DOL Proposes New Davis-Bacon Rules
Post date
March 25, 2022
Body
Joe Bousquin, Construction Dive
Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh rolled out new rulemaking proposals for the first time in nearly 40 years to change the Davis-Bacon Act, which sets the prevailing wages contractors must pay workers on federal projects.
The Davis-Bacon Act, originally passed in 1931, uses pay surveys administered by the DOL to set the prevailing wage in a federally funded project's location. It impacts $217 billion in federal spending annually and 1.2 million construction workers.
Workers groups and unions cheered the announcement, saying it would protect construction workers' wages and shield them from exploitation.