For September, the Department of Labor has planned to conduct online seminars about recent regulatory changes for federal contractors. The announcement follows the Aug. 8 release of the final rule titled "Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations," according to an Aug. 11 news release.
“Prevailing wage laws ensure that people employed on federally funded construction projects across the nation are paid fair wages and benefits,” Principal Deputy Wage and Hour Administrator Jessica Looman said in the release. “With the historic investments being made in our nation’s infrastructure, these online Wage and Hour Division seminars will provide employers and others with information about compliance with regulations governing federal contracts.”
The online compliance seminars will target contracting agencies, contractors, unions, workers and various stakeholders. The seminars are aimed at delivering insights into recent updates to regulations governing employment practices for federally funded contracts, the release reported.
This marks the first comprehensive review of these regulations in nearly four decades. The Davis-Bacon and Related Acts, initiated in 1931, mandate the payment of prevailing wages and fringe benefits to laborers and mechanics involved in federally funded contracts exceeding $2,000 for the construction, repair or alteration of public structures, the release said.
The online seminars will furnish participants with an overview of the recent changes and offer a platform to seek further information and clarification. This initiative aligns with the division's ongoing efforts to raise awareness about federal prevailing wage requirements among federal contractors and subcontractors, thereby fostering compliance, the release reported.
Attendance to these seminars, slated for Sept. 14, is free but necessitates registration, according to the release.
The final rule for the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts introduces several noteworthy updates. It reinstates the definition of "prevailing wage" used between 1935 and 1983 to address the excessive use of average rates and ensure a more accurate reflection of actual wages within local communities, the release said.
The rule includes provisions for periodic updates of certain prevailing wage rates, recognition of the division's authority to adopt state or local wage determinations and allowance for supplemental rates in cases of insufficient survey data, the release reported.
Additionally, modernized and clarified definitions, enhanced worker protection through legal enforcement of Davis-Bacon and Related Acts labor standards and bolstered enforcement mechanisms, including debarment and anti-retaliation provisions, are part of the rule, the release noted.
