Abercrombie's proposals for Marine expansion in Guam rejected

[The Sushi Bandit]

Source: Honolulu Advertiser

WASHINGTON — Two proposals that would have increased the cost of the U.S. military's expansion in Guam by $10.2 billion were rejected Thursday as part of a compromise defense bill passed by the House.

One of the proposals would have mandated much higher wages for construction workers involved with transferring 8,000 Marines from Japan to Guam. The other would have put a ceiling on foreign workers on the project.

Military leaders worried about the price tag. Political and business leaders on Guam were concerned about inflationary pressures that would come with dramatic wage increases.

Democratic Rep. Neil Abercrombie, who's running for governor in Hawaii, offered the proposals in a bid to help his state's struggling construction industry. The House adopted them in its version of the bill setting defense priorities over the next few years. But they were excluded from a final compromise worked out by House and Senate negotiators.

Abercrombie's measure would have required the Guam Marine base project to use the same wage rates set for federal construction projects in Hawaii instead of the rates for projects in Guam. For example, electricians would get about $39 an hour at minimum, instead of $14. Bricklayers would get at least $35 an hour instead of nearly $12.



Read more: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20091008/BREA... ’s+proposals+for+Marine+expansion+in+Guam+rejected

---

The Guam Contractors Association win this and now can hire asian labors to do US Government construction on US territory.

[The Sushi Bandit]

1. The problem with posting stories from Hawai'i is....

Everyone on the mainland is eating dinner, going to bed, or having sex.

So i am kicking this story this morning.. or is it your lunch?