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Pence Signs Construction Wage Repeal

Indiana’s common construction wage is about to become extinct after Governor Mike Pence signed a bill repealing the wage 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, Governor Pence says 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 1st.

Brandon Smith is excited to be working for public radio in Indiana. He has previously worked in public radio as a reporter and anchor in mid-Missouri for KBIA Radio out of Columbia. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, Illinois as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, Missouri, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.