Tag Archives: Wisconsin

New Research Exposes Folly of Wisconsin’s Prevailing Wage Repeal Proposal

construction industry research

MADISON, Wis., June 2, 2015 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Just completed research by Colorado State University Economist Kevin Duncan and Smart Cities Prevail Researcher Alex Lantsberg reveals that Wisconsin's proposed prevailing wage repeal (AB 32) will cost the state nearly 9,000 jobs, $1.2 billion in economic output, $77 million in tax revenue, and will export an estimated $500 million in construction investments out of state.

The report, entitled "How Weakening Wisconsin's Prevailing Wage Policy Would Affect Public Construction Costs and Economic Activity," is the latest in a series of studies completed by Duncan and Lantsberg that model the effect of prevailing wage policy changes on the economies and construction industries of states where such changes are under consideration.

Read the Economic Impact Report on Repeal of Wisconsin's Prevailing Wage Policy Here (PDF): http://goo.gl/4LjeiS.

Wisconsin's proposed prevailing wage repeal, AB 32, passed out of the Assembly Labor Committee last week, and Governor Scott Walker - who is also widely expected to formally launch a bid for the Presidency in 2016 - has said he will sign the measure.

"There is a lot of misinformation out there, and up until now, study of the economic impact of these policy changes has been scarce," Duncan said. "There is a reason why prevailing wage policies have long been embraced by leaders in both political parties - including Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan and neighboring GOP Governor Rick Snyder - and our goal is to ensure that policy makers have the facts they need to cut through the overheated political rhetoric and make informed decisions."

The study uses data from the Economic Census of Construction and industry standard IMPLAN software to compare and model spending shifts in public construction that occur in prevailing wage and non-prevailing wage states. Factors include the economic ripple effect that wages have on spending, job creation, and tax revenue; industry responses to wage rates in terms of workforce productivity and worksite efficiency; and rates of in-state vs. out-of-state contracting on public works.

"The data clearly shows that repealing prevailing wage in Wisconsin will have no effect on project costs - but it will eliminate thousands of jobs across all economic sectors, suppress economic output, necessitate millions in cuts to other public services, lead to reduced productivity and efficiency at the job site, and export hundreds of millions of construction dollars out of state," said Lantsberg. "Repeal is not sound economic policy, and the only taxpayers AB 32 will benefit are those who live in states other than Wisconsin."

In their research, Lantsberg and Duncan devote an entire section to debunking the myth of cost savings by repeal proponents, noting that lower wage standards will deprive Wisconsin of favorable industry responses from prevailing wage standards. In Wisconsin's case, this includes a 7 percent increase in worksite productivity and 2 percent reduction in materials and fuels usage rates that come from employing higher skilled, local workers.

"These factors would, by themselves, more than exhaust any savings realized from imposing lower wages - especially since labor (wages and benefits) comprise less than 20 percent of the total cost of any public construction project," Duncan added. "Ultimately, over ten years, this measure will not save money, but it will reduce real income to Wisconsin families by $5.1 billion, shrink Wisconsin's economy by another $12 billion, and degrade the quality of construction on highways, schools, hospitals, and other public works. The facts are clear-repeal of prevailing wage in Wisconsin is just bad policy."

Kevin Duncan, Ph.D. is a nationally recognized economist specializing in labor and regional economics. Dr. Duncan works as a Professor of Economics in the Hasan School of Business at Colorado State University - Pueblo and Senior Economist at BCD Economics, LLC.

Alex Lantsberg is a researcher with Smart Cities Prevail specializing in economics, land use, and urban planning. Mr. Lantsberg holds a Master's Degree in City Planning from the University of California, Berkeley and an undergraduate degree in finance from Northern Illinois University.

Smart Cities Prevail is a leading construction industry research and educational organization, specializing in studying the costs and benefits of prevailing wage policies. Learn more at http://www.smartcitiesprevail.org/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/smartcitiesprevail.

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To view the original version on Send2Press Newswire, visit: https://www.send2press.com/newswire/new-research-exposes-folly-of-wisconsin-s-prevailing-wage-repeal-proposal-2015-0602-02.shtml.

NEWS SOURCE Smart Cities Prevail :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (who is solely responsible for its accuracy) by and Copr. © 2015 Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®.

Wisconsin Native Launches Her Debut Novel to Promote Awareness of Teen Bullying

The Cat That Went To Homecoming

MILWAUKEE, Wis., March 4, 2014 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Julie Otzelberger shows the bully what it's like to be on the other side, while showing the victim how to overcome obstacles through volunteer work. "The Cat That Went To Homecoming" (ISBN: 9781612358215; paper) published by Fire and Ice Young Adult Books, was released on Amazon.com as a Kindle edition, and on Lulu.com in both paperback and ebook on February 24, 2014.

"The Cat That Went To Homecoming" is the coming of age story of Ellen Jones, an overweight teenage girl from a single family home. She is under constant attack by her peers, bullied because of her weight and her family's poverty. Through volunteer work with her cat, Hershey, Ellen finds her self esteem and the courage to stand up to her bullies. Along the way, she discovers what true friendship and forgiveness are and tells us how Hershey became "The Cat That Went To Homecoming."

"'The Cat That Went To Homecoming' addresses many serious social issues including family separation, bullying, homophobia, social isolation, and depression. The compelling story is also about fun, friendship, and forgiveness," says Paula Scott-Ginn, Pet Partners Marketing Coordinator.

Mrs. Otzelberger's goals in writing this novel were to create awareness of teen bullying and to show young adults how they can benefit from volunteerism. The author herself is a registered handler with Pet Partners, and she and her cat Bear underwent the same training and testing as Ellen and Hershey do in the novel.

Julie Otzelberger is grew up in Hartland Wisconsin and has been a Milwaukee area resident since her high school years. She is no stranger to bullying, having been bullied for most of her school years. The comments classmates made still haunted her after thirty years. In an effort to overcome her self esteem issues, Mrs. Otzelberger underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2010.

The unconditional love that pets offer can heal almost any pain. Gastric Bypass surgery changed Mrs. Otzelberger's appearance, but it could not heal the scars of bullying. The work she does with her therapy cat, Bear, gave her the self esteem she was lacking.

Julie Otzelberger has been married to her husband for 17 years, and their daughter still lives at home while attending college. They have four cats and one dog-several of her coworkers refer to her home as "Noah's Ark"

"Hershey is a combination of each cat God has blessed me with over the years," says Otzelberger. "My life was similar to Ellen's, but I did not find anything like Pet Partners until very recently. I hope I help a young girl finds her way to Pet Partners and follow her altruistic path with her best friend."

Find the book on Amazon at: http://amzn.com/B00ILZXLOI - or on Lulu at: http://www.lulu.com/shop/julie-otzelberger/the-cat-that-went-to-homecoming/paperback/product-21467193.html .

To view the original version on Send2Press Newswire, visit: https://www.send2press.com/newswire/Wisconsin-Native-Launches-Her-Debut-Novel-to-Promote-Awareness-of-Teen-Bullying_2014-03-0305-001.shtml.

NEWS SOURCE Julie Otzelberger :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (who is solely responsible for its accuracy) by and Copr. © 2014 Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®.