Rising unemployment and health care costs, struggling schools and communities, broken levees and falling bridges – as the U.S. and Minnesota fail to invest in the future, the quality of life declines.

The University of Minnesota Labor Education Service is sponsoring a conference to analyze this problem – and discuss strategies for building a movement to reinvest.

The University of Missouri has done the latest university based research on the topic of Prevailing Wage.

Minnesota's prevailing wage law provides advantages for the state, communities and workers that far outweigh any disadvantages, according to a new economic report.
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A total of 31 states and the District of Columbia have prevailing wage laws. Such laws go back as far as 1891. The federal Davis-Bacon Act, on which many state laws are patterned, was signed into law in 1931.
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Jeffrey S. Petersen, Industrial Relations, V. 39, No. 2, April 2000. This article examines the affect of state prevailing wage laws (PWLs) on the amount and mix of wages and benefits paid to construction workers
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Construction sites requiring the payment of prevailing wages have requirements that employers must follow. Attention to details are important, especially for newer business agents. For a quick reference to the requirements under national and many state prevailing wage laws click on the link below.

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The University of Missouri has done the latest university based research on the topic of Prevailing Wage. The attached document is a useful tool for those leaders who make presentations before various private or public sector groups on the subject of Prevailing wage. The findings are similar to those of other major universities in Indiana Minnesota, California, Utah, Wisconsin and others. The research and conclusions support the importance of maintaining national , state and local laws. This is a Power Point presentation which essentially summarizes the full and executive summaries which were posted on the state building site in May.

Click here for the PowerPoint Presentation

Attempts to repeal the Missouri prevailing wage law are based on the assumption that taxpayers will save money. Researchers at tne University of Missouri have discovered that repeal woud harm state and regional economies in the state. The study, released in January 2004, is the most recent and is consistent with other research conducted at universities in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Utah, California and several other large public Universities.

This study compares square footage costs for a wide variety of public and private buildings from large commercial projects like parking garages,hospitals,dormitories and government centers. While concentrating mainly on Missouri, there is ample time spent on studies conducted in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and eight other upper midwest states. The main purpose of the study is to analyze the economic impact of repealing Missouri's state prevailing wage law. In the opinion of the authors and their associates, repeal would have a very negative impact on local economies. health benefits, safety, training and worker pensions. This is a very comprehensive report 151 page which may take a long time to download. There is an executive summary at the beginning which captures to essence of the research if time and printing are issues.

The Executive Summary

The Full Report

Minnesota's prevailing wage law provides advantages for the state, communities and workers that far outweigh any disadvantages, according to a new economic report.

Minnesota's prevailing wage law provides advantages for the state, communities and workers that far outweigh any disadvantages, according to a new economic report.