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Senate committee hears bill to let prevailing wages in public-works contracts adjust during long projects
Summary
Substitute Senate Bill 5,061 would let prevailing wages in public‑works contracts increase to match the wage in effect when the work is performed rather than freezing the rate at bid time.
Substitute Senate Bill 5,061 would change how prevailing wages apply to public-works contracts by requiring contract wage language to state that the minimum hourly wage for laborers, workers and mechanics be adjusted “to no less than the latest prevailing rate of wage” in effect at the time the work is performed. The bill was the subject of a staff report and a lengthy public hearing before the Senate Transportation Committee on Feb. 24.
Supporters — including union representatives and construction-trades groups — told the committee that locking prevailing wages at bid date erodes pay on projects that span several years and can drive workers away. Erin Fraser of the Washington State Building Construction Trades Council said turnover and the loss of…
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