Thomas Kennedy, Executive Director and Secretary/Treasurer of the Texas State Building and Construction Trades Council, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed the two-tier wage system for construction projects in Texas and its impact on workers.
Kennedy explained that federal projects adopt the national Prevailing Wage, as set forth by the U.S. Department of Labor. However, for state and city projects, wages are instead based on independent surveys of the local labor force that are not regulated or publicly available. Wages for these projects are significantly lower than the Davis-Bacon scale, causing a race to the bottom scenario, he added.
Kennedy also discussed the need to expand apprenticeship programs to sustain the Texas construction boom and an upcoming summit of the Young Active Labor Leaders (YALL), a constituency group of the Texas AFL-CIO that builds solidarity among working people who represent the future of the union movement.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.