Tuesday, December 22, 2015
WASHINGTON, DC (May 1, 2015) -- The following statement was released today by North America's Building Trades Unions, in reaction to the defeat of an amendment to H.R.2029 - The Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2016 - that would have denied enforcement of the Davis-Bacon Act prevailing wage statute on military construction projects:
"With the support of 52 Republican members, an overwhelming bi-partisan majority in the United States House of Representatives has once again rejected an attempt to eradicate the Davis-Bacon Act, which ensures the protection of local community wage and benefit standards on federally-funded construction projects. The amendment, sponsored by Representative Steve King (R-IA) was defeated by a decisive vote of 186-235.
The significance of this vote lies in the fact that, on a consistent basis, a large bi-partisan majority of House members intuitively recognize that the Davis-Bacon Act provides value by ensuring efficient work that is performed safely, while preserving pathways to the middle class for America's construction workforce. This vote should also be viewed as an acknowledgment by federal lawmakers of both parties that there is currently no good evidence demonstrating that repeal of prevailing wage statutes, at any level of government, has actually resulted in cost savings for taxpayers.
To be sure, a strong bi-partisan majority in Congress believes that federal construction projects should not be the vehicle through which local community wage and benefit standards are undermined by 'low road' contractors that seek competitive advantage through the deployment of a low-wage, low skill, easily exploited workforce.
We applaud the United States House of Representatives for once again rejecting such a politically motivated amendment."