I am writing this in rebuttal to the opinion published in your newspaper by Jim Waters. After reading this, it is quite clear that Mr. Waters knows little about the Construction Industry and even less about what a “Water Boy” in his words does on a Construction Site.
To begin with there is no classification under Kentucky Prevailing Wage Law (KRS 337) that calls for a “Water Boy” nor is there a classification for “General Laborer”. The Wage Rates determined by the Labor Cabinet are done through public hearings held yearly in each of Kentucky’s 38 Senatorial Districts and in four Districts for the Department of Transportation. Evidence is collected by the Kentucky Labor Cabinet Hearing Officer, and the Determination is made based upon the evidence submitted. Any Contractor may submit evidence with a signed affidavit attesting to the validity of the evidence. This is a fair and democratic way for the State to determine what the Prevailing Wage will be.
Kentucky has had a Prevailing Wage Law since 1940 and it is based on the Federal Davis-Bacon Law which was instituted to help establish standards in the Construction Industry which would allow a stable local trained workforce and prevent workers from being imported from other areas and leaving local workers jobless.
No employer would or does pay anyone $50.00 per hour to pack water; this is an outright misleading and false statement. A Laborer may go get water jugs and set them on the site at the start of their shift. They do what a Journeyman Laborer who has served a 4,000 hour Registered Apprenticeship Program and is paid for by more than 300 Professional Union Contractors in Kentucky does; tend Carpenters, tend scaffold builders, place concrete, tear down forms, demolition work, flag traffic, lay asphalt, run sewer lines, run water lines, clean ditches, remove hazardous waste, asbestos abatement, etc. Jobs I am sure that most of us appreciate but would not like to do.
The real “Water Boy” in this story is Jim Waters whose organization is clouded in secrecy and will not reveal who finances them. And the real problem with school construction in Kentucky is not what we pay workers but how we build projects.
If Wal-Mart, Kroger or Best Buy builds a store in Kentucky it builds the same store in Arkansas, Tennessee and Iowa. Why do we not build schools in Kentucky the same way? I mean if we build a school in McCracken County for 700 students and one in Pike County for 700 students what is the difference? Many times there are millions of dollars in difference. Both are tasked with educating students, both have the same fire and building codes to conform to, and both must meet the same educational standards. In the world of Construction with the big box stores both would cost roughly the same. In Kentucky we re-engineer, re-design and use Construction Managers such as Mr. Leigh. This is where the real over cost in school construction is. Not our hard working neighbors whose tax dollars pay for the schools they help build for their children and grandchildren. Labor on a construction project is only around 30% of the total cost. To get the percentages that Mr. Waters say are available by cutting Prevailing Wage off of schools you would have to cut labor cost 50%. Mr. Waters needs to spend a few weeks “out in the field” as workers say earning his money on a construction site then tell the workers, whose taxes pay for the schools, they need to take a pay cut.
Robert Akin, Director
KY LECET
Lawrenceburg, KY
KY LECET's website says its focus is improving the climate for industry sectors by creating partnerships between management and laborer unions.
On the Net:
Jim Waters Column: Prevailing Wage: Prevailing Nonsense
