Prevailing Wage

[Rewire]

prevailing wage for our state is determined by the department of labor and industrial relations they make the determination based on information supplied to them by electrical contractorsof wages paid it is part of the IBEW contract that it is mandatory for signatory contractors to supply this information to the Dept of LAIR. Most non union contractors do not know that they can supply information on their jobs to the DEPT. Because a majority of wages are those reported by uinion contractors this is the wage set

 

[e57]

Yes that's one way to look at it. What happens if you don't have a high prevailing wage in an area? A public works project is put out for bid and contractors from all over get in on the action. Who has the advantage? Those in states with the lowest labor cost ( not California ) and they get the job by under bidding the local contractors. They bring in their crews from back home and spend a little money at the local motels and restaurants but they don't buy homes and pay property taxes and many times don't even pay vehicle taxes.

Yes the job can be done cheaper but where does the money end up? By having a high prevailing wage the local boys have the advantage and the money stays at home. It really doesn't matter who makes the money it will end up being spread around the community ( at least the drug dealers will make some money). Just joking but the idea of a high prevailing wage is to keep as much money as possible in the local area. Someone has to pay all those taxes.

IMO PW has little to do with keeping work "local" - anyone from anywhere can bid provided they follow the 'rules'... Many (i am not one of them) believe the law was originally created to keep the jobs from blacks... With that history gone... Keeping jobs local may serve 'someone' but the facts remain - that in many places few PW projects are won by local companies... They are won by economies of scale and fitting the bill of regulation. Many of these companies who know these regulations well - wrote them....

Many years ago, I felt the same as 57 We were being raped by the PW jobs, I was so heated about the issue, I went to a school board hearing on a budget to build a new school, and I listened to everyone voice their views on the plan, almost everyone there felt the same as 57 and the meeting turned into a shouting match, and one of the board members stopped the meeting, and said they would have another meeting where all the issues of project costs would be discussed in detail, and he invited everyone to attend and have their questions ready to present, so I made my list, and went to the next meeting, what I learned was, a PW school project was actually a bargin for the tax payers, they get a well designed, well built, with quality materials, school that will serve the community for many years, most of the increased cost is not in the direct labor, it is in meeting the higher quality standards with approved materials and progerss inspections.

Think about the workers real net income on these jobs, when a large number of them work less days per year then non PW workers.

I would beg to differ on the cost of labor item you mention. In my area at least - the labor burden, and market rate for it are far below prevailing wage rates. Despite what is reported as the 'prevailing wage'. Some of the specifications use of the words "or equal" means you could drive a truck through them. (if you have someone re-spec much of the product - you win... which is why we lost most of them.) Labor compliance then becomes the larger burden of the job. I believe money could be better spent on the tax payer side by "contract compliance" which is weak IMO...

My question would be how do you feel about spending billions upon billions of dollars for weapon systems? I very rarely hear the same people that decry spending our tax dollars to build public works projects or fund public projects that think we need to cut back on defense spending.

I see nothing wrong with paying people a living wage to build our public works projects.

On this argument I don't think we need to remind anyone of the $500 toilet seat... But I will remind you that a Lance Corporal in the Marine Corps tops out at $22.320 annual - $1860 a month... (before taxes ) - (nearly $500 more than when I got out in '94) yet a Machinist at Lockheed makes enough to retire at 45, and his boss could retire tomorrow...

Oh and eminent danger pay in combat of $225.

 

[MFT]

Prevailing Wage

Requirement for C7 contractor to apply for an electrical project in the State of California is stipulated in its contract document. Some federal agencies, such as NASA, requires that electricians performing the work be State of California certified electricians. If the electricians supervisor cannot find this requirement in their contract document, he should get clarification from the contracting officer whom he is dealing with.

 

[fbhwt]

Requirement for C7 contractor to apply for an electrical project in the State of California is stipulated in its contract document. Some federal agencies, such as NASA, requires that electricians performing the work be State of California certified electricians. If the electricians supervisor cannot find this requirement in their contract document, he should get clarification from the contracting officer whom he is dealing with.

I have received information from the United States Department of Labor that says that there is NO requirement for a person doing electrical work on a federlly funded job to be certified or to have a license. It also said that this may be a requirement in the contract. The state, in my case Virginia,(Virginia Department of Labor and Industry) does not deal with issue, it is strictly a United States Department of Labor issue. It is my understanding that if there are any questions about who, what or how, this should be brought up during the bid process, not after the contract has been awarded.

 

[Len]

rate jobs

rate jobs

I have owned my company for 25 years. Prev. Rate is Prev. Rate. No exceptions. You must be paid your rate. I would call labor relations. He accepted a job based on paying prev. rate to all trades.

 

[fbhwt]

I have received information from the United States Department of Labor that says that there is NO requirement for a person doing electrical work on a federlly funded job to be certified or to have a license. It also said that this may be a requirement in the contract. The state, in my case Virginia,(Virginia Department of Labor and Industry) does not deal with issue, it is strictly a United States Department of Labor issue. It is my understanding that if there are any questions about who, what or how, this should be brought up during the bid process, not after the contract has been awarded.

Just so there is no misunderstanding, I was talking about the people who work for the electrical contractor doing the work.

 

[mkgrady]

Just so there is no misunderstanding, I was talking about the people who work for the electrical contractor doing the work.

So, have you been told by the Contracting Officer that you will receive the correct wages?

 

[fbhwt]

So, have you been told by the Contracting Officer that you will receive the correct wages?

The contracting officer for the last Government/Federal job I was on was the one that told my ex-employer that I had to be "licensed" in order to receive prevailing wage. I know now that is not true. I requested information from the contracting officer as far as where he was getting his information from and to this date have not heard from him. My ex-employer did pay me after two weeks on the job. After I quit, when I found out that other Government/Federal jobs I had done were prevailing wage and was not paid, my ex-employer sent me a letter saying he was going to take me to court for the money I was not entitled to. I'm thinking of writing a book after this is all over, I'll have to use a different title now that Sara Paylin used the one I was going to use.

 

[mkgrady]

The contracting officer for the last Government/Federal job I was on was the one that told my ex-employer that I had to be "licensed" in order to receive prevailing wage. I know now that is not true. I requested information from the contracting officer as far as where he was getting his information from and to this date have not heard from him. My ex-employer did pay me after two weeks on the job. After I quit, when I found out that other Government/Federal jobs I had done were prevailing wage and was not paid, my ex-employer sent me a letter saying he was going to take me to court for the money I was not entitled to. I'm thinking of writing a book after this is all over, I'll have to use a different title now that Sara Paylin used the one I was going to use.

If you are owed back wages on a federal construction project and the CO is not making it happen then your best recourse is the USDOL.

 

[fbhwt]

If you are owed back wages on a federal construction project and the CO is not making it happen then your best recourse is the USDOL.

Filed a complaint back in October, talked to the USDOL the other day, there working on complaints filed in August, said it would be February before they got to me, also if the contract is complete, which some of these jobs go back years, my only recourse is to take civil action.

 

[sameguy]

call your congressman or senator, or the I.B.E.W.

 

[fbhwt]

call your congressman or senator, or the I.B.E.W.

I do appreciate everyones advise here and have actualy followed some of it. I have contacted the USDOL, I have also talked to the local I.B.E.W, I was told pretty much the same thing you have suggested. Is there anyone here that has or is going through the same thing I am? I worked for a electrical contractor, he was not paying me the prevailing wage that had been determined by the USDOL, While on this last job I found out that other jobs I had worked on were also prevailing wage jobs but no one informed me. I quit when I found out he had been screwing me for years. Not only me but other people that work for the company.

 

[hardworkingstiff]

I sure couldn't work for DB wages in Wilmington, NC.

Electrician....................$ 7.25

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=Davis-Bacon&docid=NC20080004

 

[sameguy]

Get your lawyer to send him some blue paper. I would think that the I.B.E.W. would have jumped on this; here in Central New York (LU#43), they would be all over this guy. You could most likely ask to take a test to see where they could place you then ask to join. You ARE DUE the rate! good luck.