West Virginia fire station not being rebuilt thanks to prevailing wage (union) rules

The volunteers who staff the Sissonville, W.Va. Fire Department have been working for more than 16 months to collect donations and government funding to rebuild their fire station after it burned to the ground in Oct. 2010. I know, ironic. After getting an estimate of $1.2 million to build and raising the funds through a variety of sources, the State of West Virginia Division of Labor halted the project since the gig would not pay the state-mandated prevailing wage.

If the job will be done at the lowest reasonable cost with the highest justifiable quality, but union labor is not used … stop the project. The Charleston Daily Mail lets us know the $1.2 million project must cost $1.8 million to meet prevailing wage rules in West Virginia. This is pathetic and certainly is the opposite of capitalism. Normally if your company provides the lowest bid on a contract and meets the specific building requirements detailing quality, service and turn around time you get the job.

But not so much when union management bully the state legislature.

The department has been working to raise money to replace its main fire station since the old headquarters burned to the ground in October 2010.

“We’ve had donations from private corporations, hot dog sales, our 50th anniversary we had a fundraiser, our auxiliary has had sings – you name it, we’ve tried it,” [Sissonville Fire Chief Tim] Gooch said.

“We’re trying to jump hurdles and jump through hoops to trying to get this built.”

After raising funds for a year and a half, the fire department had secured enough money to begin construction on what their bank estimated to be a project that would cost less than $1.2 million.

Gooch said it would be a firehouse suitable to serve the community for the next 50 years.

However, the state Division of Labor ruled that if the Sissonville VFD wanted to rebuild, it would have to abide by state prevailing wage rules for public authorities.

When Gooch got the two bids for the project with prevailing wages included, they both came in with the same price tag: $1.845 million.

Read the full article. Even if the department gave back $50,000 in funding provided by the state legislature, they had to pay. They could not use free labor provided by the community.

State-sponsored Union Labor Rules: Sucking the spirit out of America day after day.

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Steve McGough

Steve's a part-time conservative blogger. Steve grew up in Connecticut and has lived in Washington, D.C. and the Bahamas. He resides in Connecticut, where he’s comfortable six months of the year.

13 Comments

  1. Dimsdale on March 5, 2012 at 9:05 am

    Prevailing wage rules are part time socialism, or worse, gangsterism.?
    ?
    Nevermind that it is a VOLUNTEER fire department, and these guys are putting themselves on the line for the good of the community.? Nevermind that your taxes for a project like this will go up another 50% (1.2 to 1.8 million).? And we can’t have that neighborhood rabble volunteering to do the work of “good” union folk and “stealing the food from their family’s mouths”, can we?? Of course, if you get the project killed, how does your family get fed?
    ?
    Just make sure that the unions get their piece of the pie (as will the politicians they “rent”).? This is actually parasitism, but this time, the parasite is killing the host.



  2. Murphy on March 5, 2012 at 9:06 am

    I think I better hold my tongue……… #$%^&#U



  3. JBS on March 5, 2012 at 3:12 pm

    Ditto’s Dims.
    The triumph of unionism over logic, reason and just plain good sense, not to mention . . .
    I second Murphy’s sentiments.



  4. GdavidH on March 5, 2012 at 5:06 pm

    The problem lies in this part of this sentence: “working for more than 16 months to collect donations and government funding to rebuild their fire station”

    This is what any begging for the return of your tax dollars from the government will get you in an Obamanation. Gov’t takes and then returns with caveats.?

    We are staring to see why some states are refusing federal funding for anything. We are starting to see what gov’t healthcare will?mean to the subjects of their gov’t masters.???



  5. sammy22 on March 5, 2012 at 6:08 pm

    Seems like the bank did not know the rules.



    • GdavidH on March 5, 2012 at 7:36 pm

      Yup…..That’s the problem here.

      Bloated Gov’t and union thuggery=Sucking the spirit out of America day after day.?

      ??



  6. bill88w on March 5, 2012 at 8:20 pm

    It’s just not fair that the VFD has to pay the higher wages.? Oh wait, the unions get to tell us what is fair.? Maybe they can sell a fire truck to make up the difference.



  7. ricbee on March 5, 2012 at 11:21 pm

    Hold it! hold it!? The “Fire Station” burned down?



    • Lynn on March 6, 2012 at 4:36 pm

      ooops



  8. Tracy on March 6, 2012 at 9:17 am

    If the State can prohibit volunteer labor from rebuilding the structure, how long will it be before the State prohibits the volunteer firefighters from responding to alarms until they are paid union firefighter wages and benefits?



    • JBS on March 6, 2012 at 9:26 am

      Touche.
      ?



    • Dimsdale on March 6, 2012 at 10:51 am

      Now THAT is a superb rejoinder!? Kudos!



  9. PatRiot on March 6, 2012 at 5:58 pm

    Perhaps the CT union that lost the?bid to build the “magic bus” route can under-bid the local unions and get this?job.



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