Rep. Cory Mason’s Madison Math

MacIver News Service | June 2, 2015

[Madison, Wisc…] Rep. Cory Mason (D-Racine) argued last week during a hearing on prevailing wage that lowering wages to the market rate, as opposed to artificially inflated prevailing wage, would actually cost taxpayers more. Without any evidence to back this claim up, he continued to say that projects are cheaper because of prevailing wage. However, real world examples show the opposite is the case. Maintenance for two water towers in Grafton saw cost increases of 44 percent thanks to prevailing wage, and an ATV trail in Vilas County saw costs go up by more than 80 percent.

The legislature continues to debate the repeal of prevailing wage, and it may be included in the budget.