Who is responsible?

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brian john

Senior Member
Location
Leesburg, VA
All prevailing wage jobs I have ever worked on had signage at the job entrance informing all that worked on the site of the Federal laws governing the project. In addition in every trailer there was documentation stating the same. Plus when I worked open shop we all knew by the grapevine what jobs were prevailing wage projects. Plus boss/project manager/owner/super should inform his men.
 

Volta

Senior Member
Location
Columbus, Ohio
Here in Ohio I need to have the employee sign a form that I fill out showing the base rate, benefits, and total package they will be paid for the project, before we start working.
 

George Stolz

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Windsor, CO NEC: 2017
Occupation
Service Manager
The only Prevailing Wage job I was on, there was someone who worked for the government that interviewed everyone on the job to ask how many hours they worked the week prior, what they were paid, and so forth. This was expressly to confirm the rules were being followed.
 

nakulak

Senior Member
I've worked on several davis-bacon jobs where the workers never even saw the inside of the office trailer (where the notifications were supposed to be posted). I think in our area the gov does a shabby job of enforcing this, they leave it up to the contractors to be honest, unless someone complains they would never know. I know for a fact that there are unscrupulous contractors that skirt the law.

That being said, its a trivial matter for any employee to complain, and get correct compensation.
 
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Cavie

Senior Member
Location
SW Florida
I have a new stimulis road project. I am 100% office staff on salary. I oversee all street lighting and signal work for our company. I must keep a weekly time card on this project. Even telephone calls. Royal PITA.
 

Power Tech

Senior Member
I've worked on several davis-bacon jobs where the workers never even saw the inside of the office trailer (where the notifications were supposed to be posted). I think in our area the gov does a shabby job of enforcing this, they leave it up to the contractors to be honest, unless someone complains they would never know. I know for a fact that there are unscrupulous contractors that skirt the law.

That being said, its a trivial matter for any employee to complain, and get correct compensation.

The Davis Bacon act is a way for contractors to steal money form the worker. I know many electricians who got ripped off. One was called Trans-Pac. It was owned by the Trans America company in Frisco. The pyramid building. Some of the biggest thieves since J.P. Morgan.:mad:

Sure contract compliance will get your money if: The contractor complies and makes the proper deposits. If they go under, your screwed. The general was signatory. You may be able to get your money then. The problem is a person works years for a company. To back hours with proof as to what jobs...

To complain about the bennies or short pay - your compensation would be: I'm going to have to lay you off due to lack of work.
 
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quogueelectric

Senior Member
Location
new york
The Davis Bacon act is a way for contractors to steal money form the worker. I know many electricians who got ripped off. One was called Trans-Pac. It was owned by the Trans America company in Frisco. The pyramid building. Some of the biggest thieves since J.P. Morgan.:mad:

Sure contract compliance will get your money if: The contractor complies and makes the proper deposits. If they go under, your screwed. The general was signatory. You may be able to get your money then. The problem is a person works years for a company. To back hours with proof as to what jobs...

To complain about the bennies or short pay - your compensation would be: I'm going to have to lay you off due to lack of work.

After seeing what jp morgan did to Tesla I consider him a dirtbag and that goes for edison too. Greedy dirtbags. I swear if I could find a way to finance it I would love to finish the waldyncliff project. It is around the corner from my house and promised free electricity for every household.
 

fbhwt

Electrical Systems Inspector
Location
Spotsylvania,Virginia
Occupation
Electrical Systems Inspector
What kind of job is this? Public works? Library? School? City, County, State?
You ask a general question like that and expect a precise answer?

It appears from the answers that have been posted that this was not a "general" question, I believe I know who is responsible, being that this job is a "prevailing wage" job that would make it a federally funded job. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
 

fbhwt

Electrical Systems Inspector
Location
Spotsylvania,Virginia
Occupation
Electrical Systems Inspector
I've worked on several davis-bacon jobs where the workers never even saw the inside of the office trailer (where the notifications were supposed to be posted). I think in our area the gov does a shabby job of enforcing this, they leave it up to the contractors to be honest, unless someone complains they would never know. I know for a fact that there are unscrupulous contractors that skirt the law.

That being said, its a trivial matter for any employee to complain, and get correct compensation.

That's why I asked the question, I have unknowingly worked on prevailing wage jobs in the past, the job I am working on now the general took the time to inform me, the past jobs there were no signage that I was aware of, my boss never said anything. Why do you think this is a trivial matter?
 

goldstar

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
I've worked for other EC's that had several other workers on PW jobs but did not inform or pay them PW. Several years after the job was completed some of the workers filed a complaint with the Labor Board in NY state and were awarded the appropriate compensation by the EC. They apparently kept track of their time on the job and kept good records. IMHO, if you know the job is a PW job, keep your records straight and pay the employees accordingly. Don't get bogged down with "who's responsible". Otherwise, it mayl come back and bite you in the end (no pun intended).;)
 

tkb

Senior Member
Location
MA
I have a new stimulis road project. I am 100% office staff on salary. I oversee all street lighting and signal work for our company. I must keep a weekly time card on this project. Even telephone calls. Royal PITA.

I don't know about Florida, but as far as I know, Davis-Bacon and prevailing wages only apply to employees that work on the jobsite and not office staff.
Any work offsite such as any prefab is not subject to the wages.
 

Cavie

Senior Member
Location
SW Florida
I don't know about Florida, but as far as I know, Davis-Bacon and prevailing wages only apply to employees that work on the jobsite and not office staff.
Any work offsite such as any prefab is not subject to the wages.

That's how it worked untill this stimulus project.
 

Power Tech

Senior Member
It appears from the answers that have been posted that this was not a "general" question, I believe I know who is responsible, being that this job is a "prevailing wage" job that would make it a federally funded job. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

City schools are not federally, they are prevailing wage. Correct me if I am wrong.
 

mkgrady

Senior Member
Location
Massachusetts
Who is responsible for informing workers that they are on a prevailing wage job?

Nobody has that responsability. It is the responsability of the employer to pay the prevailing wage. It doesn't matter if the employee is ever informed, but he might figure it out when he gets his paycheck. Now if the employee is a union worker he won't see a difference in his check so he may never know it is a prevailing wage project.
 

e57

Senior Member
I think the answer will vary depending on state rules etc. The answer you might get here would vary IMO. The best approach would be to look up your state rules.... Not ALL public work is PW, but 99% of it is. Since much of this is public domain knowledge - all one would have to do is search the project contract in the place the work is being done in to find wage info etc. Locally they may have contract compliance officers who are supposed to enforce this - maybe check with them....

That said I think PW has got to go, I see no reason the tax payer should pay 175% of artificially inflated market wages to get the same work done as it would at a market wage. It's legalized extortion IMO. We pay more and can afford to do less.
 

e57

Senior Member
It appears from the answers that have been posted that this was not a "general" question, I believe I know who is responsible, being that this job is a "prevailing wage" job that would make it a federally funded job. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Cities, counties, and state governments are also often under other Davis Bacon act type laws - not just federal - and many of them differ...
 
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