Take Action: Thank the Commissioners who voted for it

   What is the prevailing wage ordinance?
   Prevailing wage laws require workers on government funded construction contracts to
   be paid the prevailing wage and benefits for their particular craft. Federal, state, City of
   Memphis, and Memphis City School construction contracts are currently covered by
   prevailing wage laws. The Shelby County Commission voted 8 - 4 to adopting a prevailing
   wage ordinance on June 15th, 2009.

   How will the prevailing wage ordinance help workers and our County?
   Prevailing wage ordinances ensure that workers receive sustainable wages and benefits.
   Workers shouldn’t have to compete against each other just to earn a decent standard of living;
   this brings everyone’s wages and benefits down.

   Paying quality wages and benefits attracts workers with higher levels of training and skills.
   This protects against shoddy construction that leads to higher repair and maintenance costs for
   taxpayers. A 2005 study of prevailing wage projects performed for the City of Memphis showed that all
   such projects came in significantly under budget. Even though prevailing wage ordinances require
   higher wages to be paid to workers, some researchers believe that the reason prevailing wage
   projects have comparable costs to other construction projects is that when construction is done by
   well-paid, trained workers they can do the same job in less time than workers with less training.

   Contractors should pay the costs of health care for their workers. The public shouldn’t have to support
   low-wage employers who force their workers to rely on TennCare or the MED or go without health care.

   Construction contractors should compete for county contracts based on the best production, efficiency,
   and management, not on who can pay the lowest wages and fewest benefits.

   Prevailing wage laws make working conditions safer for workers. An academic study of the repeal of
   Kansas’ prevailing wage law found that after the law's repeal, worker injuries rose 19 percent. Also, apprenticeship
   training for new workers fell by 38 percent, and apprenticeship training among racial minorities fell even faster,
   by 54 percent.

   Thank the County Commissioners Who Voted to Pass the Shelby County
   Prevailing Wage Ordinance!
   Commissioners Brooks, Chism, Ford, Gibson, Harvey, Kuhn, Malone, and Mulroy voted for the prevailing wage - thank them!
   Commissioner Carpenter recused himself, and Commissioners Avery, Bunker, Flinn, and Ritz voted against the ordinance.

   Sample Thank You Email

    Dear Commissioner ______,

    Thank you for voting for the county prevailing wage ordinance. This law will ensure that workers
   on county construction projects are paid sustainable wages and benefits for their hard work. It will
   also benefit the County by requiring contractors to compete for bids based on who can perform the job
   with the highest quality and efficiency, rather than who can pay the lowest wages and offer the fewest
   benefits. Thank you for supporting legislation that rewards hard work and ensures quality construction for the County.

   Sincerely,
   Your name and your address

    Contact Information for Shelby County Commissioners Voting FOR the prevailing wage
   J.W. Gibson (901) 545-4301 jw.gibson@shelbycountytn.gov
   Henri Brooks (901) 545-4301 henri.brooks@shelbycountytn.gov
   Deidre Malone (901) 545-4301 deidre.malone@shelbycountytn.gov
   James Harvey (901) 545-4301 james.harvey@shelbycountytn.gov
   Sidney Chism (901) 545-4301 sidney.chism@shelbycountytn.gov 
   Joe Ford (901) 545-4301 joe.ford@shelbycountytn.gov
   Matt Kuhn  (901) 545-4301 matt.kuhn@shelbycountytn.gov
   Steve Mulroy (901) 545-4301 steve.mulroy@shelbycountytn.gov