Donald Norcross: “This is something I know quite a bit about because I was one of those young electricians in an area hoping to get a job…”

“This is something I know quite a bit about because I was one of those young electricians in an area hoping to get a job, and then I see somebody come from hundreds of miles away with their company and undercut by literally cutting their wages and kicking back to their employers. Now, I am not suggesting that happens everywhere. But there is nothing more frustrating than to have a job in your local community that goes to outsiders who travel from very far distances to replace the workers who live there. Each of us understands how much we care about our districts. Each of us understands that on a level that is proven every November. We love our districts. We want to help those in our districts. This is why I find it so surprising that we wouldn't want to fight for a local hire agreement, a 60-mile radius. Take any point in this country, in 60 miles, you will find qualified workers. If, God forbid, that is not available, there are waivers allowed here for the Department of Defense. That is the important part to understand. There are qualified people throughout this country who do construction work on an annual basis, who do specialized work. They are the ones who live in that community. They are the ones who pay the taxes in that community. To have somebody come in from distances outside the State, who don't pay the taxes, and take that money back to their area, God bless them.…”