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County Data Shows Prevailing Wage Hikes Costs
We have documented the racist origins of Pennsylvania’s prevailing wage law, how it artificially raises the costs of taxpayer-funded construction projects by 20 percent (or approximately $1 billion per year), and how real reform is possible in the form of six bills the Pennsylvania House will consider.
County-by-county data from the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs illustrate how prevailing wage mandates raise labor costs between 30 percent and 76 percent across the commonwealth. If lawmakers and school districts are looking for savings without cutting educational and arts programs or laying off teachers, getting rid of prevailing wage is the most effective reform they can enact.