HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Frank Sirianni, President of the Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council, today released the following statement about the press conference held this week in Harrisburg by House Republicans to call attention to their package of bills designed to end prevailing wage laws on taxpayer funded construction projects:
"Have you ever noticed how some legislators try very hard to convince us that they want to 'create jobs' when, in fact, all they really want to do is cut wages? Not their wages, of course, but someone else's.
The true agenda of State House Republicans Mike Turzai, John Bear, Stan Saylor and others was revealed recently during a 'circus act' they performed in the State Capitol. During this appalling performance - funded with our taxpayer dollars - they mocked an important law that has made it possible for hundreds of thousands of tax-paying Pennsylvanians to earn a decent living.
These Republican legislators have introduced six bills that would basically eviscerate the prevailing wage law in Pennsylvania. This law, as it currently exists, protects all of us, ensuring that highly trained workers build our schools, office buildings and other projects. It also ensures that we get the kind of high quality we want for every one of our tax dollars that is spent.
Eliminating or rolling back the protections of the prevailing wage law would mean more companies would hire non-citizens or non-skilled workers to work for low wages. This would result in poor quality construction, higher injury rates, and less health benefits for workers.
Lower paid and more transient workers have less to spend in our local communities helping other small businesses like convenience stores, groceries, bars and restaurants, retail stores, drug stores, car washes, insurance agencies, car dealers and other businesses that directly benefit from a stable, decently compensated skilled building trades work force.
This also means we would all pay higher medical costs to cover workers with little or no benefits and more injuries. Plus, more tax dollars would have to be spent to correct shoddy construction work on public projects.
Supporters of the Republican legislation package contend that the bills would 'create jobs.' But it is nothing more than a vindictive attack on working men and women in the construction trades.
It is also an insult to spend tax dollars to mock hard working Pennsylvanians and further insult their intelligence by suggesting that lowering their wages would create more quality jobs.
This is nothing more than a mean-spirited attempt to attack working people with decent middle class jobs without any thought given to the real and destructive consequences to our local communities.
These legislators are not fit to hold office. They should be creating jobs, not wasting tax dollars to promote a warped political philosophy."
For more information on the Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council go to the Council's web site at www.pabuildingtrades.org or contact the Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council at 717-233-5726.
SOURCE Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council
