You may have heard this term or come across it as a part of the federal government and Connecticut’s wage laws. Generally, the prevailing wage is the wages, benefits, and overtime paid to employees engaged in manual labor in a particular area. State and federal agencies set the prevailing wage for employees paid under a government contract. The idea is to protect wages for workers in an area of the economy in which contractors try to underbid one another for large jobs. The prevailing wage takes labor costs out of the equation and prevents contractors from offering cheap bids to the detriment of workers. Read more here: www.ctdol.state.ct.us
If a government contractor fails to pay the prevailing wage, he or she may be subject to civil fines or prosecution- depending on the amount of unpaid wages, this violation may even be a felony. The contractor may also be prohibited from bidding on government contracts in the future.
If you think your employer has failed to pay you the prevailing wage, or any other money due to you, contact the Hayber, McKenna & Dinsmore!