New Rule for Transparency Proposed by Department of Labor

“Workers cannot solve a problem unless they are able to identify it. And they cannot identify it if they aren’t free to talk about it without fear of reprisal” -Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Director, Patricia A. Shiu. A new rule has been proposed by the Department of Labor that would allow employees to […]

California Court Officially Affirms New Prevailing Wage Law

“For generations, Prevailing Wage policies have offered the best value for taxpayers on locally-funded construction projects and boosted local economies. We hope that the cities who tried to block this law will stop wasting precious taxpayer dollars on frivolous litigation, and instead focus on addressing pressing infrastructure needs and creating Middle Class jobs in their […]

Have You Noticed the Important Shift in Construction Culture?

When one thinks of construction they often think of the archaic methods of project management involving copious amounts of paperwork and companies that will be slow to move toward time-saving technologies that could overhaul efficiency. You may be surprised to learn that is not the case. According to a Construction Executive article written by Dan Conery, the […]

Benefits of Electronic Reporting Systems

Overview Electronic Reporting Systems Electronic reporting systems offer enormous benefits that accrue to employers (contractors and subcontractors), prime contractors and agencies. This paper focuses on payroll and related reporting associated with construction work covered by the Davis-Bacon Act or its Related Acts.  However, these benefits likewise accrue to parties involved in construction work subject to […]

Michigan: A Prevailing Opinion

The debate over prevailing wages in Michigan is still in full swing. The Detroit Free Press recently postedan article housing multiple opinions on this hot topic. Amy Susalla, President of Detroit A&J Construction  shared her thoughts with the press and is all for prevailing wages. She took the time to look into the University of Utah’s study from 2001 which did a statistical […]

California Charter Cities Prevailing Wage

California Governor Brown signed into law bill SB7, which would block state funds to cities that do not pay prevailing wage on public works projects. This measure is directed to charter cities, some of which have avoided paying prevailing wage in the past to save money. The bill also limits state funds to cities that […]

Watsonville New Public Works Ordinance

Watsonville will soon be the first city in the Monterey Bay area with a project labor agreement on public works projects more than $600,000. Those for the ordinance argued it would increase opportunities for local residents, especially apprenticeships. Opponents said it would narrow the bidding process and put nonunion contractors and workers at a disadvantage. At […]

The Staff Corner: October 2013

The Need for a Clean CPR By Todd Calvert, Account Manager Contractors working on any project that is funded by the state or federal government must pay all the employees working on that project a prevailing wage. Depending upon the individuals craft and classification there are many differing wage rates that are required by law […]

DOL Secretary Announces Davis-Bacon Enforcement Priorities

Article by Jade Banks LCPtracker Labor Advisor The recently installed Secretary of Labor’s address at the 2013 AFL-CIO Convention on September 10, 2013, reaffirmed the Department of Labor’s (DOL) commitment to aggressively seek out employers who underpay laborers and mechanics working on projects covered by Davis-Bacon Act prevailing wage requirements.  Thomas E. Perez, chosen by […]

Construction Management At-Risk Contracting

“Construction management at-risk contracting” has been used by private developers and school districts, but not usually for public entities such as cities and counties.  Recently, however, more public works departments have been utilizing the method for large, multimillion-dollar projects. The city of Papillion recently used this method for its $8 million public works complex. The […]