Indiana's Common Construction Wage Repealed

Indiana’s common construction wage is about to become extinct after Gov.Mike Pence signed a bill repealing it Wednesday. 

The common construction wage is a kind of minimum wage for construction workers on public projects.  The wage is set for each project by a local board.  In a statement announcing he signed the bill repealing the common wage, Pence said wages should be set by the marketplace, not government bureaucracy.  He says repealing the system puts taxpayers first. 

But opponents of the repeal say ending the common wage will create more economic disparity, driving more public projects into the hands of out-of-state workers.  And the Indiana Building and Construction Trades union announced its support for Democrat John Gregg in the next gubernatorial election, saying Pence has done everything in his power to discourage young people from joining the construction industry.  The repeal takes effect July 1.