The new LERC and Illinois Economic Policy Institute study on the impacts of Oregon’s Prevailing Wage Rate law finds that the law does not increase project costs, does boost bid competition and the share of projects that local contractors are awarded, and increases wages and health insurance coverage.
Oregon’s Prevailing Wage Rate Law creates 5,400 jobs, improves the state economy by $752 million, and generates $35 million in state and local tax revenues every year.
This study also reveals that strengthening the Oregon law to align with Washington state’s prevailing wage law, would annually boost total construction worker incomes by an additional $100 million, extend health insurance coverage to 1,800 construction workers, lift 1,200 construction workers out of poverty, and improve state tax revenues by $10 million.