WATERTOWN, Wis. — President Joe Biden visited a small town in western Wisconsin Thursday to talk up his infrastructure and energy spending in the swing state at a local electrical supply company.
The visit to the Dairy State, his first since stepping out of the presidential race, was on official presidential business and unconnected to the Harris-Walz campaign — but that didn’t stop Biden from mentioning his “predecessor” Donald Trump several times during his twenty-five-minute speech.
Besides bashing the ex-prez at the top of the GOP ticket, Biden appeared to have many other presidents on his mind Thursday.
When announcing his $7.3 billion in grants for rural electric co-ops in Wisconsin, he declared it “the most significant investment for rural electrification since FDR’s New Deal.”
Later he placed himself among another American presidential great, telling attendees that he’s done more to modernize transportation than anyone “since Eisenhower.”
The bipartisan infrastructure bill passed in 2021 allotted $3.1 billion for projects in Wisconsin, dispersed through grants and formula payments to state and local governments. But there are strings attached to the spending, which have left Wisconsinites balking at the program’s so-called benefits.
“Seven out of ten Wisconsin construction employees have chosen to not be part of a construction union,” John Schulze told The Post. Schulze runs legal and government relations at one of Wisconsin’s biggest trade associations for builders and contractors.
Since Wisconsin is a right to work state, union membership is voluntary — and Harris isn’t happy about it. On Labor Day, she promised to outlaw right to work at a Pittsburgh visit with Biden.
Industry insiders point out that the vast majority of Wisconsin contractors are merit-shops, meaning they pay employees based on their experience and ability — not a negotiated union wage.
What Biden says is “modernization” of these projects is requiring contractors to pay prevailing wage — a standardized wage rate determined by the government and based on labor market conditions, among other things.
Critics of prevailing wage say it artificially inflates the cost of a project and edges merit-based shops — and potentially better contractors — out of the competition for federal spending projects.
“For the Infrastructure package to work successfully, there should be no strings or mandates in place,” Cheryl Sment, President & CEO of Interstate Sealant & Concrete told The Post.
“There are only so many contractors out there doing the work that needs to be done to improve our crumbling infrastructure. Why not make it the best of the best and have the best?” she asked.
“I as a taxpayer would like that. With inflation a big part of the cost of construction, you are getting less miles of improved roads.”
Schulze points out that for construction employees, prevailing wage isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
“Union construction employees cannot buy into their employer and become the owner, or be promoted to management or other positions in a company. Open shop construction employees can and oftentimes do both,” Schulze said.
“It is vexing that President Biden would be opposed to these core American dreams of being promoted and being your own boss in the construction industry,” he added, before delivering one final dig.
“I get it, Unions spent over $240 million on Biden and other Democrat politicians in 2020, and they expected a return on that investment. The unions are likely going to do even more for Harris in 2024, and will expect more from her if she is elected,” Schulze told The Post.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, announced last week that his state received $177 million of the $3.1 billion pledged by the Biden administration under the Bipartisan Infrastructure law two years ago.