ASA Members and Allies,
The American Subcontractors Association of Arizona (ASA-AZ) was recently alerted that a prevailing wage ordinance will be going before the Phoenix City Council on Tuesday, June 23rd. The ASA strongly opposes the proposed ordinance.
The language of the ordinance is overly broad and would impose wage requirements from the 1931 Davis-Bacon act on all new construction projects in the City of Phoenix.
The ordinance was also drafted without the input of Arizona’s construction industry and is being rushed through the City of Phoenix’s policymaking process. The draft ordinance has not been vetted through the traditional sub-committee hearing process, and even the City’s own attorneys haven’t had a chance to review its legality. In other words, the Phoenix City Council is moving forward without feedback from the contractors who will be required to comply with the additional burdens this ordinance will impose on their businesses during these already challenging and uncertain economic times.
Again, we oppose this proposed ordinance and the half-baked approach that produced it. While ASA staff, board members, and DeMenna Public Affairs fight the good fight behind the scenes, we urge you to reach out to the Mayor and City Council to express your opposition to this ordinance. Contact information can be found here.
Also, please contact new ASA-AZ Executive Director Josh Umar (josh@asa-az.org or 602-274-8979) with your opinion on how this might affect your company and your interest in bidding on City of Phoenix projects moving forward. Josh is already making advocacy a top priority, and he is eager to listen to your needs and feedback.
Finally, if you haven’t done so already, please sign up for the Arizonans for Fair Contracting (AFC) mailing list to stay abreast of further developments, and consider donating to support our ongoing fight against onerous, ill-considered policies like this one.
Thank you,
Mike Brewer
President, ASA-AZ
CEO, Brewer Companies
PS – I want to be sure I am speaking to the ownership of each company receiving this email. If you represent your business at the ASAA or AFC but are not the owner, please forward this letter, so they are aware of this threat.
ASAA first and foremost represents and advocates for Subcontractors on issues that affect our bottom line and ability to operate our businesses. This initiative is only the latest attack. Please join me in supporting or defeating problems that we care about.
If you currently are not a member of the American Subcontractors Association of Arizona (ASA-AZ), click here to join and get involved!