The city of Los Angeles is exploring what would happen if the minimum wage of workers on residential construction projects was raised to more than $32 an hour.
At Tuesday morning’s city council meeting, councilmembers Curren Price and Hugo Soto-Martinez introduced a motion to have the city commission a study on the effects of establishing a $32.35 minimum wage for all construction projects in the city with ten or more residential units and under 85 feet in height.
The study would also analyze the effect of an additional healthcare credit of $7.65 per hour for construction workers on these projects.
The motion, also backed by councilmembers Bob Blumenfield and Heather Hutt, argues that lifting the floor on wages and benefits is necessary to attract workers amid pressures on the city to rebuild units lost during the Palisades fire — and as the industry hemorrhages workers leaving due to fears of immigration raids.
A coalition of construction unions and housing groups including Abundant Housing LA and Housing Action Coalition have voiced their support for a wage increase.
Backers say that wage boosts are necessary to protect construction workers in the residential sector who are often non-union, foreign born, and hired through multi-layered contracting that makes them more vulnerable to wage theft and exploitation.
“These are workers who can’t afford a roof over their head, yet we rely on them to build the roofs over our own,” said Pete Rodriguez, western district vice president of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters in a statement.
Some construction projects already require union-level pay, known as a “prevailing wage,” and benefits. Those projects would be exempt under the proposal.
The councilmembers proposal follows a recent battle over raising wages for hotel and airport workers in the city. Business groups fought to repeal the city’s $30 minimum wage for tourism workers, but in early September fell short of securing the minimum number of signatures needed to qualify their initiative for the ballot.
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