The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (“DOL”) is currently conducting a survey seeking information from employers on wages paid to construction workers in 46 metropolitan North Carolina counties on all active building projects. The DOL is seeking this information to establish prevailing wage rates required under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (“DBRA”).
As brief background information, the DBRA applies to contractors and subcontractors performing on federally funded or assisted contracts in excess of $2,000 for the construction, alteration, or repair of public buildings or public works. Covered contractors and subcontractors are required to pay their laborers and mechanics employed under the contract no less than the locally prevailing wages and fringe benefits for corresponding work on similar projects in the area. The DOL determines such locally prevailing wage rates.
The DOL is currently seeking data from employers and interested parties on wages paid to building construction workers from June 1, 2017 through May 31, 2018. This survey is not limited to federally funded construction projects in the 46 relevant North Carolina counties. While participation is voluntary, the requested data is necessary to establish a fair prevailing wage reflecting a true average of what contractors pay workers in the area. As Wage and Hour Division Acting Regional Administrator Betty Campbell stated, “We can only establish accurate wage rates with strong participation by the construction industry communities in North Carolina.”
The DOL will be sending notification letters and Forms WD-10 (Report of Construction Contractor’s Wage Rates) to interested parties and contractors known to the Wage and Hour Division. However, employers need not receive a letter to participate in the survey. In order to be included, data must be postmarked by April 1, 2019. Employers may also complete the survey electronically at: https://www.dol.gov/whd/programs/dbra/wd10/index.htm.
Employers interested in participating may contact Kim Chu, Supervisory Wage Analyst for the Southeast Wage Determinations Survey Branch of the Wage and Hour Division, at (678) 237-0488. If you have any questions about the survey or forms, please also feel free to contact us.
