April 16, 2013 | PA. AFL-CIO
CLICK HERE TO E-MAIL YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE – http://act.aflcio.org/c/236/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=6176
Today the House Labor and Industry Committee voted two anti-prevailing wage bills out of committee so that they may be considered by the full house. These were just two of a large package of new anti-prevailing wage bills that have been introduced this session, and represent a bold new set of attacks on workers by this misguided anti-worker agenda. We have already seen that this legislature is willing to pass anti-worker legislation, as demonstrated by the recent vote to privatize the state Wine and Spirits stores.
As a unified labor movement, we must draw a line in the sand. We must continue to fight the privatization battle in the state senate and win; we must make our voices clearly heard in the state house on prevailing wage; and we must leave no doubt that right-to-work is a non-starter in Pennsylvania. We must do all of these things as a united labor movement, and prove to those who would take away our rights that they will not succeed in their ‘divide and conquer’ strategy.
CLICK HERE (http://act.aflcio.org/c/236/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=6176) to e-mail your state legislator today, tell them to oppose HB 665, HB 796, and any other anti-prevailing wage legislation that comes before the state house. Share this page with your friends, co-workers, neighbors, and social networks and encourage them to join you in opposing this latest attack on middle class working families.
Here is a look at the current prevailing wage bills that have been voted through committee:
HB 665 would change the definitions of “construction” and “maintenance” projects, so that more public projects would be classified as “maintenance” and therefore be exempt from prevailing wage laws. “Maintenance” projects under this proposed legislation would include full replacement of guide rails, curbs, pipes and other road equipment as well as repaving up to 3 1/2 inches of road surface, including associated milling. This would exempt a huge number of construction crews from prevailing wage protections.
HB 796 would amend the Prevailing Wage Act to raise the threshold from $25,000 to $100,000 for projects that would be subject to prevailing wage laws. This bill is a transparent effort to undermine prevailing wage laws in Pennsylvania, which have protected workers from exploitative labor practices for generations.
These bills represent a misguided attack on workers by contractors who are more concerned with having a low-wage workforce than providing the Commonwealth with quality products and services.
A number of other bills attacking prevailing wage laws have been introduced and referred to the House Labor and Industry Committee, including:
HB 63 (F. Keller) which would increase the threshold for public works projects to $190,000 adjusted annually with increases in CPI;
HB 590 (Baker) which would exempt work performed on projects by or on behalf of a health care facility or any entity subject to Article IX of the Public welfare Code;
HB 662 (Milne) which would exempt work on any historic property or any property maintained by a land trust operating under the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund Act;
HB 664 (Marsico) which would exclude political subdivisions from the Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act and allow a political subdivision to elect to place itself within the jurisdiction of the Act by ordinance or resolution;
HB 666 (Marsico) which would opt school districts out of certain prevailing wage requirements, and provide for opt-in referenda;
HB 999 (Marsico) would exempt any project in a keystone opportunity zone from the Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act;
HB 1095 (Bloom) which would amend the Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act and provide that it have no application from June 30, 2013 through July 1, 2016;
HB 1155 (Miller) would require the Secretary of Labor and Industry to require contractors, trustees, or third parties managing benefit payments under a collective bargaining agreement to maintain and provide records of such benefits to the Secretary;
HB 1191 (Delozier) Which would raise the threshold for projects from $25,000 to $500,000 with an annual adjustment thereafter.
