© 2024 Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Public Media from Michigan State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Unions Ask Supreme Court To Put The Brakes To Prevailing Wage Repeal

s_falkow
/
flickr creative commons

Construction worker unions have asked the Michigan Supreme Court to put the brakes on sending a petition-initiated question to the Legislature. As we hear from Capital Bureau Chief Rick Pluta, the unions say the petition campaign broke the rules.

The unions are trying to preserve state and local laws that require construction companies to pay union-scale wages on taxpayer-funded projects. But they say the issue here is the integrity of petition circulators.

They say petition circulators declared residential addresses in places where people don’t live. That includes churches, a shuttered hotel, abandoned homes, and PO boxes.

The unions say allowing the prevailing wage ban to move forward would invite future petition campaigns to let circulators lie without fear of consequences. The Court of Appeals ruled last week that circulators who lie on petition sheets can be charged with a misdemeanor.

Rick Pluta is Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He has been covering Michigan’s Capitol, government, and politics since 1987. His journalism background includes stints with UPI, The Elizabeth (NJ) Daily Journal, The (Pontiac, MI) Oakland Press, and WJR. He is also a lifelong public radio listener.
Related Content
Journalism at this station is made possible by donors who value local reporting. Donate today to keep stories like this one coming. It is thanks to your generosity that we can keep this content free and accessible for everyone. Thanks!