The ABC Greater Michigan Chapter celebrated a victory Nov. 16 when the Ingham County Circuit Court found the city of Lansing’s prevailing wage ordinance was unlawful because the state is the only entity that has the authority to regulate wages and benefits. 

The prevailing wage ordinance required union scale wages for construction workers on city-funded projects and was similar to the Bay City prevailing wage requirement that was repealed in 2010. The Bay City Commissioners voted to repeal the requirement before it went to court.

“Prevailing wage requirements hinder job creation within the construction industry,” ABC Greater Michigan Chapter President and CEO Jimmy Greene said. “This decision is not only a victory for the residents of Lansing, but also for cities across the state of Michigan because it clearly demonstrates that cities do not have the authority to impose these requirements.”

Using the Ingham County Circuit Court decision as a basis, the Greater Michigan Chapter intends to focus on eliminating local prevailing wage ordinances throughout the state.

Here are copies of ABC’s brief and reply brief (PDFs) that were submitted in case. 

For more information, read the article by the Masud Labor Law Group.