Illinois' prevailing wage problem

Illinois' prevailing wage problem

The May 8 Guest View column by the new acting secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation says that our roads, bridges and transportation system make us the transportation hub of North America, providing the state with an economic advantage that other states admire.

Despite that economic advantage somehow our state is still over $100 billion in debt with the lowest bond rating of all 50 states only three grades above junk bonds. IDOT along with the Illinois Capital Development Board will hold a series of public meetings to make us more aware of our aging infrastructure and to develop a plan to invest in infrastructure improvements.

Here's one idea. Let's take a look at the $500 million in annual IDOT labor costs. Nationally, the average annual salary for a civil engineer is $87,000; an IDOT civil engineer in Kane County makes $134,000. The Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, the product of a deep alliance between labor unions and our Democratic supermajority in Springfield, guarantees that this won't change anytime soon. Nonunion contractors working on an IDOT project have to certify that their employees are paid "prevailing wages" at least equal to a union contractor.

This is nothing more than a device to prevent nonunion contractors from working on jobs paid for with taxpayer dollars. Nonunion contractors who can pay good wages and perform the same work at less cost.

Most students of U.S. history will generally agree that unions once played a vital role in the rise of U.S. living standards but it is clear that the pendulum has swung too far and needs to return to a more neutral position. Please contact your legislators and urge them to support Governor Rauner's "Right to Work" initiative. One letter can make a difference.

Nicholas Braico

West Dundee