Record $17.7 Million in Unpaid Wages Returned to Workers on Public Works Projects in 2013

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

OAKLAND, Calif., March 20, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ —

California Labor Commissioner Julie A. Su announced that in 2013, over 10,000 workers statewide received checks which returned a cumulative $17.7 million in unpaid prevailing wages on public works projects across the state.

The payments were collected from public works investigations that uncovered prevailing wage and other violations of state public works laws in over 400 publicly-funded projects. In 2012, the Labor Commissioner’s office collected the highest amount in the last decade when it reinstated $8.2 million to approximately 7,400 public works employees.  The $17.7 million figure for 2013 doubles the record set in the previous year.

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Presidential Memorandum — Updating and Modernizing Overtime Regulations

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

March 13, 2014

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF LABOR

SUBJECT: Updating and Modernizing Overtime Regulations

The Fair Labor Standards Act (the “Act”), 29 U.S.C. 201 et seq., provides basic rights and wage protections for American workers, including Federal minimum wage and overtime requirements. Most workers covered under the Act must receive overtime pay of at least 1.5 times their regular pay rate for hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week.

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The Department of Labor Has Your Back

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

The federal Department of Labor (DOL) budget for fiscal year 2015 is official, and it includes new programs and additional protections for workers and employees. This is exciting news for millions of Americans, including the long-term unemployed, students who want to work when they graduate, and current employees whose employers may not be following the law as they should. Check out the changes that are being put in place to help you.

The Death of an Employer Scam

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

One of the most pervasive scams that employers use to lower their workers’ wages is misclassification – that is, turning their workers into independent contractors or temps when they are actually employees. Misclassification shouldn’t be mistaken for the whim of an errant employer. On the contrary, it’s a strategy that has been used to transform entire industries.

From an employer’s perspective, the benefits of misclassification are clear. Turning a worker into a temp or a free agent obviates any need to provide him with benefits. It shields the employer from legal liability for health and safety violations, for industrial accidents, or from wage and hour violations. It invariably lowers such workers wages as well. It makes it impossible for workers to form unions.

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Prevailing Wage Bill Sent to Appropriations In Unusual Last-Minute Switch

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

In a surprise move just before a full House vote Wednesday, a bill to align construction workers’ pay on some state projects with federal wage standards was bumped to another committee.

H.878 would replace Vermont’s prevailing wage statute with the federal Davis Bacon Act. State and federal rules apply only to certain government-funded projects. The law does not affect public construction or private enterprises.

Unions and labor advocates, backed by the Democratic caucus this session, support the switch. They say adopting the federal standard would “level the playing field” for union shops and contractors who pay benefits.

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