Frank Marshall calls himself a lifelong Republican, but on Monday he stood on the steps of the Statehouse and denounced GOP leaders for their efforts to kill Indiana’s 80-year-old common construction wage.
Marshall, a second-generation contractor from Valparaiso, told about 8,000 protesters that he regretted donations to Republicans who want to end the system that sets wages for workers on public projects.
“I’m going to tell you, I’m sorry I did that,” said Marshall, setting off a roar of approval from construction workers who traveled from all over the state to protest the proposal that has strong backing of Gov. Mike Pence.
“I feel a strong of sense of betrayal,” Marshall said after leaving the podium to make way for a long line of speakers. “I just don’t think there is anything wrong with a man or woman earning a fair wage.”
It was a theme repeated throughout the two-hour rally, which was organized by the Indiana Building Contractors Alliance.
Repeal supporters claim that ending the law, which sets union-level wages on public construction projects such as schools, saves taxpayers money by permitting the free market to determine worker pay.
The Building Contractors Alliance, made up of 4,000 contractors, cites the prevailing wage’s origins as a 1930s-era protective measure to keep out-of-state contractors with unskilled workers from undercutting local companies on government jobs.
The wage covers more than $1.5 billion in public construction projects a year and 75,000 workers.
Strong opposition has also come from the state’s building trade unions, which have partnered with contractors to create apprenticeship training programs that lead to high-skilled, good-paying jobs.
The legislation to repeal the wage law sprung forth unexpectedly earlier in the session, coming on the heels a court decision upholding the state’s contentious right-to-work law, which has weakened labor union membership.
In late March, the Republican Pence’s campaign bought $250,000 worth of ads supporting the repeal of common construction wage, with the governor saying the law “is outdated and costs Hoosier taxpayers millions in additional building costs.”
The Republican-controlled House passed the legislation before it was taken up by Pence allies in the Senate, which is expected to debate the measure and take a final vote on it later in the week.
Democratic leaders at the rally condemned the proposal as a Republican attempt to gut middle-class wages.
“We will not have working men and women of this state nailed to the cross of low wages,” said House Minority Leader Scott Pelath of Michigan City.
He and other Democrats said Republican leaders who underestimated the fallout from the divisive Religious Freedom Restoration Act – which had to be amended to quell a storm of national criticism – also underestimate the fallout from what Democrats say is an attack on working families.
But some of the strongest criticism of the repeal effort came from Republican legislators who voted against it and from contractors who said their longtime support of GOP leaders has earned them little in return.
Sen. Ed Soliday, R-Valpraiso, criticized leaders of his party who’ve claimed repealing the wage could reduce the costs of public construction up to 20 percent.
“That’s a myth,” said Soliday, to a cheering crowd. He urged protesters not to make the legislation into a partisan issue or one that pits business against labor.
“If we make this political … Republican versus Democrat, business versus labor, we’re going to lose,” he said.
Mike Menke, head of the Indiana State Pipe Trades, said Republicans have increasingly found support among union workers who hold conservative views on many issues.
“Most of the people in this crowd have been ardent supporters of the Republican Party,” Menke said. “This is the God, guns and babies crowd right here.”
Portage Mayor James Snyder, a Republican who opposes the wage repeal, got a rousing cheer when he quoted President Ronald Reagan and said Republican leaders forget “that the sweat of a man’s brow is the fuel of this nation’s economy.”
His words resonated with a group of union electricians from Kokomo.
“I think everybody should be concerned about this, whether they’re Democrats or Republicans,” said George Gardineer. “If they repeal this and start sending money out of state, it’s not going to do us any good here.”
Also in the crowd was Rep. Mike Karickhoff, of Kokomo. He was one of 13 out of 70 House Republicans who opposed the wage repeal.
Karickhoff said he hopes his Republican colleagues will pay attention to the voices at the rally.
“In my district, trade unions are high-profile,” he said. “They do a great job and even the private sector understands their value. So it’ll be interesting to see what the Senate does as this bill continues to advance.”