Michigan: Prevailing Wage Proposal Faces Hurdles
According to the Lansing State Journal:
A proposed prevailing wage ordinance that would require contractors to pay union wages generated a storm of controversy when it was suggested to the Lansing City Council earlier this month.
But it will have to clear two hurdles before it can become law.
First, it remains doubtful if the ordinance, which essentially would require contractors to pay union wages for projects receiving city aid, has the legal muster to stand as proposed.
A similar ordinance was recently struck down by a court in Wayne County.
Second, supporters will have to demonstrate the ordinance will help, not hinder, the local economy.
"It becomes a divisive issue," said Brindley Byrd, executive director of the Capital Area Construction Council, a trade group representing businesses in the construction industry.
Byrd walks a fine line between his organization's union and nonunion members, so he feels the heat generated by prevailing wage controversies. Some of mid-Michigan's unionized construction workers support a prevailing wage ordinance for Lansing because they want contractors to offer wages that they consider decent.
The notion of a prevailing wage is nothing new. The city already has a prevailing wage ordinance, passed in 1992, but that rule only applies to construction work done for the city...click to continue.
