Baltimore increases prevailing wage for construction trades

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

By: Daily Record Staff
March 18, 2022

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and members of the Board of Estimates (BOE) approved an increase in the city’s prevailing wage for workers in the construction trades.

The increase would boost the base rate for laborers from $8 per hour to $22 per hour, totaling an approximate rate of $43,000 annually. The Prevailing Wages for Workers Under Construction Contracts law, among other things, requires workers to be paid regularly and no less than the approved prevailing wage.

This decision comes after the Baltimore City Wage Commission, housed within the Office of Equity and Civil Rights (OECR), reviewed the 2021 wage rates – and years prior – compared to wages for similar trades in surrounding jurisdictions.

This process was guided by an equitable lens, in line with Scott’s commitment to leveling the playing field in Baltimore, even for the city’s most overlooked workers. As a result, it was determined that the rates for laborers needed to be significantly increased.

This increase pertains to Baltimore construction contracts with a minimum value of $5,000 and applies to laborers, mechanics and apprentices working in all construction trades. The Baltimore City prevailing wage law can be found in the Baltimore City Charter, Article 5, Subtitle 25.

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Take the High Road On Construction in Baltimore

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

by: Mark Coles
September 21, 2016

Today’s construction industry is two-faced.

One model in construction combines jobs, high-quality training, and education to put workers on a career path with sustainable wages and benefits – the “high road” model. Another, revealed in a 2014 McClatchy Newspapers investigative report, exploits workers in dangerous, low-paying jobs with no upward mobility – the “low road” model.

Unfortunately, Baltimore’s construction market has thrived on the detrimental “low road” model for several decades now – but there’s hope for change. By approving a Community Benefits Agreement for Sagamore Development’s Port Covington project, the Baltimore City Council can create safe, sustainable job opportunities for members of our community.
Under a CBA, developers agree to hire workers in the community where they’re building – and give them decent wages and benefits.

CBAs starkly contrast with the history of Baltimore’s construction market. In 2005, the Maryland government tried to cut all funding for the Prevailing Wage Office – the office that makes sure workers on public construction projects earn fair, livable wages. Despite rain and sleet, Baltimore construction workers joined 1,500 workers’ rights advocates to protest the injustice.

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