Reports circulated this week in some media the Raiders new stadium in Las Vegas was lacking the required number of ironworkers needed for the project to remain on time. Not so says the man who provides much of the labor building the team’s new home.
In today’s social media driven world, rumors often take on a life of their own. Even when those rumors are substantiated by any facts and are extrapolated from static reports.
This week, The Nevada Current and other publications jumped on a recent project report from Grand Canyon Development Partners (GCDP) which stated the pool of available ironworkers was “almost exhausted.” With the Raiders accelerated work on the stadium’s massive steel structure moving at a lightning pace, the note in the report, as part of the monthly Stadium Authority Board meeting held Wednesday in Las Vegas, caused a stir amongst some. Could the break-neck pace of the Raiders new home in Las Vegas be in jeopardy due to a lack of available labor?
“There is no shortage of ironworkers and there will be no slowdown in progress,” said Tommy White, Secretary-Treasurer and Business Manager of the Laborers Local 872 to Silver and Black Today. “It’s not based in any fact and reports like this show people don’t understand the nature of the ironworkers and how they work.”
White also refuted the report on the record during the November 14th Stadium Authority Board meeting.
White pointed out that ironworkers are migratory and travel all over the region to get work. Although there are major projects underway all over the Las Vegas valley, most of the ironworkers currently on sites here come from other locales.
“There have been reports of people (ironworkers) living in motorhomes and trailers and that’s not anything unusual,” White said. “They have to travel to find work which means they don’t necessarily call Las Vegas home. The way it’s being portrayed isn’t accurate.”
White said they are not having any labor shortages at the site and the progress of the erection of the steel at the stadium speaks for itself.
“All you have to do is drive by and see how fast it’s going up and that we’re on schedule to deliver the stadium on time,” he said.
Tony Cosentino of GCDP, the firm hired to monitor the construction progress of the stadium, owns the quote in the report. When the Current asked him if the reported shortage would impact the delivery date, Cosentino said it would have “no negative impacts.” Consentino declined to comment any more on the substance of his report thereby failing to substantiate the claim.
Other rumors of the stadium sinking and other wild claims have also been refuted by White.
“It’s hard to say where this stuff is coming from but we’re on schedule and there are no major issues,” White said.
Editorial Note: The Laborers Local 872 is a sponsor of the Silver and Black Today website and radio show on CBS Sports Radio 1140-am.