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Bi-State should opt out of swap program
The Quad City Times ^ | March 26, 2019 | Tracy Kurowski

Posted on 04/08/2019 10:56:04 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Quad City residents are now witnessing the creation of an architectural marvel with the construction of the new Interstate-74 bridge. Two of the world’s largest mobile cranes are employed in the project, along with hundreds of workers, and we are now seeing the concrete base of the center arch rise out from the river bottoms.

This remarkable project is made possible by a federal and state government funding partnership that guarantees a dignified wage to the men and women who have been working throughout this brutally cold winter. Called "Davis-Bacon" protections, they were named after two Depression-era Republican congressmen who wanted to make sure that federal investments in infrastructure projects stimulate local economies and create local jobs.

Federal rules require contracts be awarded to the "lowest responsible bidder." Cities, schools, and counties also award contracts this way to protect taxpayers and prevent graft and other corruption. Before Davis-Bacon was passed in 1931, members of Congress noticed that many of the contracts they had secured for their home districts were not using local workers. Construction companies undervalued the labor costs in order to meet the lowest bidder standard and land the contract. When the work needed to be done, contractors brought in migrant workers from low-wage states to complete the local projects. This resulted in the opposite of congressional intent of using infrastructure projects to stimulate local economies.

No one then or now would argue that taxpayer funds for public infrastructure projects should be inadvertently used to drive down workers’ wages. Once the Davis-Bacon law was passed, it has since set a wage floor so that instead companies are competing on productivity, efficiency and the quality of work they provide, not on their ability to hire unethical subcontractors who exploit workers.

(Excerpt) Read more at qctimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Illinois; US: Iowa
KEYWORDS: bidding; bistatecommission; construction; davisbacon; economy; illinois; infrastructure; iowa; labor; localnews; moneyswap; quadcities; transportation; unions

1 posted on 04/08/2019 10:56:04 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

an architectural marvel with the construction of the new Interstate-74 bridge.


Look around at the fantastic buildings being put up in Asia and even the UK. While out here in the sticks, an overpass is an architectural marvel.


2 posted on 04/09/2019 1:27:38 AM PDT by sparklite2 (Don't mind me. I'm just a contrarian.)
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To: sparklite2

And the Democrat graft made it cost twice as much.


3 posted on 04/09/2019 1:38:09 AM PDT by TonytheTiger7777
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To: TonytheTiger7777

And the union goons get another windfall.


4 posted on 04/09/2019 1:41:50 AM PDT by sparklite2 (Don't mind me. I'm just a contrarian.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

‘Guessing “Quad Cities” are important, but never heard of ‘em...


5 posted on 04/09/2019 2:58:36 AM PDT by Does so (Is Central America Emptying Its Jails?)
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To: Does so

Davenport IA, Moline IL (John Deere world HQ), Rock Island IL (Think “Rock Island Line” song) and Bettendorf IA.

About 400,000 people metro.

On the Mississippi River about 3 hours due West of Chit-caw-go.


6 posted on 04/09/2019 7:04:51 AM PDT by John Milner (Marching for Peace is like breathing for food.)
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To: Does so
‘Guessing “Quad Cities” are important, but never heard of ‘em...

Ditto for 'bi-state'..
7 posted on 04/09/2019 5:36:33 PM PDT by Svartalfiar
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