O'SCANLON SAYS PREVAILING WAGE HURTS THE VERY WORKERS IT'S SUPPOSED TO HELP

Acting Department of Labor Commissioner  Hal Wirths recently appeared before the Assembly Budget Committee prompting the following press release by Assemblyman O'Scanlon.

Testimony from Hal Wirths, Acting Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, that New Jersey must be more affordable in order to attract new businesses and grow jobs to improve its 9.8 percent unemployment rate highlights the need to repeal the state's prevailing wage laws, Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon, R-Monmouth and Mercer, said.

"Countless business and environmental groups have told us that prevailing wage has killed many worthwhile projects because it would have increased costs by 30 percent," O'Scanlon said. "Workers may be paid 30 percent more on a few projects, but they will be paid 100 percent less on many more that won't happen because of expensive mandates placed on employers. It is a net negative to the very workers whom prevailing wage was supposed to help."

Assemblyman O'Scanlon is the sponsor of A2370, which would repeal prevailing wage mandates on clean energy projects.

"That is the first step toward reducing the cost of doing business in New Jersey," O'Scanlon said. "Prevailing wage hinders job growth by making construction costs prohibitive. It is another straw breaking taxpayers back at a time we need to reduce costs. Lowering construction costs could the jump-start our economy needs right now."