Unshackle Upstate, Allies Push for Prevailing Wage Law Reforms

January 9th, 2018

Unshackle Upstate is part of a coalition of business groups on that is calling on New York State to reform its prevailing wage law in 2018. New York’s law requires government public works contractors to pay their employees a union-like wage, increasing the costs of projects in New York anywhere from 13% in the Albany area to 25% in New York City.

Reforming this law will save the state and local government millions of dollars each year, which is critical when the state is facing a projected 2018-19 budget deficit of at least $4.4 billion. State lawmakers should consider the high cost of this mandate as they look to spend billions on transportation and water-quality improvements, among other much-needed infrastructure projects. (Read our fact sheet here).

The need for prevailing wage reform was highlighted earlier this year, when the Empire Center released a report on the state’s prevailing wage law and how it is actually being implemented.

We look forward to working with our allies, including the Business Council of New York State, the National Federation of Independent Businesses and the Associated Builders and Contractors, Empire State Chapter, to address this important issue in 2018. . Reforming state rules and regulations like our broken prevailing wage mandate can save state budget billions now in and in the years to come and ensure our infrastructure needs are met. Difficult times require smart solutions.