When Considering Prevailing Wage Laws, Some Believe That Union Pay Is Off the Scale
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The Viewpoints article by John C. Richardson of the carpenters union, “Prevailing Wage Laws a Boon, Not a Threat” (March 10), was misleading on several points. The laws in California establish a wage based on union scale for each craft employed on a public works project.
This wage rate is generally higher than average wages paid to non-union construction workers. It is not that prevailing wage laws ensure quality construction; quality is assured by written specifications and public works inspectors. Non-union contractors are capable of results comparable to the work of union labor.
The prevailing wage laws do not protect the taxpayer against uninsured workers. All contractors are required to maintain adequate worker’s compensation insurance coverage for job-related injuries.
As for general health-care coverage, it is true that many small businesses cannot afford to provide full health coverage for their employees. This very real problem will not be solved by prevailing wage laws. The portion of the prevailing wage earmarked for health benefits is insignificant for a worker who only occasionally works on public projects.
The effect of California’s prevailing wage laws is to protect the construction unions from competition by non-union contractors.
Workers have the right to organize, but as a taxpayer, I should not have to pay to support labor unions.
REN FLUGEL
La Crescenta
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