Jennifer V Kurland is running for governor in Michigan. Her office issued the following:
For Immediate Release
Press Contact: 313-349-3929
Date: June 8, 2018
Green Party Candidates Speak Out Against Prevailing Wage Repeal
Green Party candidate for Michigan
Governor, Jennifer V. Kurland, said today that eliminating the
prevailing wage in Michigan places skilled trade workers in jeopardy at a
time when they are needed most. The ramifications, she added, will be
long term and negative.
“For a party who touts fiscal
responsibility as a key value, Republican lawmakers in Lansing certainly
didn’t make a fiscally responsible decision for our state on
Wednesday,” Kurland said.
Kurland added that the legislature
usurped the democratic process by passing this repeal based on petition
signatures rather than allowing all Michigan voters to weigh in on this
ballot measure.
“Too often, our legislators find a
way to get what they want by pushing at the legal limits of our
democratic process,” said Kurland, who will be on the November 6 general
election ballot. “The repeal of the prevailing wage in Michigan is
further evidence that our state can no longer afford to continue down
this path.”
Sharing the Green Party ticket with
Jennifer Kurland in November, Lieutenant Governor candidate Charin
Davenport explained that eliminating the prevailing wage is nothing more
than the continued privatization of our collective public interests.
Lower paying jobs for public projects will only increase the likelihood
of rushed jobs, cutting corners, and poorer quality work”, she said.
“Ultimately, this repeal is yet another example of the Michigan
legislature’s continued attack on unions that seems to have an end goal
of eliminating them completely.”
“Such blatant disregard for the
skilled trades in Michigan can only lower wages that have remained
stagnate for decades, while increasing the profits of corporate
shareholders and CEOs,” Davenport said. “The last thing our state needs
now is more income inequality.”
It is no secret that Michigan is
facing a critical shortage of well-trained skilled workers, and
eliminating the prevailing wage will escalate this into a crisis by
reducing the funding needed to train more workers entering the
workforce. Michigan residents should not have
to leave their homes to search elsewhere for better paying jobs and
opportunities for their families.
According to Republican legislators,
repealing the prevailing wage will save money by reducing the costs of
public construction projects by 10-15 percent. In reality, this
“savings” is a pipedream and is unsustainable long-term when out of
state workers take their paychecks home. This essentially funnels
Michigan tax dollars out of state.
Kurland said she fears that out of
state companies are more likely to purchase materials and equipment in
their home states instead of here in Michigan, putting our small
businesses owners in jeopardy.
“By forcing Michigan’s skilled
trades workforce to compete with lower wage workers from out of state
when we have the talent right here at home is an irresponsible and
reckless devaluation of our own residents. The people of Michigan
deserve better from their government, and Charin Davenport and I intend
to deliver on that promise,” Kurland said.
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Media Team
Jennifer V. Kurland, Candidate for Governor
313-349-3929
P.O. Box 401321 Redford, MI 48240
*Paid for by Jennifer V Kurland for Michigan*