Pelton Graham LLC represented a group of such technicians who installed smart boards in public schools and whom were paid at their regular hourly rate, instead of the applicable prevailing wage rate plus supplemental benefits. Pelton Graham LLC recovered $3.1 Million for the workers.
Public works projects can involve a wide array of construction, alteration, remodeling, repair and/or installation of various systems or products, or the provision of building services for or on behalf of a government or municipal entity. Workers whose duties are manual or physical in nature (including those workers who use tools or are performing the work of a trade) are generally entitled to be paid the prevailing rate of wages for their work on the public works projects, even if such work is performed in part on a computer.
Pelton Graham LLC has represented hundreds of technicians in various industries, including fire & security systems, telecommunications, HVAC systems, networks (cable & internet), among others, whose employer does not treat the work as “covered” by the public works contracts and therefore does not pay them the required prevailing rate of wages. Depending on the type of work being performed, the installation and/or repair of certain systems can carry an applicable prevailing wage rate as high as $100.00 per hour, plus benefits. Business owners frequently decide that the work is not worth such a high rate for the worker so they pay the workers’ regular wages and pocket the difference.
You should contact an attorney experienced in handling unpaid prevailing wage matters to discuss your personal situation and discover what claims you may have. The attorneys at Pelton Graham are experienced at advocating for clients who have experienced unpaid prevailing wages and are happy to talk with you about your experience. Consultations are free, and as contingency fee attorneys, we do not get paid unless we recover for you.