What do you mean by prevailing wage? In CA, there is such a thing as a prevailing wage that a contractor/employer is REQUIRED to pay his employees when working on a government job that costs over, I believe, $10,000. That pretty much means every government job. I'm not sure about electrical, but on the plumbing jobs my dad has been doing on the coast, he's been required to pay $40-something an hour. He told me the wage for one area was around $60. Pretty darn good money for a person who doesn't have to worry about anything other than showing up for work.
roy, Prevailing Wage is the hourly wage, usual benefits and overtime, paid in the largest city in each county, to the majority of workers, laborers, and mechanics. Prevailing wages are established, by the Department of Labor and Industries, for each trade and occupation employed in the performance of public work.
OK. It doesn't sound like what you're talking about is a requirement. Simply a reference, correct? What I was referring to is a requirement, or the contractor/employer is in violation of the law.
Davis-Bacon is prevailing wage. Contractors turn in their wage and benefit rates, that is how prevailing wage is determined. Union scale is usually slightly higher than prevailing wage due to increases in wages and benefits since the prevailing wage was determined.
