Dive Brief:
- On Aug. 29, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division will offer an online seminar focused on requirements for paying prevailing wages on federally funded construction and service contracts.
- For contractors that work on federally funded infrastructure projects, it could serve as a much-needed refresher. The DOL updated the Davis-Bacon Act in October, in some cases increasing the wages employers need to pay on affected contracts.
- The day-long seminar will offer sessions on labor standard protections in the Davis-Bacon Act and the Service Contract Act, to include how the department sets and administers prevailing wage rules.
Dive Insight:
President Joe Biden made clear his goal to become the most pro-labor president in U.S. history. One step in that direction came last year, when, effective Oct. 23, the DOL updated the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts, reverting to the rule that was changed in 1983 during Ronald Reagan’s administration.
The DBRA sets the prevailing wages contractors must pay workers on federal jobs, with specific rules about which workers fall under the requirements. The October update effectively raised some workers’ wages by making the prevailing wage equivalent to that paid to at least 30% of the workers in a given trade locality, a change from 50%.
The seminar will be held from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EDT, per the release. It’s free to attend but registration is required.
