The tug of war between a heavy equipment operator union and road construction group affecting more than 1,000 equipment operators and an unknown number of projects appears to be at a stalemate.

The Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association's "defensive lockout" to pressure the Operating Engineers Local 324 into contract negotiations has yielded no results.

"We haven't heard from any contractors and the work is still at a standstill," union spokesman Dan McKernan said Monday. "We're ready to go back to work at anytime. It's contingent on the employers."

An MITA spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

The union said it plans to return its cohort to the road construction sites on its own terms, which do not include signing a new contract with the trade association. MITA represents more than 40 contractors employing Local 324 members.

Members, who maintained their working relationship with contractors after a contract expired June 1, were told not to return to their construction sites starting last Tuesday. Local 324 has confirmed more than 1,000 equipment operators have been affected.

Officials have not said how many construction projects have been stalled by the lockout, but some have temporary staff filling in for those locked out. Ajax Paving Industries in Troy, CA Hull Co. in Commerce Township and Dan's Excavating Inc. in Shelby Charter Township are among the contractors with jobs in Southeast Michigan that are under the MITA umbrella. Companies have deferred comment to the trade group.

McKernan said the union is looking to avoid MITA and sign contracts with contractors directly. He claimed "dozens" of contractors across the state have signed on to Local 324's statewide agreement, but said he could not disclose the names or number of companies under MITA that have signed on to the union's agreement to subvert retaliation from the association.

Because it is not a labor strike, intervention by the union is limited, but members have received guidance on applying for unemployment benefits in the meantime, McKernan said.

"Legally, we're very limited in what we can do. The best thing we can do is work hard to find them a new job an place them with contractors who can use them," he said.

Some of the major road projects implicated in the work stoppage include I-75, I-96 and I-696.

Labor laws allow contractors to temporarily hire nonunion subcontractors and out-of-state heavy equipment workers to avoid complete shutdowns of construction projects.

The Michigan Department of Transportation, which is not involved in the dispute, is holding contractors accountable to maintain work zone safety during the work stoppage. Per its contracts with road builders, the agency must allow for project extensions that could bring upon additional costs to the contractors.

"Officials at MDOT take delays very seriously, working very hard to alleviate congestion and the inconvenience to drivers," MDOT said in a statement provided by spokesman Jeff Cranson. "So, of course, we hope the two sides reach agreement soon."

Editor's note: This version of the story was corrected to say Dan McKernan said going back to work is "contingent on the employers" and updates the number of contractors that have signed on to a new agreement with the union.