Brothers and Sisters,
As Thanksgiving approaches, we should take a moment to thank the Local 150 retirees and longtime members whose work, sacrifice, and solidarity helped build what we have today. The wages and benefits our families count on, the standards that protect our work, and the opportunities now before us were earned and defended over generations.
Long before the first piece of equipment moves dirt on any project, Local 150 is already pushing hard to keep work coming for our members. We build relationships, secure funding, and prepare for what is ahead. That work has put Local 150 in one of the strongest positions in our history, with record man-hours, our largest number of apprentices, members staying on the job, and retirees returning to work. It is an incredible time to be an operating engineer.
Getting here has meant delivering skilled work today while preparing for tomorrow—building relationships, defending reliable funding, and ensuring future projects create good union jobs. To understand how those efforts brought us here, we have to look back to when work was scarce and the future far less certain only just over a decade ago.
Much of the groundwork for where we are today was laid during the Great Recession, when construction stopped and unemployment soared. In 2009, Local 150 with Governor Pat Quinn launched Illinois Jobs Now. It brought badly needed investment to communities, put people back to work, and showed what public investment could do.
That program was a lifeline. It funded roads, bridges, schools, and other public infrastructure while families and local economies were struggling. It tackled overdue repairs and helped get Illinois moving again.
Local 150 members know infrastructure investment is never just a number in a budget. It means projects underway, a paycheck for a working family, a safer trip for the public, and a stronger foundation for future growth. Many younger members and apprentices may not remember how fast steady work disappeared during the Great Recession. Retirees and members who may have had 20 or 30 years in the union saw their livelihoods upended. Some lost health care coverage for their families through no fault of their own. Wall Street’s reckless conduct triggered the crisis, the federal government stepped in to stabilize the banks, and working families paid the price. We cannot forget that lesson. Creating work is not enough. We must preserve the funding that keeps projects moving and safeguard the retirement and health care funds on which our members and families depend.
None of this happens without elected officials who understand what strong infrastructure and good union jobs mean for working families. When they stand with us, we stand with them. That is why voting for candidates who support labor is critical to protecting the work we have today and creating opportunities for the future. I know on Election Day our members will do what Local 150 has always done: turn out the vote for labor.
We put that lesson into action. In 2016, Local 150 led the charge and fought hard to pass the Safe Roads Amendment and stopped the raid on transportation dollars. Nearly 79 percent of Illinois voters supported it. The amendment added Section 11 to Article IX of the state Constitution and guaranteed that transportation dollars would stay in transportation. That victory secured work for the next project and the years ahead. It also helped keep the roads, bridges, and other infrastructure our communities use every day from falling into disrepair.
Rebuild Illinois took that progress to the next level. Passed in 2019, the original six-year plan committed nearly $45 billion statewide, including $33.2 billion for transportation, and supported 540,000 jobs—about 90,000 a year. It created a steady pipeline of work that continues today, with projects under construction or scheduled into 2027 and 2028. Now, Governor JB Pritzker and IDOT are building on that foundation with a new $50.6 billion program for fiscal years 2026 through 2031, including $400 million for 223 local projects. That same long-term approach is also driving major investments in energy and transit.
The progress reaches well beyond roads and bridges. Illinois passed three major energy laws— the Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA), passed in 2016, the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), passed in 2021, and the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA), signed into law in January 2026—and invested in grid modernization and pipeline replacement. That work is upgrading critical systems, preparing the state for changing energy needs, and creating opportunities for skilled union workers. Local 150 will also continue fighting efforts to ban natural gas. Local 150 has long supported oil and gas pipelines, nuclear power plants, wind and solar farms, geothermal fields, and now battery plant construction. We believe an allof- the-above energy strategy is the prudent, fiscally responsible, sustainable, and reliable approach for working families, businesses, and communities.
Illinois also moved forward with a $1.5 billion transit funding package to build a more reliable, modern system. Add in the investments in roads, bridges, energy, and utilities, and it is clear how much ground we have gained over the past decade. Each step supports the same goal: dependable infrastructure and good union work.
The Illinois Tollway is another example. Move Illinois, the 15-year, $15 billion program launched in 2012, rebuilt and modernized the system while keeping a steady pipeline of projects moving. Through early 2026, roughly $14 billion in investments had supported nearly 150,000 jobs, generated an estimated $28 billion in economic activity, and kept every Tollway mile in good condition.
Driving Connections builds on that record. Approved by the Tollway Board in August 2026, the $26.5 billion program will guide investment from 2027 through 2042 and improve nearly 300 miles across all five tollways and the 12-county region. Local 150 members helped make the case for the plan, and the union supported the toll adjustments needed to fund it. Backed mainly by toll revenue and revenue bonds, the program will create thousands of jobs and years of opportunity for apprentices and journey-level members. Fitch’s upgrade of the Tollway’s senior revenue bonds confirms that the agency is in a stronger position to make those long-term investments.
Altogether, Illinois has secured about $100 billion in infrastructure investment—a record few states can match. Just as important, we have done it while building one of the most labor-friendly environments in the country. We are proving that strong infrastructure, responsible investment, and good union jobs belong together—and we are applying that same approach across our entire jurisdiction.
In Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa, Local 150 handles the work in front of us while preparing for what comes next. We build relationships, track funding decisions, focus on market share, push for long-term investment, and demand strong labor standards. Every project is different, but the goal stays the same: sustain today’s work while creating tomorrow’s opportunities.
We can see that approach paying off in Indiana. INDOT lettings as of October 2026 in Local 150’s jurisdiction totaled $198 million, with signatory contractors awarded $189 million across 54 road and bridge projects. On Mammoth Solar in Starke and Pulaski counties, Local 150 challenged the exclusion of local union workers during the first phase and helped make later phases union work. Those results came from staying alert, getting involved early, and fighting to make sure local union workers shared in the opportunity.
We have taken the same approach on major data center developments. At the Amazon project in New Carlisle, Local 150’s advocacy secured crane, oiler, and forklift work expected to support nearly 200 operating engineers. At Project Maize in Michigan City, where more than $70 million in state and local incentives supported the development, Local 150 pushed to make sure Northwest Indiana workers shared in the opportunity and reached an agreement that allowed Local 150-affiliated contractors to supplement the workforce during Phase II. In each case, the message was simple that when a project receives major investment, it should create good jobs for the people who live and work in the community.
We are seeing progress in Iowa, too. Iowa DOT lettings in Local 150’s jurisdiction reached $88.9 million as of October 2026 and signatory contractors were awarded $18 million across five projects. Local 150 also is working with transportation leaders and elected officials to preserve the federal funding Iowa needs for future road, bridge, and transit projects. That is what planning ahead looks like: defending future funding while creating opportunities for District 8 members today—and building on the standards established by the generations before them.
As we look ahead to the next generation of jobs across our jurisdiction, we also need to recognize the members whose skill, sacrifice, and commitment helped create these opportunities. At the end of October, Local 150 welcomed members and their families to a reception honoring 45 and 50 years of service. That milestone represents decades of hard work, dedication to the trade, and loyalty to our union.
These members entered the trade during major construction across our jurisdiction: Indiana was breaking ground on the Cline Avenue (State Road 912) extension and relocation project, Illinois was reconstructing the Edens Expressway, and crews in Iowa were expanding the northbound span of the old Interstate 74 bridge connecting Moline and Bettendorf. Over the decades, our 45- and 50-year members built and modernized the infrastructure our communities rely on and passed their knowledge to those who followed. The wages, benefits, and standards we have today exist because they fought for them. Every new opportunity across Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa builds on their legacy.
The work ahead will demand the same commitment our longtime members brought to the job and the union. Local 150 will keep fighting for our members—securing reliable funding, making the case for long-term investment, and holding decision-makers accountable for creating quality union jobs. Our members will meet that opportunity with the training, discipline, and precision that define operating engineers.
The past decade proves what long-range planning, strong relationships, reliable funding, and skilled members can accomplish. This Thanksgiving season, we thank the retirees and longtime members who built our union and the next generation ready to carry it forward. We will honor their legacy by defending every job, protecting every standard, and building a stronger future for Local 150.
United We Stand. Divided We Fall.