What Wage Theft Looks Like in Public Works Construction

What is wage theft in the context of public works construction? It sounds bad, right? Like many would assume, wage theft occurs when money is “stolen” from an employee by means of paying them a wage rate less than what they are legally entitled to – whether intentional or not. And while this happens in […]

The Roads Leading to Investigations and How to Navigate Them

Raise your hand if you enjoy being audited. Someone?… Anyone?… Bueller?… While they might seem intrusive, audits are a necessary evil when it comes to prevailing wage compliance – and they aren’t going anywhere. Although there’s often nothing egregious to uncover, there will inevitably come a time when an auditor discovers something that requires a […]

The Fundamentals Wages & Fringes on Public Works Projects

Let’s talk about the fundamental building blocks of Davis-Bacon: wages and fringes. First of all, what does the “prevailing” in prevailing wage even mean? And how are the rates determined? For many, the word “prevailing” here might seem synonymous with “minimum”. As in minimum wage. And although it’s not way off the mark – because […]

More Real-Life Consequences of Wage Violations – Part 2

In a previous blog post, we discussed a few of the larger cases of wage and hour compliance violations that resulted in criminal prosecution last year in 2021. The fact of the matter is, that post was only covering cases in the state of Pennsylvania alone…   This time, we’re going to take a look […]

Understanding the Conformance Process from the Awarding Body’s Perspective

As the awarding body of public works construction projects, an agency should understand its responsibilities in upholding prevailing wage compliance. But their success in doing so often also hinges on the processes they put in place to not only monitor their contractors, but to help them. We’ve said it here before: one of the many […]

A 2021 Retrospective: Real Life Criminal Consequences of Wage Violations in PA

Although noncompliance with prevailing wage statutes can sometimes be seen as a form of theft under law, past prosecutors might not have always treated it this way. And while this may have occasionally led some to believe that wage thieves can get away with a “slap on the wrist”, things have undoubtedly changed over the […]

Wage Determinations & the Contractor’s Conformance Process

The topic of wage determinations frequently pops up in many discussions surrounding previling wage compliance. If you’ve read our previous posts, you’ve likely noticed how often it gets mentioned here. And that’s because it’s a fundamental aspect of prevailing wage that cannot be overlooked. So let’s dive into the basics as well as cover one […]

FAQ: Prevailing Wage for Beginners

Q: What is prevailing wage? Prevailing wage refers to the minimum hourly wage and benefits that are required to be paid by contractors to workers working on public works projects in a given area. These rates can be imposed federally and/or by state – and in some cases, locally. Q: How is a project determined to […]

What is California’s DAS 142 form and how do you fill it out?

In our previous blog post, we covered one of the fundamentals of apprenticeship compliance for public works projects in California – namely, how to fill out the DAS 140 form and where to send it to remain compliant. A natural segue from that discussion would be the next step in the process: requesting that apprentices be dispatched […]

Staying Compliant with California Apprenticeship Requirements: Understanding the DAS 140 Form

One of the many aspects of compliance that public works contractors in California need to keep in mind is the state’s distinct set of regulations involving apprentices. This should hardly come as any surprise for those experienced with work in the golden state; it’s known to be among the most stringent when it comes to […]