ST. LOUIS COUNTY (KMOV.com) – Tuesday, Dr. Sam Page signed legislation aimed at ensuring “a stable, well-qualified workforce” in St. Louis County.
“At the heart of prevailing wage laws is the conviction that government ought to use its buying power in the construction sector to enhance the welfare of workers and their families,” the county executive said. “Prevailing wage laws ensure a stable, well-qualified workforce that produce high-quality work.”
Missouri’s prevailing wage law establishes a minimum wage rate that must be paid to workers on public works construction projects valued at more than $75,000. The signing formally codifies the county’s prevailing wage program including the prevailing wage enforcement coordinator, a position held by Janson Thomas.
“Higher productivity lowers construction costs without lowering wages,” Pat White, president of the Greater St. Louis Labor Council, said. “Prevailing wage laws benefit blue-collar workers and our communities by encouraging training, lowering the rate of injuries, promoting health care coverage, minimizing disruption to local labor markets, ensuring that minority and female workers receive prevailing wages, and encouraging their participation in apprenticeship programs.”
Page was joined by local labor leaders when he signed the legislation into law at the Pipefitters Local Union 562’s Training Center.