Exploring the Impact of Prevailing Wages on Military Veterans

As new funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill continues to be pumped into the country’s public works projects every day, it’s no secret that there is a dire need for the construction industry to expand its output right along with it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects construction employment to increase in the next […]

A Woman’s Experience Working in Construction: Q&A with Monique Cox

In honor of National Women in Construction Week, today we give a shout-out to our one and only, Monique Cox, for all that she has done (and continues to do) in the world of construction and labor compliance. Below is a quick Q&A with Monique highlighting her path in the industry and the things she […]

A Case Study: Do Project Labor Agreements Affect Project Costs and Contractor Bidding Behavior?

Project. Labor. Agreements. Three simple words that might elicit a different reaction depending on the kind of a stakeholder you are in the public works construction industry. It’s understandable; Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) can be a divisive topic. For some of us, the additional rules and regulations may feel as if you’re trekking through a […]

Filling Out the Statement of Compliance and Why It’s So Important

So, you’ve got yourself a prevailing wage job… Congrats! You grab a WH-347 form, enter all your project and employee information, check that the hours, wage rates, and deductions are correctly applied (or so you believe), and then you go to submit it… But wait! You remember: a Statement of Compliance (SOC) must be filled […]

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 of 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 […]