LANSING — Today, the House of Representatives voted on a proposal to repeal the state’s prevailing wage law, which ensured that workers on state projects were paid a fair wage. The proposal passed by a vote of 56-53. In response, state Rep. John Chirkun (D-Roseville) issued the following statement:
“Putting in a hard day’s work should earn a person an honest wage. But repealing our prevailing wage laws simply steals money from hard-working Michiganders and their families to benefit the bottom lines of wealthy corporations, putting our state economy and local communities in jeopardy. Without prevailing wage laws, out-of-state companies will/can flood the state with low-paid, unskilled workers, and taxpayers will foot the bill twice when our roads and public buildings deteriorate even more quickly. The Republican scheme to repeal prevailing wage is wrong for Michigan and our workers and that is why I voted against it.”