New Jersey is poised to enact meaningful economic development legislation that could bring about a surge in the growth of middle-class jobs, strengthening communities throughout the state. The Senate Budget Committee and sponsors of the Assembly’s bill must be congratulated for adding to the Economic Opportunity Act crucial provisions that create family-sustaining jobs, which both the Senate and Assembly have overwhelmingly approved. The prevailing wage provisions mean that jobs created or saved will provide dignity and economic security – real economic opportunity for New Jersey’s working families.
This is a historic moment for public works in the city of San Diego. After decades of neglect, the city is intending to rebuild our streets, sidewalks, storm-drains, libraries and parks, and replace an aging water-wastewater system. In the coming fiscal year, the city is proposing over $330 million in capital improvement projects.
The city will be requiring the application of state prevailing wages to all public works contracts. This is intended to multiply the benefits of the taxpayer investment within the local community. After five decades of virtually exempting itself from prevailing wages, this reversal is the hallmark of new leadership in City Hall that wants to create good jobs, and generate long-term value in the spending of our construction dollars.
It has become accepted among several elected and politically appointed officials to spout how much better we would be without unions to hold us back. Recently, in Pennsylvania, there was a movement attempting to pass a resolution that would allow school districts and municipalities to exempt themselves from the Prevailing Wage Act of Aug. 15, 1961. The original Act was instituted to protect local wages and standards that were negotiated for the benefit of the territory that they covered. This Act standardized wages and benefits on public work projects, so out-of-state contractors could not, unfairly, underbid local contractors that support local worker
The Senate passed a bill Tuesday that will require contractors who do business with the Oregon University System to follow prevailing wage laws. House Bill 2646 received a 27-2 vote and will head to the House for approval. Oregon is one of 32 states to have a state-level prevailing wage, which is required on all state and local building projects. House Bill 2646 adds universities projects to the list.
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Rose Gill Hearn, the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”), Robert Panella, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations (“DOL-OIG”), and Vanessa Jones-Allen, the Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Area Office of Criminal Enforcement for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced the filing of a four-count criminal Complaint charging JOVER NARANJO, the owner and president of Enviro & Demo Masters, Inc. (“Enviro”), and his father, LUPERIO NARANJO, SR., a foreman for Enviro, for allegedly perpetrating a scheme to underpay employees in violation of the federal prevailing wage law.
DOL-OIG Special Agent-in-Charge Robert Panella said: “Today’s charges are the result of our commitment to investigate those who would allegedly falsify payroll records to avoid paying their workers the required prevailing wage. The Office of Inspector General will continue to work closely with its law enforcement partners to this end.”
Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, who is pushing for $1.2 billion a year in new funding for Michigan’s crumbling roads, will need Democratic support if he hopes to win legislative approval for his budget proposal or others.
“The plans that have been out there will require some bipartisanship,” Sen. Roger Kahn, R-Saginaw Township, said Wednesday. “There are not enough Republican votes or Democratic votes where any party can do it alone. That’s just the way it is.
Just how cheap is the cheap labor in Texas? Sometimes, it’s free. Guillermo Perez, 41, is undocumented and has been working commercial construction jobs in Austin for 13 years.
“[The employer] said he didn’t have the money to pay me and he owed me $1,200,” Perez says of one job. “I told him that I’m going to the Texas Workforce Commission, which I did. Then after that, he came back two weeks later and paid me.”
The Labor Commission reported that the prime contractor, Valley Vanguard, is jointly and severally liable for all assessments issued against the six subcontractors.
“Valley Vanguard, as the prime contractor for the highway expansion project, is responsible for ensuring that all workers performing construction work on a public works project are paid the correct prevailing wage rates,” Su said.
“This is not a union/non-union issue,” said Dave Meier, of the Indiana-Ohio-Kentucky Regional Council of Carpenters. “This is a worker rights issue.”