GOP states go after wage laws
 

Wow, this will be interesting to see and maybe even feel sorry for the suckers, nah. :p

A lot these goppers in their 50's and 60's near retirement are going to lose what has been saving their ass now they can be dump for cheap imports at rock bottom wages. All of a sudden nobody near retirement has arthritis and bad backs, or else....:(

Carl

I get on my knees at times and thank the Powers that Be that my pension comes from an honest company and a nation that respects trade unions.

While I seldom agree with Republicans on anything, they got this one right. The Davis-Bacon Act outlived its usefulness (and original objective) about 70 years ago.

You don't actually think that's is what this is all about, do you? If these ALEC/Koch sponsored laws are passed, we're not going to see out of state firms or non-union US firms being awarded government contracts at fire sale prices, we're going to see crap like what's going on in Qatar with overseas contractors with basically slaves being "imported" to do the work.

It's all of a piece with TPP and TTIP.

Nah. The construction industry in only ~13% organized. Do you seriously think think that the other 87% is going to let construction be done by imported slave labor? Also, the Fair Labor Standards Act would prevent what you describe anyway.

TPP could make the Fair Labor Standards Act an illegal restraint of trade.

Show me.

Difficult to show you since the whole freakin' thing is secret but look thjis over:

https://www.google.com/search?q=tpp+...utf-8&oe=utf-8

It says nothing of compelling us to shit-can the Fair Labor Standards Act or suffer some sort of penalty for restraint of trade. I ain't buying it. The Davis-Bacon Act is an anachronism.

You just have to be able to read between the lines. And the lines are widely spaced, with lots of room between them.

The TPP vastly increases corporate power. Multi-nationals will have arbitrators and tribunals in their pocket, with the power to award them billions. Under these conditions, even if the FLSA is not technically on the table, the multis have tremendous leverage. They can say 'we just need certain exceptions to the FLSA for [some particular project].' They can say 'if we don't get them, you'll be sorry.'

Power is used to get more power.

Whatever. The Davis-Bacon act is still an anachronism.

In that it reflects union power that doesn't exist anymore. Sure.

But that doesn't make 'all power to the multis' a great thing.

Wonderful.

Anything that forces wages down is a great thing for the American people!

How about abolishing direct hiring and go to a temp agency based economy? See, that way we can create another layer of do-nothing prick middlemen who collect half of what Uncle Sam lets you keep for the privilege of having had to go through them to get a lousy, low wage, no benefit job!

Man, Oh MAN, this New America is gonna be GREAT!

Actually.......If it comes down to this sort of thing.......Fuck this place. I hope it goes down the toilet and good riddance to it. I am rapidly losing sight of why anyone in their right mind would risk life and limb for a country that has this attitude towards its workers.

Seriously.

My part-time employer just forced me into direct deposit otherwise they were going to pay me with this Bank Of America payroll atm card...redeemable at Bank of America atms of course. Bullshit called Money Network. The employees who do not have bank accounts....and that is possible because of the low wages some of the support staff get..will be screwed. Plus HR made it sound like if you did not sign up for direct deposit by a certain date you never would be able to.

I don't mind direct deposit but I believe in paying people in check if they need it that way so as to avoid extra fees at atms. Some states require employers to offer direct deposit by law...don't know if Cali is one....but some states do not.

I can tell you there is a Republican behind paying people with debit cards...I just know it.
I just hope the Dixiecrat version of the GOP we have now would die soon and not take the country down with them.

My employer did that some time ago, using ADP. It also makes it easier for them to screw up employee paychecks and have it go undetected as some people (Most people?) fail to go online and read their statements.

Is that how you get paid?

I guess the employer gets to cut the payroll people so they can save more money. If I want to give my money to Bank Of America (and I don't since Bof A will nickel and dime you to death with fees) I should make that decision.

I always liked a paycheck at my part-time job because when I was in the Navy it was cool to actually look at a check and know I was pulling in more than a Master Chief when I was just an E-5.

As far as cutting wages in Michigan goes it will just speed the decline of that state. You see what the GOP is doing to Kansas.

The Davis-Bacon Act only applies to Federally-funded construction contracts, not to other Federal contracts, nor to construction projects in the private sector. All it does is increase the price of Federally-funded construction while confusing prospective bidders outside of the area in which the prevailing wage rate is determined.

A little research on the Davis-Bacon Act (or better yet, experience managing projects subject to it) is in order before one rails on about its wonderfulness. If a union work force in the construction industry resulted in increased productivity or quality commensurate with union wages, such laws would have no effect. However, with their ridiculous work rules, this ain't remotely true (and accounts, in part, for why the construction industry is 13% organized).

The GOP see this as a problem with prices of goods and taxes being to high. Wages would be fine if everything was cheaper. So just outsource jobs to other countries or better yet get a machine to do it. Get them cost down!


Barney

One doesn't outsource construction to other countries. A facility built in Beijing doesn't serve meet the demands of a customer who needs a facility built in Boston.

Qatar World Cup construction projects.

Except it doesn't stop there. It's just another pixel in the bigger picture.

Comparing a Mideast country where no citizen works (and without labor laws) with the US is a stretch.

I don't buy into "camel's nose under the tent" arguments to defeat measures that should stand or fall on their own merits.

Don't be too sure.

California Turns To China For New Bay Bridge

http://www.npr.org/2011/09/16/140515...new-bay-bridge


I really cannot fathom as to why Caltrans had to go to China to get the steel structure built. Besides, the bridge construction was still way over budget and delayed. Having said that, I am still not a fan of unions negotiating with governments. On the private sector, whatever works.

That has nothing to do with the Davis-Bacon Act. The Davis-Bacon Act does not impose American labor rates on foreign suppliers. Never has, never will. OTOH, the Buy American Act does would have compelled the use of American structural components, but this is not a Federally funded project.

I have nothing against the use of the Buy American Act for Federally-funded projects in the US. In fact, I strongly support it. OTOH, I have managed projects in Germany where we had Buy America provisions for inferior and more expensive American mechanical system components that arguably didn't meet local codes.

The Davis-Bacon Act is another kettle of fish altogether. It was passed in 1931 to keep contractors from bringing workers from the countryside to build projects in union-dominated big cities. Nowadays, it doesn't serve the public interest to give 13% of the construction industry (i.e., union contractors) a government-imposed advantage over the other 87% of construction contractors/workers, particularly when union contractors and their unions insist that they're cheaper due to efficiency, skill and safety. If that were indeed true, they wouldn't need an artificial advantage that drives up construction costs for the taxpayer.

I'd like to know where Bernie stands on this issue.

And Elizabeth Warren too.

I trust them on economic issues.

They, like all Democrats, support Davis-Bacon. They know where their bread is buttered.

I trust them more than I do you.

I haven't called you a bagger lately, but I still keep an eye on you.

You have gone over to the dark side on more than one occasion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYDAF6NbgKc

I'd say it's much more than just a nose, Finn. ;)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davis%E2%80%93Bacon_Act

Two Republican sponsors and signed by Hoover in '31.:eek:

How the hell did that happen?

Hoover would be considered a communist by today's Republicans.

You can call me anything you want. Coming from you, it means less than nothing.;)

You are one lucky person. Not much of that left (honesty or pensions) .

It's the entire Camel and he's spitting, shitting and trampling everywhere. The same people are pushing for "Right to be Exploited" laws, just voted for the TTP and everything it carries with it.

It's not just the nose when the Camels core ideology is loaded with buggery for the working class and he makes no bones about spouting his bile.