Prevailing-Wage Rules Complicate Stimulus Weatherization Work
As Recovery Act spending ramps up and stimulus money starts to hit the streets, trade contractors eyeing the billions of dollars allocated for low-income home weatherization and state-backed building energy-efficiency loan programs have been running into an unfamiliar roadblock: the Davis-Bacon Act of 1931, passed decades ago during the Great Depression. Davis-Bacon requires contractors on federal projects to pay local “prevailing wage” rates for all trade work on site. Under the Recovery Act, contractors on any stimulus-funded job are subject to the same requirement...
Not only that, if a nonunion entity wants to compete, they have to pay temporary union dues into the local union coffers in order to work on the project during it's duration and ensure compliance with prevailing wage laws. In essence, the stimulus projects are gurenteed make work for the AFL-CIO.
"the administration is requiring (pdf) contractors who want to bid on large federal construction projects to be subject to project labor agreements (PLAs), which impose burdensome requirements on non-union contractors. PLAs typically require non-union employers -- even those who provide their own benefits -- to pay into union benefit plans. This can entail paying into underfunded union pension funds, which can impose huge liabilities on companies. PLAs may also require contractors to employ workers from union hiring halls, acquire apprentices from union apprentice programs, and require employees to pay union dues. "
Sep 11, 09 3:41 pm ·
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This game is rigged....
Prevailing-Wage Rules Complicate Stimulus Weatherization Work
As Recovery Act spending ramps up and stimulus money starts to hit the streets, trade contractors eyeing the billions of dollars allocated for low-income home weatherization and state-backed building energy-efficiency loan programs have been running into an unfamiliar roadblock: the Davis-Bacon Act of 1931, passed decades ago during the Great Depression. Davis-Bacon requires contractors on federal projects to pay local “prevailing wage” rates for all trade work on site. Under the Recovery Act, contractors on any stimulus-funded job are subject to the same requirement...
http://www.jlconline.com/cgi-bin/jlconline.storefront/EN/UserTemplate/69?c=0a5734153dfef2353ce8f63d85f6eae6#Wage
In our area the prevailing wage for Carpenters is ..
Rates Fringes
CARPENTER........................$ 40.77 20.13
----------------------------------------------------------------
CARP0555-006 06/01/2009
So you must make sure the employee was paid $61.00. Who pays the owner the extra money it takes to keep track?
Not only that, if a nonunion entity wants to compete, they have to pay temporary union dues into the local union coffers in order to work on the project during it's duration and ensure compliance with prevailing wage laws. In essence, the stimulus projects are gurenteed make work for the AFL-CIO.
"the administration is requiring (pdf) contractors who want to bid on large federal construction projects to be subject to project labor agreements (PLAs), which impose burdensome requirements on non-union contractors. PLAs typically require non-union employers -- even those who provide their own benefits -- to pay into union benefit plans. This can entail paying into underfunded union pension funds, which can impose huge liabilities on companies. PLAs may also require contractors to employ workers from union hiring halls, acquire apprentices from union apprentice programs, and require employees to pay union dues. "
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