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Group seeking repeal of prevailing wage law submits signatures

Elvert Barnes
/
Flickr http://michrad.io/1LXrdJM

A group called Protecting Michigan Taxpayers wants to repeal Michigan's 50-year-old prevailing wage law.

It recently turned in to the Secretary of State about 391,000 signatures collected in a petition drive to repeal Michigan's law which requires workers on state-financed construction projects to be paid prevailing union-scale wages. 

If at least 252,523 signatures are certified valid, the petition to repeal the law will go to the state Legislature. 

If lawmakers vote in favor, Gov. Rick Snyder cannot veto. If they reject it or do not vote on it, the proposed repeal will go to the voters in November 2016.

"We quite frankly are confident that if it goes to the ballot, we will carry the day," said David Waymire, spokesman for the group Michigan Prevails, which wants to keep the prevailing wage law.

According to Waymire, surveys show that the people of Michigan are strongly opposed to the ballot proposal to repeal.

The pros and cons of the proposed repeal were discussed previously on Stateside.