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Providing A ‘Level Playing Field’ For Workers, Public Bodies, Business Owners & Taxpayers To Ensure ‘All’ Benefit

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

Published Wednesday, October 31, 2018
by WNYLaborToday.com Editor-Publisher Tom Campbell

(HAMBURG, NEW YORK) – Fear – in a word, according to representatives of the non-profit New York Foundation For Fair Contracting, is holding back many Non-Union Construction Workers from reporting wage theft or unsafe working conditions.
That’s because they don’t know where to go for help when it comes to being cheated out of their wages and their fringe benefits.

And just how would they ever make the right authorities aware of what’s happened to them without facing repercussions from their employer or being fired from their jobs?

And it’s not just Construction Workers. Its contractors looking for a fair shot at obtaining public construction work, while at the same time battling unscrupulous contractors that receive low responsible bidder status on a project.

And its public bodies that want to award contracts to responsible contractors who qualify as the low bidder.

After all, in the end, it’s the taxpayer who foots the bill when it’s found a debarred contractor that’s been restricted from bidding for public works jobs does indeed get the job.

But here in New York State, there’s an entity that’s currently working to level the playing field by supporting fair contracting across the State – the New York Foundation For Fair Contracting, a non-profit Labor-Management Organization that monitors Prevailing Wage public project work and the competitive bidding process in Western, Central and Northern New York, including those that fall under New York State Labor Law § 220 (covering public work) and Federally-funded Davis-Bacon (Prevailing Wage) work.

Under the State Freedom of Information Law and the Federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the NYFFC – which is not a private investigative service – reviews bid documents, contracts and certified payroll records to ensure contracting companies are following the laws and regulations that govern the industry.

The NYFFC’s compliance and monitoring work is done for the benefit of public bodies, as well as the taxpaying public. And its investigations serve to curb the corrupt act of underbidding and disenfranchising, not only for the individual Workers on a project, but also for taxpayers who expect a timely, safe and high quality end result.

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Register Now – 20th Annual NAFC Conference, August 19-22, 2018 – San Diego, CA

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

May 2018

It’s our 2oth Anniversary! Save the date and join NAFC at our next Annual Conference in sunny San Diego, CA. The Conference will be held at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel, in downtown San Diego. This year’s Conference will be jointly sponsored by the Center for Contract Compliance and will have a national as well as a California specific focus. The NAFC National Conference is attended by participants from across the nation, including representatives from labor organizations, responsible contractors, fair contracting compliance organizations as well as researchers, academics, attorneys and officials from federal, state and local governments.

Stay tuned for further information.

(Visit NAFC’s Conference Page)

(Download Joint Conference Registration Form)

My Turn: Armand E. Sabitoni: Morgan attacks construction workers

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

By Armand E. Sabitoni
Posted Apr 10, 2018 at 5:49 PM

There is no greater investment than ensuring our children have the foundation built for future success. As Rhode Island’s school buildings get older and unhealthier each year, the time is now to invest in new school infrastructure. Building new schools and making necessary technology updates are vital to Rhode Island’s economic recovery and also stimulate job growth.

Construction workers are the backbone of a strong economy and play a critical role in school infrastructure investment. Skilled men and women go to work each day, in sometimes difficult conditions to put food on the table for their families. Tirelessly, they pour blood and sweat safely and efficiently building our roads, bridges, schools, water and energy systems.

Unfortunately, on her March 30 Commentary piece (“Fix more R.I. schools for less money”), Rhode Island House Minority Leader, Patricia Morgan, sadly insinuates that all construction workers are overpaid and should take a pay cut to build our schools.

Morgan proposes that the state exempt school construction from the state’s prevailing wage law, falsely thinking this will save money. Some elected officials have tried this charade in other states, attacking the livelihood of blue-collar workers they claim to represent.

Prevailing wage laws are bipartisan and have Republican roots back to 1931, when Sen. James Davis, R-Pa., and Rep. Robert L. Bacon, R-N.Y., helped to pass the Davis-Bacon Act federally and most states passed local prevailing wage laws quickly thereafter. Nationally, Republicans and Democrats, consistently support prevailing wage laws as necessary to protect family-supporting, blue-collar construction jobs.

Prevailing wage laws guarantee a minimum floor for wages, leveling the playing field for construction contractors bidding public work. Data based on what skilled workers earn in a local area are used to set the prevailing wage rate.

All construction workers, union and non-union, are paid a set wage and benefit rate determined by market surveys for work performed in their classification. These laws protect the local skilled workforce in Rhode Island from out-of-state contractors who might otherwise attempt to underbid their competition with low-wage out-of-state workers. Strong prevailing wage laws generate millions in local economic spending activity.

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