Madison, WI – Today the Wisconsin Assembly voted to advance the state budget, which includes a full repeal of Wisconsin’s prevailing wage law. The budget will now move to the Wisconsin Senate where, if passed, it will advance to Governor Walker’s desk.
Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) is urging members of the Senate to move forward with a repeal of the prevailing wage.
CVA Policy Director Dan Caldwell issued the following comment:
“It’s encouraging to see Wisconsin take an important step toward finally repealing the prevailing wage – a law that often blocks veterans from finding gainful employment. Prevailing wage laws restrict competition to a select few construction companies and prevent small businesses from creating and maintaining jobs. By artificially inflating costs, the prevailing wage wastes more taxpayer dollars to accomplish fewer construction projects. We applaud the Assembly for advancing a repeal of the job-limiting prevailing wage law.”
Earlier this year, CVA released web ads targeted at Wisconsin legislators. The ads highlight the positive impact that a prevailing wage repeal would have on veterans in the state. CVA also released a memo which refutes the myth, propagated by union-backed groups, that veterans support prevailing wage laws.
Prevailing wage laws, which were adopted in Wisconsin nearly 85 years ago, mandate that contractors are paid based on rates decided by unions. Instead of having the market determine how much these services are valued by the state, union bosses get to decide – and then taxpayers get stuck with the bill. Prevailing wage laws result in higher taxpayer costs and can limit the ability of many small businesses to compete for government work.
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