Hello my name is ivan. My employer sent us to work in a military base in Los Alamitos,California. We weren't aware of the prevelian wage until one employee informed us weeks after the job was finished. Can you help? Thanks.
1 reply
Mar 24, 2020
If you were supposed to be paid prevailing wages, but weren't - reaching out to your employer might be a good first step. They may be able to provide some valid reason why prevailing wages weren't paid, or they may at least be able to make it right after the fact. Though, keep in mind that it's common for employers to lash out when they're accused of screwing up prevailing wages.
Another option might be to reach out to a local construction attorney who's familiar with prevailing wage requirements. They'll be able to review your circumstances, determine what wages should have been paid, then come up with a plan for recovering those wages, if necessary.
Finally, reaching out to the public or federal agency in charge of the project might be yet another option to get some answers on whether the job should've paid prevailing wages. And, if prevailing wages were required but not paid, they should be able to direct you on how to proceed with prevailing wage claims.
For more information on making CA prevailing wage claims (if this was a state project subject to California's prevailing wage rules) - this resource should help: How to File a Wage Claim. For information on making a federal prevailing wage claim, this article from Sanford, Heisler, Sharp should be useful: Are You A Construction Worker On A Federal Project Who Was Not Paid Davis Bacon Wages? That May Be a Violation of the Federal False Claims Act.