This afternoon the Michigan legislature voted to repeal Michigan’s long-standing prevailing wage law. The Senate took up the measure first and passed it 23-14 before sending it over to the House for consideration. The House then narrowly passed the measure with a vote of 56-53. The 53-year-old law requires that union-scale wages be paid to workers on public construction projects.
The original proposal was brought forth as a citizens’ initiative, requiring the submission of legally obtained signatures that had to be verified by the State Board of Canvassers before moving to the full legislature for repeal consideration. The Michigan Constitution states that the Governor has no ability to veto an initiated petition that is adopted by the legislature, even though the Governor has always been vocal regarding his support of prevailing wage.
MITA has worked diligently to protect prevailing wage for many years and in the days and weeks leading up to today’s voting. Staff has been on the ground working hard to prevent the repeal and was present when the voting took place this afternoon. At the end of the day, the legislature determined that repealing prevailing wage was their preferred course of action.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mike Nystrom, Executive Vice President, at mikenystrom@thinkmita.org, or Lance Binoniemi, VP of Government Affairs, at lancebinoniemi@thinkmita.org. They can both be reached at 517-347-8336.
