| LECET report |
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For the second straight year, Wisconsin LECET and the
Wisconsin Laborers Skill Improvement Fund were exhibitors at the Governor’s
Conference on Economic Development. The LECET display marketed highly skilled laborers and our commitment to safety and training, to the more than 400 business owners, economic development professionals, government officials and media representatives attending the conference. |
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The Wisconsin Alliance for Fair Contracting Field Supervisors attended a Department of Workforce Development workshop to learn more about Wisconsin Prevailing Wage Law. The session covered the prevailing wage survey, violations, open records requests and contractor responsibilities. Also attending the workshop were representatives of the state AFL-CIO and Contractor Compliance, a labor-management organization sponsored by signatory contractors and Operating Engineers Local #139. |
| Prevailing Wage Survey impacts every laborer in state The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) is currently conducting a wage survey of all contractors in the state that has a direct impact on the wages and benefits earned by every Laborer in Wisconsin. The survey data that is collected is used by DWD to issue wage rates for work performed on public works projects under the state prevailing wage law. The wage rates for public projects are established for the entire year by county, based on wages reported for similar work performed on similar projects in the private sector in that county. Union scale, on average, is roughly one-third higher than nonunion pay across craft. The wage gap for Laborers can be considerably greater. For that reason, it is extremely important that signatory employers report their work and establish prevailing wage rates that reflect union wage scales in as many counties as possible. To not report means that work performed at union rates will not be considered in the formula used to establish the prevailing rate. Because DWD establishes wage rates for an entire calendar year based solely on the wage information reported, union employers who do not report risk more than their ability to compete for work on public projects -- they place all signatory contractors at a competitive disadvantage. Regardless of the prevailing wage, signatory contractors are bound to pay the wages and benefits set in their collective bargaining agreements. Union contractors who do not report high-wage private sector work take their generally higher wages out of the prevailing wage formula, and literally guarantee that lower than contract wage rates will prevail. That lower rate has a ripple effect, as it makes all signatory contractors less competitive and jeopardizes future jobs for even more union workers. Needless to say, it is extremely important that all Laborers understand how this survey affects them, and why it is so important that our signatory employers complete the prevailing wage survey and return it to DWD before the July 31 filing deadline.
LECET focuses on PW survey Using technology to informational meetings with contractors and employer associations, Wisconsin LECET is encouraging signatory contractors to participate in this year's prevailing wage survey. Last year, Wisconsin LECET developed a computer program — Prevail — to help contractors complete the Department of Workforce Development's Prevailing Rate Survey that is used to determine prevailing wage rates for state-sponsored public works projects. This year, the program has been upgraded and mailed to every signatory contractor in the state, to encourage them to meet the state's reporting requirements and help establish union wage rates in as many Wisconsin counties as possible. The program — Prevail 1.1 — allows contractors to report work, wage and hour information electronically. In addition, Prevail 1.1 has associated Help Files that contain all DWD Instructions for filling out the survey, as well as union contract wage rates by county, to further insure that the most accurate information is reported to the Department. In addition to using technology, LECET has been meeting with contractors and their associations to discuss ways the Laborers can help increase contractors' participation in the survey. Contractors have until July 31 to complete their survey and return it to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. The survey data will be used by the Department to issue prevailing wage rates for public work performed from January 1 to December 31, 1999.
for more on Wisconsin LECET, |