEDICAL WELLNESS CELEBRATES GRAND OPENING & RIBBON CUTTING IN CHICAGO’S SOUTH SHORE DURING PRIDE MONTH
- 5th Annual Cook County Juneteenth Illinois Celebration to Be Held June 14th
- “NO MORE CUTS TO KIDS’ FUTURES”
Latest Podcast
STARR Community Services International, Inc.
