Say No to Pay Cuts

Regarding prevailing wages, Steve Gats stated in his Jan. 31 letter, “You get the same personnel and the same quality of work” whether a carpenter is paid $7 to $12 an hour or $22.89 per hour. This statement cannot go without a closer examination.

Let us take any industry. If someone were to cut the wages of the workers by 50% or more, the best, who receive the higher wages, would market their talents in another industry and would go where their talents are compensated appropriately. Therefore the industry from which they came would experience a major loss of talent. This loss would diminish the quality of the product produced.

Another area that needs examining is that carpenters do not work 2,080 hours a year like most other employees. Carpenters do not get paid for the days they are sick, when it rains, on holidays, during vacation or when between jobs. (many are between jobs four to six times a year) They do not get paid for the hours they do not work.

Most carpenters work an average of 1,200 hours in a year. With this in mind, Gats is saying pay carpenters, who are building our schools, highways, bridges, city halls and buildings, $14,400 a year ($12 multiplied by 1,200 hours).

According to an article in The Times, “Tight Job Markets, Low Wages for Adults Leaves More Children in Poverty,” Nov. 26, 1996, a wage of $16,071 a year for a family of four is considered poverty. I do not know of any talented people in any industry who will be running to work for poverty wages. Talent demands their abilities be appreciated.

Cutting the wages of the construction worker in half reduces the quality of construction. Then, after the mass migration of the talented, your schools, highways, bridges, city halls and state buildings will be built by those whose talents demand poverty wages.

EDWARD R. HESKETT

Investigator/Special Programs

Carpenter/Contractors

Cooperation Committee

Orange