GOP Lawmakers Continue Push To Scrap Prevailing Wage

Two Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill that would eliminate the prevailing wage on construction projects in Wisconsin.

The prevailing wage law sets minimum salaries for construction workers on public projects. State Sen. Leah Vukmir and state Rep. Rob Hutton introduced a bill in 2015 that would have eliminated prevailing wage on state and local projects. The measure failed but the state budget Gov. Scott Walker signed that year eliminated the law for local projects.

Walker’s 2017-19 budget called for eliminating prevailing wage on state projects. The Legislature’s budget committee’s leaders erased the language Friday.

Vukmir and Hutton announced Tuesday they’ve introduced a stand-alone bill to repeal the wage for state projects, saying the measure will help keep road-building costs down in the face of a $1 billion Department of Transportation budget shortfall.