LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s Republican-controlled Senate is poised to support repealing a 50-year-old state law that requires better pay and benefits for construction workers on state-financed building projects.
The vote on Thursday comes a day after legislation cleared a committee along party lines.
Gov. Rick Snyder opposes the bills in part because he is promoting the trades as a career choice. But fellow Republicans in the Legislature say school districts and governments would save money if they were not bound to paying prevailing union-scale wages.
Supporters say Michigan is among just six states to base prevailing wages exclusively on local collective bargaining agreements. Opponents say construction workers on government projects deserve fair pay and the repeal effort would lead to lower-quality work.