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Unless the specific Davis-Bacon wage classification recognizes a Trainee or Helper as one of the specified classifications, then a contractor may not pay workers less than the specified prevailing wage rate for the classification of worker.

Persons registered and receiving on-the-job training in a construction occupation under a program that has been approved in advance by DOL’s Employment Training Administration (ETA) may be paid at the lesser approved “trainee” rate. A contractor may NOT reduce a worker’s wage or pay less than the prevailing wage rate because an employee lacks knowledge or a particular skill set. All workers are paid AT LEAST the prevailing wage rate in the Davis-Bacon determination unless 1) there is a specific category for helper or trainee, or 2) the worker is enrolled in a BAT approved apprenticeship or an ETA approved on-the-job training program.

The information above is brought to you by: Deborah Wilder’s “What Every Contractor Should Know About Prevailing Wages”