For first time, Culver indicates he backs “prevailing wage” bill

Governor Culver had been coy when reporters asked for his view of labor legislation — specifically four unino-backed bills — that are under consideration in the Iowa Legislature.  That ended tonight, shortly after House Democrats failed to get the 51st vote needed to pass a "prevaillng wage" requirement for publicly-funded construction projects. Culver now says "we owe it to hardworking Iowans" to make the bill law, which means he'll sign it. 

Culver issued the following statement at 7:10 p.m.:

GOVERNOR CULVER: PREVAILING WAGE LEGISLATION IS ABOUT FAIR PAY AND GOOD JOBS

DES MOINES – Governor Chet Culver issued the following statement on prevailing wage legislation pending in the Iowa House of Representatives. If passed by the House and Senate and signed into law, Iowa would join 32 other states – including 5 of the 6 states bordering Iowa – to have a prevailing wage law that applies to major public construction projects.

Governor Culver’s Statement

"This legislation is about two things: good jobs and fair pay. And I want to be very clear; this is not over. Key members of the legislature have yet to vote, and I commend Speaker Murphy and the leadership for allowing them the opportunity to do so.

“Our state is currently ranked 42nd in the nation for wages, and I am not going to sit by and allow that to be good enough. As we work to improve our economy and invest in our public infrastructure, we owe it to the people of Iowa to make sure we are supporting good jobs. Iowans who work hard and play by the rules deserve nothing less.

“A broad coalition of labor and business came together to support prevailing wage, because we owe it to hardworking Iowans to guarantee they earn good wages at good jobs. This is one of many steps we need to take in order to boost our economy. Our efforts on behalf of Iowa’s working families are not over, and I will continue to work with House and Senate leaders to see that this important bill arrives at my desk."