Mt. Prospect lodges protest vote over wages

In what amounts to more of a symbolic protest than effective legislation, Mount Prospect trustees this week refused to adopt a state mandated ordinance requiring the village to pay "prevailing" wages to workers on public works projects like street repairs and landscaping.

Trustees said the Prevailing Wage Act, which requires that contractors pay workers a state-dictated wage for work on publicly funded projects, kills competition and drives up village costs.

"If you want to send a message, for what it's worth, I would recommend that you vote it down," Village Manager Michael Janonis told trustees. "We do, however, follow whatever the (Illinois) Department of Labor puts out there, so it's kind of a protest vote."

Trustee John Matuszak said he voted against the ordinance because the state continues to expand prevailing wages in service contracts, widening the jurisdiction to include activities such as cutting grass and trimming trees.

"A 'no' vote doesn't necessarily mean trying to deny somebody a fair wage or a prevailing wage that is currently the accepted standard in the industry," Trustee Michael Zadel added. "The vote is more of a protest (against) the way it is applied."

Assistant Village Manager David Strahl called the measure "so anti-competitive it is ridiculous."

"Any opportunity to save the taxpayer money, we can't, because we have got prevailing wage," he added. "So you have got all these other contractors out there that do just as good a job," but because of prevailing wage the village cannot benefit from any savings.

The list of prevailing wages provided by the village included $42.52 per hour for a carpenter and $41.25 for a plasterer.

Officials said the measure also impacts the village's ability to have contractors perform volunteer work, such as on the effort to rehabilitate the historic Central School building that stands next to the village's historical society.

"You would think there are people who want to donate labor. They can't," Mayor Arlene Juracek said. "They have to pay their laborers the prevailing wage, because the village owns the school building and it is considered a public works project."