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Earlier today Senator Jim DeMint offered an amendment to the transportation appropriations bill that would have waved the Davis-Bacon mandate for repair on bridges classified as “structurally deficient” or “functionally obsolete” (like the one that collapsed in Minneapolis).
As DeMint rightly pointed out, waiving Davis-Bacon would help us “maintain more bridges with less money.” As a reminder, the Davis-Bacon mandate requires that the prevailing wage, not market wages, be paid on federally funded highway construction projects. This rule can increase the cost between 5 to 38 percent. Ending this onerous provision, which artificially inflates the cost of building highway capacity, would help repair more bridges at a lower cost.
So did Senators choose safer bridges over helping union buddies who benefit from the “prevailing wage” mandate? DeMint’s amendment was tabled, on a vote of 56 to 37.
You'll note that both Minnesota Senators voted against the amendment.
So join me in saying, “Thanks Union Bosses for Siphoning Money from Bridge Repair!”
Take Your Pick: Affordable Bridge Repair or Funding Union Cronies?
Posted by Kristina Rasmussen - September 12, 2007Thoughts? Add Comment -
Ray Mckinney said on Sep 14 2007 at 9:34am
Just more depressing news on the state of politics in Washington. It is amazing that people still vote. I think these politicians have just about ruined this country.
A Reader said on Sep 26 2007 at 11:31am
I have an idea. Since you’re so set on ensuring that highly skilled, highly trained union craftsmen should be deprived of a living wage, let’s look at it from different perspective. How about your job? I’m sure you wouldn’t mind if you took a 38 percent cut in pay and had your benefits thrown out the window, right? I’m sure you could survive on much, much less than you’re currently making, so why not? You could sell your car, take the bus to work, eat inexpensive canned food, stop going to the doctor, dentist, pharmacist…etc and do a whole slue of other things to get by, right? So why on earth should you be paid your current salary? That would be corporate waste in my opinion. I’m bet a recent college grad, or better yet, a non-paid intern could be found to replace you. So what if they don’t have your training, experience…etc that’s no excuse for corporate waste!