Tappan Zee Bridge Construction Employing Robotic Welders

Wilkinson Technologies, Lafayette, La., is supplying robotic welders to the Tappan Zee bridge project. These 25 robotic welders — which require a four-person crew each — are helping to speed installation of the bridge's giant piles. However, the robotic welders have also sparked a new disagreement among organized laber, nonunion groups and the New York Thruway Authority over the job's project labor agreement, according to an article from Engineering News-Record.

“Non-union employees don’t get a fair shot at working on this project,” said Ben Brubeck, director of government affairs for the Associated Builders and Contractors.

According to the article, a Thruway Authority spokesman said  all labor alternatives, including the machines from Wilkinson, have been necessary because expertise is lacking.

(Read more about the robotic welders on the Tappan Zee bridge project...)