Our view: Union takes job-killing tactics to North County

Correction: [The North County Times editorial of July 17, "Hardball politics heading north," confused the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California with the San Diego Building and Construction Trades Council. To our knowledge, the state council, which has sued the city of Vista over its charter, was not, as we incorrectly stated, involved in negotiations with the Gaylord Entertainment over its proposed project in Chula Vista. Thus, the editorial drew an inaccurate link between the circumstances in Chula Vista and Vista. We regret the errors.]

The collapse of a real estate deal in the South Bay wouldn't normally be of concern to North County residents, but the decision of a Tennessee company to pull out of the $1 billion redevelopment of Chula Vista's bayfront could have ramifications as North County cities, such as Vista, plan large public works projects.

On Wednesday, the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California filed suit against Vista to challenge the ability of charter cities to bypass prevailing wage laws .

This legal challenge comes about a month and a half after Vista voted to become a charter city , which, among other benefits, would let the city avoid paying inflated prevailing wages to construction workers while embarking on a $100 million public works spending spree.

The suit followed Gaylord Entertainment's announcement that it was walking away from a deal to build a hotel and convention center in Chula Vista. That same State Building and Construction Trades Council was making demands that Gaylord officials said would have increased the cost of the project by $50 million to $75 million. According to Gaylord representatives, if the demands weren't met, the council threatened to file environmental lawsuits to delay the project.

You'd think that scuttling a projected 6,500-job construction project might give the trades council some pause. Instead, it's full speed ahead with more of the same in Vista. Perhaps it hasn't occurred to the trade council yet, so we'll help: There is a difference between milking a corporation for everything it can get and doing the same to taxpayers.

Prevailing wage laws are relics of the New Deal era that merely serve to drive up construction costs. Vista's elected leaders are serving their constituents when they try to get the most bang for taxpayers' buck by avoiding these obsolete prevailing wages.

Sure, it makes sense for the trades council to hold out for the highest pay for its members, but it risks depressing the labor market with its heavy-handed tactics. That's bad news for workers, too, and even worse news for cities trying to complete much-needed infrastructure upgrades and redevelopment.