PROTECT WAGES
Not Contractor Profits and Millionaire Tax Cuts

President Bush removed wage protections from construction workers who will rebuild the hurricane-
ravaged Gulf Coast. We should be protecting the ages of working people trying to rebuild their lives
and communities, not contractor profits and millionaire tax breaks.

+ The federal Davis-Bacon Act wage protections are supposed to ensure workers will be paid a
community “prevailing wage” for their work on federal constructions projects. In the affected 
Gulf Coast states, that averages just $9.50 an hour–less than 20,000 a year for full-time work.
Is that too much to ask?

+ While lowering workers’ pay, the administration also is giving no-bid
contracts to politically connected companies, such as Haliburton, that will profit from the wage cuts.

+ Plus, the administration and its congressional allies refuse to limit massive new tax breaks for
millionaires. New tax cuts slated to take effect January 1 that will benefit ONLY the wealthy will
cost us $70 billion we should spend rebuilding the Gulf Coast. (For an insightful reflection on the
strategy the administration is using to bankrupt government and privatize all of society see
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1011-22.htm)

For more info, on this protect wages effort, see
http://www.aflcio.org/issues/jobseconomy/jobs/davis-bacon.cfm

ACTION
Call 800-718-1008 and follow the instructions to speak with your congressional representative.
Urge him/her to tell President Bush to restore wage protections for the construction workers
who will rebuild the Gulf Coast.