The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) announced that it has launched an education and enforcement initiative in eight Southeastern states to ensure construction companies that work on federal or federally assisted construction projects meet prevailing wage requirements of the Davis-Bacon Act (DBA) and the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA).
WHD district offices in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee will engage federal contracting agencies, the Small Business Administration, and local chapters of construction associations to educate them about construction industry employers’ responsibilities, and how to prevent violations. WHD also will provide educational seminars directly to employers.
Common violations disclosed during these investigations include employers’ failure to:
- Classify and pay workers for the category of work they actually perform;
- Pay the prevailing wage, including applicable fringe benefits, for all the hours employees work;
- Keep accurate records;
- Accurately track and pay workers the appropriate prevailing wages when they perform work in multiple job classifications; and
- Post the DBRA poster and all applicable wage determinations, as the law requires.
The DBRA requires contractors and subcontractors performing work on federal and certain federally funded projects to pay workers prevailing wage rates and fringe benefits as determined by the U.S. Secretary of Labor and as included in their contracts.
For more information about the DBRA and other laws enforced by the Division, contact the Division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243) or visit the Division’s web site. The Division also offers a search tool that allows users to determine if they are owed back wages collected by the Division.
For AGC DBRA resources, visit AGC’s Labor & HR Topical Resources library and select “Wages and Benefits” as the main category and “Davis-Bacon Act” as the subcategory. You must be logged in as an AGC member to access the materials.
For more information, contact Claiborne Guy at claiborne.guy@agc.org or 703-837-5382.