Unions are expected to push back this week against bills that would repeal prevailing wage laws in Michigan.
A state Senate panel is expected to hold hearings on Senate Bills 1, 2, and 3. The legislation would ban laws requiring union-level compensation for workers on publicly-funded construction projects.
“We’ll certainly do anything within our power to make sure that people know that this issue is coming up and that we need to be up here in fighting in Lansing,” said Lonnie Scott, director of the group Progress Michigan.
Scott says repealing prevailing wage laws would mean significant cuts in pay and benefits for thousands of working families.
Groups representing non-union construction workers also plan to testify in favor of the Legislation this week in Lansing.
“Prevailing wage only exists within the small bubble of government construction. It doesn’t exist elsewhere within the broader construction industry,” said Chris Fisher, president of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan (ABC).
“So there won’t be a significant enough impact to change wages,” he said. “Instead, what it will mean is more work opportunities.”
