The Truth about Pennsylvania's Prevailing Wage
Pennsylvania’s Prevailing Wage is an arbitrary, inflated wage rate raising the cost of public construction projects 20% - 25%. This wage rate is usually determined by the union scale rate, which makes up less than 23% of Pennsylvania’s construction industry.
Pennsylvania’s Prevailing Wage Act was passed in 1960 and was taken from the Federal Government’s version, Davis-Bacon. Davis-Bacon legislation was passed in the 1930s by two northern elected officials to successfully increase construction wages to a level that would not allow southern construction companies to compete in the north. This discriminatory practice has been expanded into Pennsylvania and other states and sometimes referred to as “Baby Davis-Bacon.”
View a definition of Prevailing Wage (PDF Doc)
ABC Keystone Talks Prevailing Wage on “The Box”
Jack Zimmer, ABC Keystone President and CEO, and Steve Swarney, Director of Government Affairs, appeared on the radio show "The Box" with the Commonwealth Foundation's Matt Brouillette to discuss prevailing wage.
To hear the radio segment, simply click here to visit The Box website, then click "Segment 1 – Prevailing Wage Politics [8:36m]"
Contact Steve at the Chapter office, 717.653.8106, for more information.