InfoAnda - INSIDE WASHINGTON: A lawmaker's long reach

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Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail Yahoo! Search Search: Sign InNew User? Sign Up News Home - Help Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Africa Europe Latin America Middle East North America Search Search: INSIDE WASHINGTON: A lawmaker's long reach By KEVIN FREKING,Associated Press Writer AP - Sunday, September 6 WASHINGTON - A veteran House member from Hawaii has found a way to help his state's struggling construction industry _ and boost his campaign for governor. The catch? It would cost taxpayers an extra $10 billion. ADVERTISEMENT Democratic Rep. Neil Abercrombie wants to legislate high wages for a massive construction project in the federal territory of Guam, restrict the ability of foreigners to get those jobs and hope Hawaii residents, although 3,800 miles away, will flock there for the work. One official estimate says that would add $10 billion to the project's cost, doubling its price tag. At issue are thousands of jobs building houses, dormitories, offices, warehouses, roads and utilities for 17,000 Marines and family members who will relocate from Japan in the coming years. Abercrombie's effort is raising concerns in Guam and at the Pentagon. But it is sure to please many of his constituents, particularly the labor unions that have heavily financed his re-election campaigns over his 18 years Congress. It's an example of how one lawmaker looking out for his home state can be an expensive proposition for the U.S. treasury. His critics say Abercrombie is trying to win the 2010 race for governor at Guam's expense. They're worried that ramped-up wages _ tripling pay for bricklayers, for example _ would lead to a roller-coaster economy with high inflation and a plummet once construction ends in 2014. They also worry the relocation might be scuttled altogether if he gets his way. "He is obviously playing to the major portion of his constituency, labor union members, in order to win that election," said John Robertson, a director with the Guam Contractors Association. Abercrombie's response? "Duh." "Of course I'm playing to working people. The building trades and working people have been the foundation of my political career for 36 years," he said. "If I didn't do this, people would say, 'What's wrong with him?'" Right now, most of the labor is expected to come from Asia, particularly the Philippines, which is much closer to Guam. Hawaii is about as close to Kansas as it is Guam. Abercrombie wants to limit the number of foreigners who can be hired for the project, then set minimum wages at the rates used for federal construction projects in Hawaii, in order to entice American workers. Electricians would get about $39 an hour at minimum, instead of $14. Bricklayers would get at least $35 an hour instead of nearly $12. Abercrombie asserts his proposal would focus dollars on U.S. citizens and raise living standards on the island of 171,000 people. Labor unions have been Abercrombie's biggest backers over the years, giving him nearly $1 out of every $3 he's raised, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a watchdog group. Building trade unions have contributed $586,000 to him since 1989. Contractors who rely on union workers aren't guaranteed they'll get work through Abercrombie's bill. But they often are best positioned to deal with the paperwork and regulations that come with working on large federal construction projects. The project, to be paid for by the U.S. and Japan, now is estimated to cost $10 billion. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the changes sought by Abercrombie, in legislation that passed the House, would cost the U.S. $10.2 billion more. Randy Perreira, president of the Hawaii state chapter of the AFL-CIO, said Hawaiian construction workers will take a close look at the jobs. "We've got so many people on the bench here in Hawaii, it's just outrageous," Perreira said. "They won't go for the jobs at the wage rate that's present on Guam currently, but for the prevailing Hawaiian wage, a lot of them would." Abercrombie's amendments were part of House legislation setting defense priorities for the coming years. It remains to be seen if the Senate will go along. Negotiators will meet in coming weeks to try to forge a single bill that can pass both chambers. Guam, about three times the area of the District of Columbia, already serves as a major military installation. It's an ideal staging area from which to send ships, planes and troops to Asia. Currently, officials project that about 80 percent of the labor force will come from Asian countries. Guam contractors would recruit workers from Hawaii and the mainland to fill management, engineering and administrative tasks. They wonder whether construction workers from Hawaii would really venture to Guam or stay long. Officials worry about a lack of housing and schools if Americans fill the majority of the jobs. Asian workers would live in camps; Americans are more likely to bring their families, requiring housing that's unavailable. Matt Rector, a senator on the island as well as the head of the local affiliate of the AFL-CIO, said workers there welcome what Abercrombie's trying to do because of the island's dismal economy. The cost of living there is high because so many products have to be shipped to such a low-volume destination, yet wages are below the national average and people have difficulty finding decent-paying jobs. The unemployment rate is about 11.4 percent. "The ways it's set up right now, all this money will funnel out almost immediately into foreign countries' economies," Rector said. "That doesn't make sense by any stretch of the imagination." Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Sign in to recommend this article » 0 users recommend Related Articles: World Sightseeing boat sinks in Macedonian lake; 15 deadAP - 50 minutes ago UK-World SummaryReuters - 1 hour 42 minutes ago Fire no longer threatening LA-area communitiesAP - 1 hour 43 minutes ago Obama adviser Van Jones resigns amid controversyAP - 2 hours 54 minutes ago Mexico catches suspect in border incursion, deathsAP - 2 hours 58 minutes ago Most Popular – World Viewed Appetite spells three wolves' doom in Switzerland Poignant final farewell as Jackson laid to rest US unemployment hits 9.7%, job losses narrow further First baby born from new egg-screening technique Chappaquiddick 'haunts me,' Kennedy said View Complete List » Search: Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. 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