Cairo port authority reaches agreement with organized labor

The inland port project near the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers at Cairo, Illinois, took a significant step recently with the completion of a project labor agreement (PLA) between the Alexander-Cairo Port District and the Illinois AFL-CIO.

The agreement, finalized in late April, ensures more than 500 jobs created by construction of the port will be filled by local Illinois union workers.

Once fully operational, the 150-acre Alexander-Cairo Port will represent a public and private investment of between $125 million and $150 million and will be one of the largest investments in Southern Illinois in decades.

"The Cairo port district represents the best of Rebuild Illinois, investing in not only infrastructure, but also jobs and economic prosperity for a region left out for far too long," Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said. In August, Pritzker announced the state would provide $40 million toward port construction.

Approximately 80% of the nation's inland barge traffic travels past Cairo, which is served by three interstate highways and major rail lines, allowing the port to have a significant impact on the U.S. shipping and logistics industry as well as the region's economy.

"This port has the potential to transform the region and the men and women of Illinois organized labor have the talent to build it," said Tim Drea, president of the Illinois AFL-CIO.

"With the inclusion of this PLA, we know that these well-paying construction jobs will go to Illinoisans, boosting our local economy and investing in the region," added state Sen. Dale Fowler of Harrisburg.

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