Defender of the Prevailing Wage Act speaks up

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

It has become accepted among several elected and politically appointed officials to spout how much better we would be without unions to hold us back. Recently, in Pennsylvania, there was a movement attempting to pass a resolution that would allow school districts and municipalities to exempt themselves from the Prevailing Wage Act of Aug. 15, 1961. The original Act was instituted to protect local wages and standards that were negotiated for the benefit of the territory that they covered. This Act standardized wages and benefits on public work projects, so out-of-state contractors could not, unfairly, underbid local contractors that support local worker

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Oregon Senate Okays Bill Requiring Prevailing Wage

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

The Senate passed a bill Tuesday that will require contractors who do business with the Oregon University System to follow prevailing wage laws. House Bill 2646 received a 27-2 vote and will head to the House for approval. Oregon is one of 32 states to have a state-level prevailing wage, which is required on all state and local building projects. House Bill 2646 adds universities projects to the list.

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Stalemate at Metropolitan Sewer District – Ohio

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

At $3.2 billion and an estimated 15- to 20-year time frame for completion, Cincinnati’s project to retrofit and replace its sewers is one of the most expansive in the city’s history. But the sewer project, which is part of a mandate from the federal government, is now facing major hurdles as the city and county dispute how contracts for the project should be awarded and whether the government should be more involved in dictating how contractors train their employees.

Most recently, the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners put an unprecedented funding hold on all sewer projects until Cincinnati changes its “responsible bidder” law, which City Council unanimously passed in June 2012 and modified in May this year.

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Rep. Matt A. Szollosi Resigns as Assistant Minority Leader of the Ohio House of Rep.

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

Former Speaker Pro Tem Takes Helm at ACT Ohio

May 31, 2013 (Columbus, Ohio)

Today, Rep. Matthew A. Szollosi officially resigned his seat in the Ohio House of Representatives to become the Executive Director of the Affiliated Construction Trades, or ACT Ohio. Szollosi, 39, also recently left the law the Law Offices of D’Angelo, Szollosi & Hughes Co., L.P.A. for the full-time post.

According to Szollosi, “ACT Ohio is a 501(c)(5) organization created to advance quality economic and industrial development opportunities, and to promote industry best practices for Ohio’s public and private construction projects.”

Szollosi, who has specialized in construction law for close to 15 years, believes many of Ohio’s business and elected leaders are unaware of the industry’s investment in 501(c)(5) and its unwavering commitment to safety. “My job is to change that. There’s simply no question that contractors with a highly skilled and properly trained workforce will yield the best, most cost-effective results for the customer, which is our goal.”

ACT Ohio will also seek enforcement of state and federal construction laws designed and implemented to prevent the undercutting of area standards for wages and benefits on taxpayer funded projects, said Szollosi.

“I look forward to working closely with my friends and colleagues in Ohio and through our network of professionals with the National Alliance for Fair Contracting as well.”

Learn More About ACT Ohio

 

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Workers’ Pay Should Not Fund ABC Sham Labor Compliance Committee’s

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

Anti-union contractors deduct earnings from workers’ paychecks. They use the money to fund committees that falsely claim to be about labor compliance, but actually exist solely to further the anti-union contractors’ political interests. Then they claim that expense as a fringe benefit to the worker, which they use to reduce the amount they are legally required to pay the worker under California’s prevailing wage law.

Unfortunately, a loophole in current law allows that deceptive and unfair scenario to happen. And the Associated Builders and Contractors (“ABC”) and their friends are all too happy to exploit it.

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Sign Up Today and Activate Your 2013 NAFC Membership

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

NAFC is a labor-management alliance dedicated to assisting fair contracting organizations, contractors, and labor unions who are working hard to promote compliance and further educate those that are involved in publicly funded construction. NAFC and its affiliates need your support to assist us in those efforts. An annual membership fee of only $850.00 will give you full access to the materials available to better promote labor law compliance and help us provide educational platforms such as our annual conference. With your assistance, we can achieve the goal of making a difference in the labor industry and in helping to restore the middle class.

Join us today by clicking on the membership form below and submit your check for $850.00 for your annual dues.

Sign Up Here

Please make checks payable to:

National Alliance for Fair Contracting or NAFC
905 – 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006

Please be advised that a fee of membership in the National Alliance for Fair Contracting is not deductible for tax purposes under IRC § 6113.

 

 

 

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Charges Against Demolition Company Operators for Scheme to Underpay Employees by More Than $650,000 in Violation of Federal Prevailing Wage Law

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Rose Gill Hearn, the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”), Robert Panella, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations (“DOL-OIG”), and Vanessa Jones-Allen, the Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Area Office of Criminal Enforcement for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced the filing of a four-count criminal Complaint charging JOVER NARANJO, the owner and president of Enviro & Demo Masters, Inc. (“Enviro”), and his father, LUPERIO NARANJO, SR., a foreman for Enviro, for allegedly perpetrating a scheme to underpay employees in violation of the federal prevailing wage law.

DOL-OIG Special Agent-in-Charge Robert Panella said: “Today’s charges are the result of our commitment to investigate those who would allegedly falsify payroll records to avoid paying their workers the required prevailing wage. The Office of Inspector General will continue to work closely with its law enforcement partners to this end.”

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Michigan Road Funding: Democrats Eye Prevailing Wage Guarantee, Seek Education Compromise

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, who is pushing for $1.2 billion a year in new funding for Michigan’s crumbling roads, will need Democratic support if he hopes to win legislative approval for his budget proposal or others.

“The plans that have been out there will require some bipartisanship,” Sen. Roger Kahn, R-Saginaw Township, said Wednesday. “There are not enough Republican votes or Democratic votes where any party can do it alone. That’s just the way it is.

Construction Booming In Texas, But Many Workers Pay Dearly

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

Just how cheap is the cheap labor in Texas? Sometimes, it’s free. Guillermo Perez, 41, is undocumented and has been working commercial construction jobs in Austin for 13 years.

“[The employer] said he didn’t have the money to pay me and he owed me $1,200,” Perez says of one job. “I told him that I’m going to the Texas Workforce Commission, which I did. Then after that, he came back two weeks later and paid me.”