A proposed change to the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority's prevailing wage policy will hurt workers and their families, says the Prevailing Wage Coalition, a group of organizations dedicated to fair compensation, workers' rights and economic equity.
“Only in a world where down is up and up is down would a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) consultant suggest the path to creating a more equitable region is best charted by reducing worker wages, jettisoning the Port’s prevailing wage requirement,” the group wrote in a letter to president and CEO William Friedman.
A Port resolution has required prevailing wages and a $15 minimum wage for service sector contracts since 2018. A prevailing wage is a common feature of unions and is defined as “the average wage paid to similarly employed workers in a specific occupation in the area of intended employment,” according to the Department of Labor.
The letter comes after Bridges Group International, a North Carolina-based consulting firm the Port brought on to create DEI initiatives, told the board of directors the prevailing wage resolution harms the port’s ability to finance deals.
Consultant Renee Holloman told the board that, according to her interviews with stakeholders, "the 100% prevailing wage requirement has had a total chilling effect for some people who would bring in requests for funding to the port.”
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