Corbett will stand with labor Wednesday to announce plans for 'prevailing wage' on city's big, flood-recovery construction projects

CEDAR RAPIDS -- Mayor Ron Corbett made mention of it during his mayoral campaign last fall – that he would push to make sure a “prevailing wage” was paid to those working on the city's large, flood-recovery construction projects.

Corbett now has scheduled a news conference for 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Plumbers & Steamfitters Training Center, 5101 J Street SW, to provide some details about what the city will require of contractors bidding on the city's upcoming big projects, such as the library, Central Fire Station, Paramount Theatre, Veterans Memorial Building, the old federal courthouse and an Animal Care and Control facility.

Corbett, a Republican, a former Republican state legislator and former president/CEO of the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, secured strong backing from labor in last fall's election.

At his Wednesday news conference, he said he also will address the growing unemployment rate in the local construction industry.

As for the prevailing wage, all of the large city projects easily could require the city to pay a prevailing wage, as set out in the federal Davis-Bacon Act, because some of the construction cost might be paid, at least in some part, by federal dollars other than those provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Corbett said Tuesday afternoon. The use of FEMA dollars, which will pay significant parts of the construction, do not require Davis-Bacon Act standards, the mayor added.

By way of example, he noted that the city is expecting to see a grant of as much as $35 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce to help pay for a new convention center. Commerce Department money requires the use of Davis-Bacon standards, Corbett said.