PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Vice President Kamala Harris was in the city on Tuesday to announce changes to labor rules that could give a raise to more than 1 million construction workers across the country.
As have many officials before her, Harris applauded the skill of the workers who repaired the I-95 collapse in Port Richmond in June — in under 2 weeks.
“These workers deserve our recognition and appreciation — and they deserve something more,” she said. “They deserve a raise.”
Speaking at the Finishing Trades Institute in the city’s far northeast, the vice president had an enthusiastic audience. There she explained that the Labor Department has made the first update in decades to the Davis-Bacon Act of 1931.
“We decided to invest in children and families instead of billionaires and corporations,” she said.
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The Depression-era law established the requirement that workers be paid the local prevailing wage on federal construction contracts, but in the 1980s, under President Ronald Reagan, the law was gutted, and the so-called “prevailing wage” hasn’t changed since.
"Many workers are paid much less than they deserve, much less than the value of their work. And not just by a little. In some cases, by thousands of dollars a year. And that is wrong," Harris said.
“We strongly believe every worker deserves fair wages for their work, so I am here today to announce that we are updating this law and giving workers across the nation a raise.”
The new rule is something of a return to the past in that it will use the definition of “prevailing wage” previously used from 1935 to 1983, likely raising the hourly earnings of contractors and subcontractors.
Harris said the new rule would ensure that federal spending under 2021’s massive infrastructure bill will benefit more than 1 million construction workers.
That "will mean thousands of extra dollars per year in workers' pockets to help put a down payment on a home, save for retirement, or simply have more breathing room," she said in an emailed statement.
Harris said it was part of the Biden administration’s larger strategy to build the economy from the middle out.
“We are very excited about Bidenomics and everything they’re doing,” said Kylee Pickens of Construction Apprentice Preparatory Program. “It’s already very appealing, but it makes it even more appealing that they’re raising this wage.”
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Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su was with the vice president on her visit.
“It’s really exciting, especially, to be in Philadelphia,” Su said. “For this big union town, there’s going to be a big impact here. There’s a lot of construction work going on.”
Su first published the new rule a year ago and has been working since then to make it airtight against litigation. It is, however, expected to be challenged by the Associated Builders and Contractors, who say the Davis-Bacon requirements make construction projects more expensive for taxpayers.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.