Madison, WI – Today Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) is releasing a targeted web ad highlighting the ways a prevailing wage repeal would positively impact the veterans’ community in Wisconsin. A repeal of the prevailing wage was included in Governor Scott Walker’s state budget proposal.
“A strong Wisconsin economy helps everyone,” the ad narrator says. “And for the thousands of veterans who need jobs after they’ve served, that’s key. Veterans – who want to put their skills to work right here in Wisconsin. So let’s get rid of prevailing wage laws that hold us back.” The ad asks viewers to call a CVA switchboard where they are educated about the prevailing wage and then connected to their elected officials in the Wisconsin state legislature.
The ad pushes back on a false narrative set forth by special interest groups who are invested in ensuring big unions, not business owners, control wages in the state. These groups are using veterans as a front to push to keep prevailing wage laws in place.
CVA Policy Director Dan Caldwell issued the following statement:
“After veterans finish serving, finding a good job is a critical first step toward transitioning back into civilian life. Prevailing wage laws drive up the costs of construction in the state, hiking up taxes and eliminating the jobs veterans need to put their skills to work. We urge elected officials in Wisconsin to support Governor Walker’s proposal, stand up to big unions, and repeal these stifling prevailing wage laws on behalf of all Wisconsinites who rely on a strong state economy.”
The ad release comes on the heels of an in-depth memo released by CVA in March which refutes myths that veterans support prevailing wage laws. There is no evidence that veterans as a demographic benefit from prevailing wage laws – in fact, these laws have been found to constrain job growth and increase the costs of construction projects.
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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