Washington Votes Forum

Introduced in the House on January 15, 2003, regarding public works apprenticeships

The vote was 52 in favor, 45 opposed and 1 not voting

(House Roll Call 0 at House Journal 0)

Click here to view bill details.

HB 1065 is a terrible bill for all construction contractors. The industry knows we need to train more people, but we don't need government mandates to "help" us do it. Neither the union nor open shop sectors could even provide enough apprentices to fill the quotas. And the paperwork requirement would just drive up the cost of public construction even more. This bill is really more about limiting competition from open shop contractors than about apprenticeship.

I am opposed to HB 1065, establishing apprentice utilization quotas. This will impose undue hardship on construction companies and add costs to construction projects. It is also un-necessary. Construction companies, Union and non-union, already actively support the future of our industry by participating in apprenticeship programs as it is necessary for the future of the industry. However, to impose mandatory participation requirements will slow production, create additional overhead costs to comply with the reporting and paperwork requirements, and potentially reduce competition thereby raising construction costs.

It's time to get rid of these out-dated programs that are a throw back to the good old days. These programs do nothing that private industry wouldn't. It's about power, money, and control. The unions want the power. The state wants the money. The large corporations want to control the market entry by competitors. Union workers are no better than non-union, and sometimes worse. If the state is going to be involved in "certifying" workers, then they need to be liable for any mistakes they make.

Libertarian Larry
Bellingham

What in the world is happening in Olympia. Our souls would be next to take if they could figure a way to do it. So the unions need another handout to expand their workforce at everyone else's expense?! Shame on you for even coming up with this idea. This is a new twist for "quotas" that places undue stress on the real working people of our state.