Pennsylvania small business owner and NFIB member Warren Hudak recently wrote an op-ed in Broad & Liberty on Senate Bill 908, a prevailing wage bill that recently passed the Pennsylvania Senate. The legislation would extend prevailing wage protection to off-site custom fabrication work for public construction projects. Hudak wrote:

“The Pennsylvania Senate’s passage of Senate Bill 908 has largely been discussed as a construction and labor issue. In reality, its effects could extend far beyond public works projects and into the broader economy, particularly for small businesses and manufacturers already struggling with workforce shortages and rising costs…

“Supporters of Senate Bill 908 believe the legislation promotes fairness and prevents contractors from avoiding prevailing wage requirements through off-site fabrication. That perspective deserves consideration. Workers should be compensated fairly, and public contracting rules should be transparent and consistently applied…

“But lawmakers should also consider the broader economic consequences. Pennsylvania already faces demographic challenges, workforce shortages, rising healthcare costs, and intense interstate competition for investment. Policies that increase labor costs beyond the immediate public project can have consequences that reach manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and small businesses that were never intended to be affected.”

Read the full op-ed here.