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Union says new Rhythm City Casino not being built by local workers

Outside the current Rhythm City Casino, two local union workers say they’re being left out of building the new facility near I-80 and I-74. They feel out of tow...

Outside the current Rhythm City Casino, two local union workers say they’re being left out of building the new facility near I-80 and I-74.

They feel out of town options are being used instead to save money.

"They make the money and they go back to wherever it is they live, that doesn't support the community. If the community gives you money, you turn around and help the community," said Shaune Murray, a heavy machine operator for Local 150.

The union claims the road out to the new site costs approximately $12 million but only $2 or $3 million of that went to local workers.

Most of the signs on site advertise for Baxter Construction, which is based out of Des Moines.

Davenport's mayor says he sympathizes with the union.

"They coach our baseball teams, they give to the United Way, and they support all the other charitable organizations. They pay taxes, they buy cars, and they buy homes. And that money really should ideally stay in Davenport," said Davenport Mayor Bill Gluba.

Gluba says he did spoke with casino developer Dan Kehl last year and asked him to try and work with local labor. They denied that request.

For now, work is moving forward on the site with the casino set to open next summer.

Kehl issued a statement about the workers on the site in response.

"We are proud to be a part of the Quad Cities region and we look forward to opening the new Rhythm City Casino on-schedule next year. I know that this facility will be one that our entire community will be proud of. That’s why I’m disappointed and surprised that some are circulating incorrect and confusing messages about this project and we would like to outline the facts.

 
We used a competitive bid process by inviting everyone to bid on the project. The fact is, a majority of our contractors are from the Quad Cities region and a majority of the construction dollars have been awarded to union contractors. Our 21 union contractors were awarded a total of $33,533,000, while our 31 non-union contractors were awarded $27,545,000 in work.
 
The Quad Cities construction market is very robust with the large number of development projects impacting the labor pool. We have a great team building our new facility which includes several large contractors such as McCarthy Improvement, Tri-City Electric, and Estes Construction and others, which are based in Davenport.  
 
For decades we have been building world-class facilities in communities across Iowa. These casino resorts have been successful because they use local talent to create unique facilities that lead to a great experience for our guests. We’re excited to bring our newest destination resort to the Quad Cities and becoming an even stronger partner with the community.”

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