Prevailing wage debate goes on in Harrisburg
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HARRISBURG -- A 50-year-old state law requires that "prevailing wages," sometimes called union wages, be paid to workers on all public construction projects, such as schools and office buildings.
Republicans, nonunion contractors and many school officials don't like the law, claiming the wages are too high, driving up project costs and the burden on taxpayers.
"The impact of prevailing wage on taxpayer wallets is significant," Rep. Ron Miller, R-York, said at a House hearing last week. "It has far-reaching consequences on state infrastructure." He said he's heard numerous complaints from school boards in his district about rising school construction costs and now wants to modify the wage law.
Alex Halper of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry complained that construction wages are often "grossly inflated, burdening local governments and taxpayers with higher costs while providing no real public benefit." Some construction projects have been "scuttled or delayed" or had "costs increased by as much as 30 percent."
But a top union official, Frank Sirianni of the state Building and Construction Trades Council, called such claims "a fallacy" and insisted, "Cutting wages doesn't save the state money."
Unions and many Democrats contend the wage law ensures that skilled, experienced workers -- electricians, plumbers, carpenters, roofers and others -- do the work, so public buildings are finished safely and on time, without cost overruns.
"You get what you pay for," Mr. Sirianni said. "With lower wages you will have less-trained workers and more illegal immigrants on projects."
Abraham Amoros of the Laborers International Union added, "Good-paying, family-sustaining wages stimulate the economy and allow workers to spend more in their local communities" while increasing sales tax and property tax revenues. He said many of his union members are laying pipe for Marcellus Shale gas lines in Pennsylvania, which requires trained workers.
First Published August 14, 2011 12:00 am
