St. Louis Board of Aldermen unanimously approves prevailing wage bill

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

Tim Rowden
February 24, 2025

St. Louis – The St. Louis Board of Alderman has unanimously approved a bill that adds prevailing wage requirements to incentivized projects such as TIFs and tax abatement projects and includes apprenticeship healthcare requirements to those projects.

The legislation, Board Bill 155 (BB 155), sponsored by Alderman Bret Narayan (Ward 4), received unanimous approval on Feb. 11, following a lengthy hearing before the Transportation and Commerce Committee on Jan. 30.

“I want to thank Alderman Narayan for filing the legislation and getting it across the finish line,” said Jake Hummel, president of the Missouri AFL-CIO. “This is the culmination of an effort lead by Clint McBride (government affairs director) of Laborers Local 110 and John Stiffler (secretary treasurer) of the St. Louis Building Trades. By working with Mayor Jones’ administration, they were able to craft legislation that will have real meaningful impact on the construction industry.”

The bill, which awaits Mayor Jones’ signature, requires Prevailing Wage on city construction projects of $75,000 or more, and codifies into law women and minority participation goals, residency requirements, and apprenticeship requirements on all abated, Tax Increment Financing (TIF) projects, or city funded projects.

On projects of $400,000 or above, the bill sets a uniform goal that a minimum 20 percent of each contractor’s labor hours be performed by those who are enrolled in an apprenticeship program and sets a goal of 25 percent of labor hours be performed by minorities and seven percent of all contract labor hours be performed by women. In addition, the legislation requires employers to provide healthcare coverage that meets the minimum value standard set out in the Affordable Care Act, unless an employee voluntarily opts out of such coverage, at no cost to the employee.

“Helping to ensure an even playing field for workers is something we should all strive for,” Hummel said. “We all should demand accountability of our tax dollars. This bill goes a long way toward ensuring that bad actors will be held accountable. I look forward to Mayor Jones signing the bill in the near future. Also want to thank Alderwoman Anne Schweitzer (Ward 1) for her dedication to this bill and our members.”

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Worcester to guard against wage theft in future tax deals for private development

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

By Nick Kotsopoulos
Telegram & Gazette Staff
Updated Dec 9, 2018 at 8:05 PM

WORCESTER – The city will include provisions against wage theft in future tax increment financing agreements for private development projects, City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. has informed the City Council.

The action is in response to a call by several councilors to strengthen the city’s current wage theft ordinance, where appropriate, to include stipulations for building permits.

While it has been determined that the city cannot legally impose such conditions on building permits, it can put them in tax deals for private projects.

“The goal is to secure compliance and eliminate the use of wage theft tactics by entities doing business with the city,” Mr. Augustus wrote in a report that goes before the City Council Tuesday night.

In 2016, the City Council approved a wage-theft ordinance that prohibits the city from awarding contracts to companies that have been found guilty of not complying with federal and state wage laws, including failing to pay their employees, and failing to pay prevailing wage, minimum wage and overtime.

Other types of wage theft include denial of legal benefits such as industrial accident and health insurance, improper classification of employees and violations involving payment of taxes, unemployment compensation, Social Security and income tax withholding.

Under the Worcester ordinance, successful bidders for city contracts have to provide a certification of compliance regarding payment of wages to employees.

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Portland tax breaks should require wage, employment standards, mayor says

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

Mayor Ethan Strimling is again proposing new requirements for companies that seek to reduce property taxes as an incentive for new development.

Posted April 14
BY RANDY BILLINGS – STAFF WRITER

Portland Mayor Ethan Strimling is renewing efforts to require companies that receive city tax breaks to diversify their construction crews and pay a livable wage, among other things.

The proposal would only apply to projects that receive Tax Increment Financing from the city, but not all city-funded projects, such as school renovations.

“If we’re going to give tax breaks like this, we want to make sure there’s a broad community benefit,” Strimling said. “This is the starting point for the conversation. My goal is to use taxpayer money well.”

…

The proposal also requires crews to be paid the wages and fringe benefits established in either the state prevailing wage law, or the city’s minimum wage law, whichever is greater.
Prevailing wages are set on an annual basis by the state Department of Labor on a county-by-county basis for state construction projects exceeding $50,000.

In 2017, prevailing wages, including fringe benefits, were around $20 an hour, ranging from $13.63 an hour for a fence-setter to $91.28 for an elevator installer, according to the DOL.

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