Pence campaign spends $s in common construction fight; governor considers radio or TV ads
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- Published: Tuesday, 24 March 2015 17:34
INDIANAPOLIS – Gov. Mike Pence is weighing whether to buy radio or television ads in a fight that labor leaders say is another GOP effort to weaken unions.
Already, Pence is using campaign money to pay for a website that supports eliminating the common construction wage, which lets local governments and schools set wage floors that contractors must meet for public projects.
And campaign funds have paid for online ads as well.
Screenshot of an ad that supports legislation to repeal the common construction wage law. The ad was paid for by Gov. Mike Pence’s campaign. |
“The governor has come out and said that if this reaches his desk, he will absolutely sign it. So he’s supportive of this measure,” said Robert Vane, the spokesman for the governor’s campaign. “He wants to be supportive in a holistic manner, more than just speaking” to the issue.
Vane wouldn’t say how much the Pence campaign has already spent to influence the divisive debate. Those numbers should be available later, when the campaign is required to disclose all its spending to the Indiana Election Division. But Vane acknowledged the campaign is investigating the cost of creating broadcast ads and buying radio and television time to run them.
No money has been spent on those efforts yet, he said.
If HB 1019 becomes law, it would eliminate a system that lets local boards set wages for contractors that work on projects worth more than $350,000. The boards are made up of five members and have representation from both union and non-union contractors. In many cases, the boards set minimum pay equal to the local union wage.
Supporters say the proposal will reduce the cost of public projects by as much as 20 percent. Opponents claim those numbers are exaggerated and say any savings come on the backs of workers that support local businesses.
The bill has already passed the House. In the Senate, President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne, said the measure will receive a hearing but he said the Republican caucus in that chamber is discussing its options for the legislation.
Vane said the governor wants to ensure lawmakers understand the importance of the legislation.
“All signs are that there’s positive momentum heading toward this,” Vane said. “It’s obviously passed the House and we want to do anything we can do from this side to be supportive of the effort to get the word out of what this will mean to Hoosier taxpayers.”
The campaign started buying digital ads a couple weeks ago and launched the RepealCommonWage.com website then too.
Article writer Lesley Weidenbener is the executive editor of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
