Here's some of what they had to say:

Gretchen Whitmer, Democratic candidate for governor. 

"We deserve a living wage, we deserve to be respected and by God stop the attacks on working people of this state. That's why we're here.

"The state that built the middle class was Michigan. The people who built this state are you. And it is time we elect a governor, that we elect a Legislature that recognizes that. Your ability to take care of your families. Your ability to do something you love and make a good living doing it. That's what built the state of Michigan. That's what's going to move our economy forward. 

"In this building they talk about the importance of having a skilled workforce. And yet they push legislation to take away, to undermine, to gut the ability of people to make a living doing the jobs we all rely on.  

"No more attacks on working people. We will fight to make sure that prevailing wage is protected in Michigan. And as I look around, and at every rally I've spoken at this past year especially, I always look at the signs. And right now I'm looking at a sign that says 'Hey Michigan, don't bite the hand that builds you.'
Right? We will not let these guys hide from you. We will not let these guys silence you. If they think they're going to get away with this then they have another thing coming. 

"I'm proud to have been the first person to sign the petition to protect prevailing wage. And I'm hoping you'll sign my petition to be the next governor of this state. It's time for us to start setting the agenda again in Michigan. Are you with me? Good, because I'm with you."

State Sen. David Knezek (D-Dearborn Hts., 5th District).

"We want to make sure we send a strong message to the men and women in this building: That we want them to stay away from our prevailing wage and to allow us to earn a quality of living for us and our families. 

"Now we know that a potential for a vote to repeal prevailing wage is right around the corner. The Republicans who come to work in this building every single day with one focus in mind. And that is to take away the safety and security of a high-paying job from the men and women who are standing before me today.  

"If the Republicans get their way, your paychecks could be cut. By thousands of dollars. Some of you may even lose your jobs. Now if you're anything like me, you find it absolutely disgusting when a politician who has not spent a single day on a construction site, who has not spent a single day getting their hands dirty through manual labor, tries to go ahead and lower the wages of the working people in this state. 

"And we know why they do it. They all got together in a little room, a couple of their deep-pocketed donors told them what to do. They told them to go and help us increase our corporate profits at the expense of the working people in this state. Now there's no secret my friends. Michigan has been one of the slowest states to recover after the recession. And there are people in this building who would have you believe that the reasons for that is the people who are standing in front of me here today. But make no mistake about it, the reason our state has been so slow to recover is because of the politicians in their suits and ties. 

"The people in this building may want to pawn their incompetence off on folks like you. The folks who have put their blood, their sweat their tears into constructing our roads, bridges and schools. But I want to be crystal clear about one thing. You can count on me and my colleagues to do every single thing we can to protect prevailing wage and to make sure that you all can take home a good paycheck at the end of the week. We need qualified, certified Michiganders on the job, we do no need cheap, unskilled foreign labor on the construction site. 

"We need to keep taxpayer money right here in Michigan, we do not need to send it to out of state companies or overseas businesses.

"And most importantly, we need people right now who won't back down from this fight. Now is not the time to sit back, now is the time to put the pedal to the metal to turn up the pressure and send the strongest message possible to the men and women in this building who want to lower your wages. It is time to get loud, it is time to demand a fair wage for fair work. My colleagues and I will be with you every step of the way."

State Rep. Bill Sowerby (D-Clinton Twp., 31st District).

"You have come out to brave this weather to push back on this awful issue that's going to be before us in this building behind me. 

"For 30 years, I have been in elected office. I have watched over the years as communities and counties have tried projects without prevailing wage and I watched as those projects were poorly built. There were all kinds of cost overruns. 

"Prevailing wage works. Prevailing wage pays good workers for the hard work they do over the years, and for apprenticeship programs, for people to learn the skills - all the things we don't see without prevailing wage. This is something we have to push back on. 

"We have to protect the good wages, the good well-being of all hard workers in this state. And that's all of you out there. And hopefully with the help of the people in building behind me we will keep prevailing wage in this state."

State Rep. Henry Yanez (D-Sterling Hts., 25th District). 

"So about a month ago, this same area was occupied by cops and firefighters because the people in this building tried to take away retiree health care and affect their retirement benefits. And they stood where you're standing and they said no, we're drawing a line, you're not getting your hands in our pockets, you're not affecting our lives, our retirements, our families. 

"Do not let a politician tell you that you do not have any value. 

"Frankly I'm mad as hell about this. You need to let these politicians know that you have had enough. Stop attacking our wages. Stop attacking our neighborhoods. Stop attacking our lifestyles. Stop attacking our retirements. 

"We need to make sure that the money that you make is an investment not only in your family but in your community. We don't need cheap labor to come here from West Virginia, from Ohio, from Kentucky and Tennessee, and send that money back home. We need that money here, to make Michigan better, to make our neighborhoods better, to make our families better."

"That's the problem with this system. They don't want to pay you for good work and hard labor. They're trying to keep the middle class down, but we're not going to let them!"

State Sen. Steve Bieda (D-Warren, 9th District)

"I'm getting sick or getting up here every month and having to fight for working people. Whether it's teachers, or firefighters or first responders, or whether it's prevailing wage, this is like a broken record  that just doesn't stop. It is time to take our state back for working people. This attack on prevailing wage is part of a sequence of attacks on the middle class and working people. It's the big money, the elites, who are going after you. And I'm glad to see you all standing here, in solidarity, in opposition to this. 

"Now we have to continue this fight. This is a battle that's going to continue far beyond tomorrow, far beyond next week or next year. We have to be mobilized and fight for the things that matter. 

We're on the right side of history, we're on the right side of facts. Let's fight this together. Let's save prevailing wage."

State Rep. Sara Cambensy (D-Marquette 109th District).

"Having Gov. Snyder agree with you on this shows that you save taxpayers money. Your skills, your training. You go to work, you show up and you get the job done. These people who want to come in and take away your jobs, they just want to make more money. My hometown of Marquette has an ordinance that applies prevailing wage on every job over $65,000. 

"We know that providing prevailing wage works, keeps jobs safe, and saves the taxpayers money. What we're going to do to get those other 10 people to come join us is we're going to drive that home, that we work for the people, that all of us in this building work for you."
Rep. Scott Dianda (D-Calumet (110th District). 

"Thank you for what you do for our state.  You provide the best for us. You save us money and you give value to this whole country. We have to do one thing, We have to vote out the people who are never going to support you."

State Rep. Brian Elder (D-Bay City, 96th District). 

"Prevailing wage isn't about savings at all. Republicans know very well that getting rid of prevailing wage will not save the taxpayers any money. Why? Because they will bid the same number as good contractors bid. What's the difference? They're going to take that money, that good people will put into their local economies and pay taxes with, and send their kids to school with - and they'll put it into their fat out of state pockets. That's who they are, and that's why they will lose."

State Rep. Christine Greig (D-Farmington Hills, 37th District)

"An attack on prevailing wage is an attack on your economic freedom. We must stop these attacks. Prevailing wage is good for Michigan, it's good for everyday people, it's good for our working families. And we here in the House Democrats will fight with you every step of the way to make sure we have a strong Michigan, the Michigan that you deserve."

State Rep. Tim Greimel (D-Auburn Hills, 29th District). 

"This is just the latest example of a coordinated Legislature attacking workers. They have time and time again, shamelessly put the interests of the wealthy and well-fed, and shamelessly put the interests of their political donors over the interests of everyday people in this state. The people of this state know better. We know that unions built the middle class, that people with good pay built the middle class. And hard-working people know that Michigan families deserve a pay raise, not a pay cut. 

Most of the people in this building behind me don't know what a hard day's work looks like. Most of them wouldn't survive an hour on a construction site. And if we're going to build Michigan's economy, if we're going to build Michigan's infrastructure, if we're going to fix our roads, our bridges, our water lines, our sewers, we need to make sure that we have top quality talent at work out there, and that's why we have to make sure we're paying our construction workers a good, solid living wage. 

We have got to fight hard in the coming days and in the coming weeks, because it is all on the line right now. This attempt by the ABC and the right wing to do an end-run around the governor and get it passed by the Legislature without putting it on the ballot and letting the voters decide is just plain wrong. So let's put maximum pressure on the Legislature to do the right thing and let the voters of this state have an opportunity to vote on whether or not they deserve a raise, or a pay cut." 

House Democratic Leader Sam Singh

"I'm sorry that you have to be here. But this is what's been happening this past year. First they came for the teacher pensions, they tried to close down the pension system, we were able to stop that. It wasn't the best deal, but we were able to stop that. 

"Then they came after police and firefighter pensions, and their health care. We stopped that. Now they're coming after prevailing wage. And I can tell you right now that I am one of 46 members out of 110 members in the Democratic caucus, every single one of us have said they will oppose the repeal of prevailing wage. Your job today is to get 10 additional votes so that we can take it to the voters in November. 

"You need to talk to every one of those Republicans and tell them what you do for a living, what you do for your schools, what you do for your roads, what you do for the state of Michigan."