Delaware Republicans have one demand in exchange for their votes on a budget bill that will increase taxes. They want to make working families poorer by ending prevailing wage. This bill is a piece in that effort. HB244 would create a 3-year exemption for DelDOT road construction from prevailing wage requirements.
UPDATED: 6/22/17
SPONSORS: Dukes, Lavelle, Pettyjohn, Simpson, Hudson, D.Short
YES VOTES – HOUSE:
YES VOTES – SENATE:
NO VOTES – HOUSE:
NO VOTES – SENATE:
HISTORY: Placed in House Administration Committee on 6/20/17
STATUS: Waiting on consideration in committee.
Surprised they didn’t team it up with the hated “Right To Work” game. Reminder 209B that as bad, pathetic and corrupt as the Dems are the Republicans lead the charge when it comes to serving the chamber of commerce and screwing the average Delawarean.
This bill should be called — Letting Owners Steal Wages from Workers Bill. All this does is let owners bid on projects using any wage number they want and then pay their workers well less than that. So that the difference is what gets pocketed by the owner. Delaware’s economy is not going to recover if you insist on paying its workers less.
Old topic, (I don’t come here often) but you really, really, REALLY, don’t ‘get’ the laws of supply and demand do you? Nor do you ‘get’ the economics that if you eliminate prevailing wage from state work, the majority of taxpayers will get MORE for their tax dollars so you won’t have to raise taxes to accomplish the same work. Right now, only the STATE has to have projects bid with prevailing wages.
If a worker doesn’t like the conditions of their work/ employer, they are free to seek other employment elsewhere. If there is no one willing to work for the non-prevailing wage rates then they (owners) will have to raise their pay-scales until they find employees willing to work for the rates. If they don’t, guess what, the business goes OUT OF BUSINESS.
Artificially raising labor rates (to protect unions) has the same effect as the whole minimum wage debate.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/06/26/new-study-casts-doubt-on-whether-a-15-minimum-wage-really-helps-workers/?utm_term=.7059e35238c9
It depresses business. That’s why the only employer really using them is the state.
You are making services more costly for less return on the expenditure. Prevailing wages double or triples the price of projects. That is a burden thrown on the backs of taxpayers. Reduce the price of projects by half of schools or road work and taxpayers would immediately be in a better position. Majority of those working in union shops are not poor. A, run of the mill, electrician is making 137K in a union shop?? That is not an average electrician’s salary unless he/ she’s the owner of the electrical firm. An elevator constructor in New Castle makes 3 times what a Sussex constructor does????? Prevailing wage is bad law. It is graft to the unions. Support of prevailing wage is nothing more than political vote buying.
Oh look. The talking points found us. No facts, mind you, but the usual talking points. YAWN