Committee on Education and Labor : U.S. House of Representatives

Press Releases

Chairman Miller Praises House for Defeating Wage Cut for Workers

Friday, March 9, 2007

 

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, praised the House today for voting against a misguided Republican amendment that would have led to reduced wages for thousands of American workers.

The amendment - offered during consideration of a water quality bill - would have exempted contractors working on federally-funded water projects from complying with the 1938 Davis-Bacon law. The law requires federal contractors to pay their workers the prevailing wage in a local area, thereby preventing the federal government from driving wages down in a local community.

"By preventing federal contractors from undercutting local wage standards, Davis-Bacon helps ensure that workers are compensated fairly. The Republican proposal to hand a wage cut to workers employed by federal contractors was an outrage. The Democratic Congress is working for the American people, not against them. We are committed to strengthening America's middle class, while Republican leaders are bent on pushing an anti-worker agenda that undermines the middle class."

After Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, President Bush issued a proclamation suspending Davis-Bacon protections for workers involved in recovery and reconstruction efforts, many of whom were trying to rebuild their own lives and communities. The President reversed his gulf coast wage cut under intense pressure from Democrats and the public.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tom Kiley / Rachel Racusen
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