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 […]

California Closes Loophole on Fringe Benefits

California’s SB 776 was signed by Governor Jerry Brown August 28, 2013. The bill strengthens existing workplace and labor protections for workers throughout California by protecting the wages and fringe benefits of workers on public works projects. Specifically, it closes loopholes in the prevailing wage law by clarifying that contractor payments for monitoring and enforcing laws related […]

Prevailing Wage Explained

In recent months, there has been much discussion and debate over San Diego’s decision to implement prevailing wage law even though it is a charter city.  A charter city is a city that operates with its own “constitution,” or charter. This, in effect, allows the cities to create their own laws and essentially govern itself […]

Prevailing Wage Law Manual Available

The California “Prevailing Wage Law” manual is now available on the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement website. The California DIR has streamlined complaints to allow workers and the public to file public works complaints for prevailing wage and apprenticeship violations. The manual was updated a few months ago to reflect the changes in the […]

New York City Court Overthrows Prevailing Wage

New York Supreme Court Justice Geoffrey Wright struck down a New York City requirement for landlords and companies receiving economic aid from the city to pay workers prevailing wage. Wright said it was preempted by the state’s minimum wage law; the new measure would have raised the minimum wage for some private employees. The court […]