Prevailing wage rates cost Tuolumne County

To the Editor:

The recent announcement that TUD will be building a new wastewater treatment plant is welcome news. What is not so welcome is the excessive financial burden put on municipalities by the archaic California prevailing wage rates on publicly funded projects.

The cost of projects like the new water treatment plant could be 10-15% less if a more reasoned approach was used for wage rates. A decent living is what we want for all workers, but the public project rates in California are often determined using San Francisco's rates.

For example, a carpenter makes a total of $86.63 per hour in all 46 Northern California counties. The wage rates in San Francisco should not be the same as in Tuolumne County. Operating engineer's receive a total of $80-$85 per hour and electricians $69.38 per hour.

These big city wage rates are the reason that public construction projects cost so much in the more rural areas, to the detriment of the local ratepayer. A carpenter making $180,190 per year for full employment on public projects in the more rural areas is a big reason why we pay so much for basic services provided by the county.

Pay the workers well, but do not use wage rates that the corrupt building trades unions insist be paid in all counties, regardless of whether the county is a big city or rural area. John Robinson

Sonora