St. Paul, MN – On June 24, 2020, the Metropolitan Council approved Resolution No. 2020-8 resolving that the Council modify its procurement policies and procedures to require that laborers, workers, mechanics on all Council public works construction and maintenance projects that are let by sealed bids and on all design-build construction projects that are let by formal requests for proposals after public notice be paid wages comparable to wages paid for similar work in the community as a whole, effective August 2020.
Following the vote, the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council released the following statement: The Minnesota State Building Trades Council wants to congratulate the Metropolitan Council for taking these affirmative steps to ensure that local prevailing wages are paid to construction workers on all Met Council construction projects.
Minnesota prevailing wage laws advance the metropolitan regional economy by ensuring that workers on Minnesota’s publicly funded construction projects are paid local wages. With prevailing wages, local contractors are more likely to win bids on local construction projects. Prevailing wages also ensure that construction workers have family sustaining wages, encourage safety and skills training and facilitates a more diverse and inclusive construction workforce.