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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutions - 2015.10.07 - 22032MISCELLANEOUS RESOLUTION #15253 BY: Commissioner David Woodward, District #19 IN RE: BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS — OPPOSITION TO LEGISLATION REPEALING MICHIGAN'S PREVAILING WAGE LAW To the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen: WHEREAS if enacted, Senate Bills 1, 2, and 3 would repeal Public Act 166 of 1965, Michigan's prevailing wage law; and WHEREAS a repeal of the prevailing wage law would harm Michigan workers by lowering wages and reducing investment in Michigan's economy through the increased use of out-of-state contractors; and WHEREAS Governor Rick Snyder has committed to veto legislation repealing the prevailing wage, stating the repeal would harm what he has determined is Michigan's "Job #1" - attracting individuals to skilled trade professions; and WHEREAS Doug Rothwell, president and CEO, Business Leaders for Michigan recently highlighted the critical need to expand the state's skilled trade, "For the state's major employers the talent shortage is real, especially for many skilled trades and technical jobs"; and WHEREAS A group looking to end Michigan's prevailing-wage law, who according to the Detroit Free Press is funded through $1 million in contributions from Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan, the Construction Legal Rights Federation, and the DeVos family, turned in enough signatures o the Michigan Secretary of State to put the issue before the Legislature and bypass a Governor's veto; and WHEREAS the prevailing wage law creates an environment where skilled workers are continually retrained with self-funded apprenticeship training programs; and WHEREAS no statistically significant difference in construction cost resulted from Michigan's brief suspension of the prevailing wage for over two years in the 1990's; and WHEREAS the Michigan Senate Fiscal Agency analysis of this legislation found no concrete evidence of savings to the taxpayers, quantifying the fiscal impact as "indeterminate"; and WHEREAS no compelling research exists that demonstrates that the states that have ended prevailing wage laws have had a resulting savings for the taxpayers; and WHEREAS in an op-ed featured in the Detroit News, Kevin Duncan, a professor of economics in the Hasan School of Business at Colorado State University—Pueblo and Alex Lantsberg, a researcher with Smart Cities Prevail, reported that, "the prevailing wage repeal would eliminate over 11,300 jobs and $1.7 billion in economic activity statewide, and result in a loss of $28 million more in state and local tax revenue"; and WHEREAS according to the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, the prevailing wage ensures there is a level playing field in the competitive bidding process and that workers in the construction force are often faced with hazardous duty that warrants a fair wage; and WHEREAS Vince DeLeonardis, president of George W. Auch Company, a construction firm in Oakland County said, "The loss of prevailing wage jobs would adversely affect the funding for [skilled trades] training programs, and then the opportunities for these apprentices to work in the trades.", and WHEREAS a majority Michigan voters surveyed indicated they support and want to keep the State's prevailing wage laws; and WHEREAS prevailing wage laws exist in 32 states and prevailing wage requirements are in place for many federally funded projects; and WHEREAS support for prevailing wage is a long standing bi-partisan tradition, with strong support from Republicans such as: President Ronald Reagan, Congressman/former Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan and Governor Rick Snyder; and Democrats like Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton; and WHEREAS maintaining the prevailing wage law directly benefits Michigan's economy by creating jobs, generating economic activity and growing the tax base — further strengthening the State of Michigan. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners hereby oppose the repeal of prevailing wage and the adoption of Senate Bills 1, 2, and 3 as measures that would harm Michigan's workers, our fragile economic recovery and Governor Snyder's goal of attracting people to skilled trade professionals while sending our taxpayer dollars out of state. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds is directed to submit a copy of this resolution to the Board's legislative lobbyists, the Office of the Governor, Senate Majority Leader, Senate Minority Leader, Speaker of the House, House Minority Leader and the Oakland County delegation to the Michigan Legislature. CohiMissio District # I airpelson, I mov0 iheiatioption of Ne foregoing Resolution. rnissioner David Woodward District #19 Noktb, Commissioner., District # Commissioner District # Commissioner Commissioner District # District # Commissioner Cornmissioner District # District* Commissioner Commissioner District # District # Commissioner Commissioner District # District # Commissioner Commissioner District # District # Commissioner Commissioner District* District # Resolution #15253 October 7, 2015 The Chairperson referred the resolution to the General Government Committee. There were no objections.