SBCTC Lobbyist Featured Speaker
On Infrastructure Needs and Prevailing Wages
At Assembly Republican Caucus Policy Retreat
State Building Trades' legislative director Jay Hansen was an invited guest to discuss California's transportation and broader infrastructure needs, budgeting and financing with members of the Assembly Republican Caucus at a half-day session of their Infrastructure Policy Retreat in Orange County this week.
Hansen said key subjects of the discussion centered on the "possibility of a major infrastructure bond" and "the benefits to both local communities and workers of paying prevailing wages on construction projects.
"This was a great opportunity to have frank discussions on issues of mutual interest and to build a working relationship with Assembly Republicans," Hansen said.
Hansen's presentation noted that the California Commission on Building for the 21st Century reported that the state's population grew 250 percent since 1950, but that capital spending grew 0 percent since 1950, using inflation-adjusted dollars.
He also discussed the time California motorists waste on congested freeways, and the fact that half of the in-state power generation is from plants that are more than 30 years old.
On the financing side of the issue, Hansen said that a major infrastructure bond could cover levees, transportation, rail, water storage, and rehabilitation projects.
Prevailing Wage Discussion
Hansen's presentation discussed the benefits of paying construction workers the wages that prevail in their community, noting that the average salary of a California construction worker is $22 an hour, which means that a 40-hour-a-week worker grosses about $44,000 per year.
Hansen noted that prevailing wages help ensure that local dollars will be invested in workers from the local community who will pour those dollars back into the local community.