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By D.L. Davis July 20, 2022

Evers falters on prevailing wage issue

In 2015 and 2017, Republican Gov. Walker and the Republican-run Legislature repealed prevailing wage laws, which had required the state to pay a minimum level of wages for each trade in different areas of Wisconsin.

As a candidate in 2018, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers promised to undo those changes.

And in both of his two budgets, Evers made an effort to do just that, but each time Republicans rejected it. 

 Britt Cudaback, Evers' spokesperson, said that makes Republicans "the sole elected officials standing in the way of progress on this issue." Of course, to the other side, Evers is trying to undo what advocates of the change view as progress.

 PolitiFact Wisconsin rates promises on results, not intent or effort on the part of Evers. And this promise was very specific, not part of a long-term effort like reducing the prison population or trying to rein in the school choice program. 

Thus, we rate it Promise Broken.

 

Our Sources

PolitiFact Wisconsin 

Email, Evers spokesperson Britt Cudaback, July 12, 2022

Eric Litke
By Eric Litke November 19, 2019

Republicans kill prevailing wage rollback

Laws passed in 2015 and 2017 under Republican Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican-run Legislature repealed the state's prevailing wage law.

The law in place until then required the state to pay certain minimum levels for construction workers. This was determined for each trade in various areas of the state.

Campaigning against Walker, Tony Evers said he would repeal those changes that "simply take money out of Wisconsin workers' pockets." Now governor, Evers tried to follow through with his first budget. Republicans weren't having it.

Evers' budget proposed going back to the system in place prior to 2015, but the Republican Legislature removed this from the budget.

There are still three years left in Evers' term, and he has one more budget in which to address this.

For now we rate this promise Stalled.

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