Prevailing wage focus of next debate

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Several speakers at Tuesday’s workers’ rally in Jefferson City attacked Republican lawmakers’ efforts to change Missouri’s prevailing wage law.

The state Senate’s leaders expect to resume their debate on the bill today.

“We continue to look for different methods on how to calculate the prevailing wage, so it more accurately reflects what the county wages are — and we’ll save the taxpayers some money,” Senate President Pro Tem Rob Mayer, R-Dexter, said on Monday. “This is not about, in any way, trying to harm workers.”

But Jeff Aboussie, secretary-treasurer of the St. Louis Area Building and Construction Trades Council, said Tuesday that Mayer’s approach is wrong.

“I think we have to be really conscious of what wage prevails in each respective county.”

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