Patrick Administration Launches Prevailing Wage Web Application

Public Construction Projects Prevailing Wage Rate Schedules Now Online

BOSTON – Keeping with Governor Deval L. Patrick’s directive to increase the transparency of state government, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development’s Division of Occupational Safety (EOLWD/DOS) just launched a new, web-based application for obtaining prevailing wage rate schedules for public construction projects.

Under Massachusetts Law, contractors on public construction projects must pay their workers the rates determined by the DOS based upon applicable collective bargaining agreements. Until now, those rates were obtained directly by the agency, or city or town that was contracting for the rates, and incorporated into the contract for construction.

“We are constantly striving to increase efficiencies and transparency across the administration,” said Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development, Suzanne M. Bump. “This application will help make processes move more readily around American Recovery and Reinvestment Act related projects. In general, we also sought to make it easy for both employers and workers to easily learn about prevailing wages in public construction, “said Secretary Bump.

DOS Commissioner, Laura Marlin, concurs: “This new application will make it much easier for members of the public to learn of the proper wages on a public construction project and increase efficiency in Labor and Workforce Development’s Division of Occupational Safety.” Commissioner Marlin added that: “This newly automated system will allow DOS staff to focus more of their time responding to questions about the law and helping cities and towns, contractors and workers understand their rights and obligations under the prevailing wage law, as well as the minimum wage and overtime laws.”

Under the new prevailing wage system, state agencies and cities and towns that are awarding public construction projects will still need to request official prevailing wage rate sheets to incorporate into their contracts. Contractors considering bidding on a project can log on even before the bid packages go out to see what wages will be required, and workers who aren’t sure whether they are being paid properly can check that as well. The prevailing wage application can be accessed by clicking Prevailing Wage Program from the online services section of the Division’s website at www.mass.gov/dos or by clicking here.

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