By: Diane Benjamin
Yesterday I wrote about Bloomington approving a prevailing wage ordinance: https://blnnews.com/2018/06/12/without-the-king-not-much-business-to-do/
Since Illinois is run by unions, the demise of Illinois will continue. Government isn’t for the citizens, it’s for buying votes and getting campaign contributions in exchange.
The Illinois Policy Institute reported a few days ago that Michigan is the latest state to scrap prevailing wage. 260,000 Michigan voters signed a petition to repeal it. The Michigan legislature did!
Illinois is now surrounded by states with No prevailing wage.
See the story here: https://www.illinoispolicy.org/michigan-becomes-latest-illinois-neighbor-to-repeal-prevailing-wage-mandate/
Everything costs more in Illinois. Fixing streets and sewers costs more because of unions. Economic development using government money costs more because of prevailing wage.
Illinois Worker’s Compensation laws make Illinois less competitive, add prevailing wage and Illinois will always be less prosperous than our neighbors. .
The article ends with this statement:
Prevailing wages are outdated and depress construction employment in a state that’s desperately in need of jobs growth. Illinois should take a hint from its neighboring states and reform its prevailing wage law.
The current crop of politicians has done nothing to stem the flow of people leaving Illinois. The budget just passed is a joke and does nothing to pay down the stack of unpaid bills or massive unfunded pension liability. Will they repeal prevailing wage laws?
Not a chance – these clowns don’t work for you.
Both houses of the Michigan legislature are dominated by Republicans. Since the ILGOP has no message for voters, reforms won’t happen here. The people left will continue to pay higher and higher taxes to make up for the people who left.
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No prevailing wage in Michigan, eh? Perhaps, that’s a better manufacturing location for a certain electric vehicle company in Normal. Can’t imagine they’d pick IL over MI. (Yes, Lawrence, IF they actually have a vehicle in production.)
I moved to Columbus IN in April. Our garbage pickup is done by a private company. It cost $65 for 3 months. They pick up everything you put at the curb, regardless if it’s in the garage can or in a bag next to the can. Most services and taxes seem to be less here in Columbus than in Bloomington Il. Columbus’s downtown is busy. That might be from the 2000 Cummins emoyees workig downtown.
That’s a whole lot of common sense, Mike. Probably why we won’t see this rational approach in Tari’s kingdom.
Thanks Diane for exposing this for what it is, our elected “officials” taking care of the unions while needlessly driving up the cost of all public works projects.
Worse, they have now managed to stretch this ridiculous requirement to any job that has a government tie in, such as a TIF area. So if someone chooses to build in a TIF zone they are under the same prevailing wage requirements.
But here is what takes the cake…In addition to being required to pay prevailing wage, your employees must be part of an approved apprenticeship training program. So, if you are a business owner and bid on the job and agree to pay the prevailing wage, you still would not qualify unless your employees were union members and had access to the union apprenticeship program. Does this all smell a little dirty to you?
Obviously!