July 9, 2015

Last-Minute Assault on Wages and Workers in Wisconsin Budget

Last-Minute Assault on Wages and Workers in Wisconsin Budget

"Now the wages of 116,000 construction workers are under attack. Republicans in the legislature had tried to repeal prevailing wage through stand-alone legislation earlier this year with fake studies and misleading spin, but could not get it passed until the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity turned up the heat with a radio ad blitz targeting Republicans who had their doubts.

The proposed changes will repeal prevailing wage requirements for all municipal, school district, and local sewerage district projects and remove the determination of prevailing wages for remaining state projects from the state agency that currently administers the program. Two Republican state senators and all the Democrats opposed the changes, but every other Senate Republican toed the anti-union line and the amendment passed 17-16."