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Burlington creates wage rules for construction workers on city projects. What that means

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

April Fisher
Burlington Free Press
Jan. 19. 2022

Burlington construction workers have won new wage regulations.

The city of Burlington passed an ordinance update Jan. 10 that requires all city-funded construction projects that cost more than $100,000 to be carried out by workers who are paid at or above Vermont’s prevailing wage.

The state prevailing wage for construction workers ranges from $14.48 to $41.44 per hour, depending on the specialization of labor. The state minimum wage is $12.55 per hour.

The new amendment is an addition to Burlington’s “Responsible Contractor” ordinance, which also requires city construction contractors to provide workers’ compensation insurance, have a responsible company safety program, and meet related standards.

The amendment was passed unanimously by the City Council after months of pressure from labor union alliances including the Vermont Building and Construction Trades Council and Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO.

“Ordinances such as these have been adopted throughout the country and have proved to be effective in protecting taxpayers dollars, ensuring the public only pays for quality construction projects that simultaneously stimulate our local economy,” said Vermont AFL-CIO president David Van Deusen.

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Montpelier ponders employer, wage ordinances (VT)

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By Stephen Mills
9/17/19

MONTPELIER – The City Council is considering crafting responsible employer and livable wage ordinances to make residing in the Capital City more affordable.

Discussion of the proposed ordinances came at a meeting of City Council last week. Councilor Conor Casey proposed enacting a Responsible Employer Ordinance that would require the city of Montpelier to follow “good employer” requirements when spending taxpayer money on contracted services that would include “responsible wages,” worker’s compensation and the proper classification of workers as employees instead of independent contractors, among other employment protections.

The council also reviewed a report on a Livable Wage Ordinance by Michael Sherman, of the Social and Economic Justice Advisory Committee, after the council identified implementing a living wage requirement in Montpelier in its 2018-2019 strategic plan.

Casey noted that the city is going through a recent building boom with the near-completion of Taylor Street Transit Center and shared-use recreation path, and a $16.5 million upgrade for the Waste Water Treatment Facility. The city is also proposing to build a $10.5 million parking garage.

Casey said that construction workers were a “largely invisible” workforce that deserved recognition, employee protections and livable wages.

“I think this is a group that has been sort of been abandoned by the federal government,” Casey said, and referenced the federal Davis-Bacon Act that seeks to ensure minimum wages to be paid to various classes of laborers and mechanics employed under the contract, but added, “It isn’t what is once was.”

“We can actually see people who are risking their lives, working on construction sites, with a wage that would be less than what we want as minimum wage, maybe $12 an hour,” Casey said, adding that the state had opposed appropriate wage structures for construction workers.

“This is an issue I’ve always felt strongly about,” Casey said, noting he has spent his professional career representing “frontline workers.” Casey currently works as an organizer for the Vermont-National Education Association, representing more than 12,000 teachers in the state.

“Even though they might not Montpelier residents, (construction workers) deserve to be treated with the same standards that we treat our own workers,” Casey said, noting that the Montpelier has three collective bargaining units for city workers.

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More than half of states now onboard with feds’ IC misclassification fight

Posted by National Alliance for Fair Contracting on

September 08 2015

 

Vermont signed a three-year memorandum of understanding with the US Department of Labor to fight misclassification of employees as independent contractors – it’s the 26th state to do so, following Alaska in August and Kentucky in July.

“Misclassification deprives workers of their hard earned wages and undercuts businesses that follow the law,” said David Weil, US Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division administrator. “This agreement sends a clear message that we are standing together with the state of Vermont to protect workers and responsible employers.”

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

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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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Administration Proposes Federal Prevailing Wage for State Construction

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Construction bids for state-funded capital construction projects could soon be subject to wage requirements that alter the way in which companies compete for the jobs.

Labor Commissioner Annie Noonan told lawmakers Wednesday that Gov. Peter Shumlin’s administration is advocating a switch to the federal prevailing wage as the basis for contract requirements on state capital construction projects. The administration also suggests requiring a prevailing wage for construction workers for all state-funded capital construction projects, regardless of how much they cost.

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