Cal. LAB § 1773.1 — California Code / Code lab / Division 2 / Part 7 / Chapter 1 / Article 2 / Section 1773.1
Section 1773.1
Status: in_force

(a) Per diem wages, as the term is used in this chapter or in any other statute applicable to public works, includes employer payments for the following:

(1) Health and welfare.

(2) Pension.

(3) Vacation.

(4) Travel.

(5) Subsistence.

(6) Apprenticeship or other training programs authorized by Section 3093, to the extent that the cost of training is reasonably related to the amount of the contributions.

(7) Worker protection and assistance programs or committees established under the federal Labor Management Cooperation Act of 1978 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 175a), to the extent that the activities of the programs or committees are directed to the monitoring and enforcement of laws related to public works.

(8) Industry advancement and collective bargaining agreements administrative fees, provided that these payments are made pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement to which the employer is obligated.

(9) Other purposes similar to those specified in paragraphs (1) to (5), inclusive; or other purposes similar to those specified in paragraphs (6) to (8), inclusive, if the payments are made pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement to which the employer is obligated.

(b) Employer payments include all of the following:

(1) The rate of contribution irrevocably made by the employer to a trustee or third person pursuant to a plan, fund, or program.

(2) The rate of actual costs to the employer reasonably anticipated in providing benefits to workers pursuant to an enforceable commitment to carry out a financially responsible plan or program communicated in writing to the workers affected.

(3) Payments to the California Apprenticeship Council pursuant to Section 1777.5.

(c) Employer payments are a credit against the obligation to pay the general prevailing rate of per diem wages. However, credit shall not be granted for benefits required to be provided by other state or federal law, for payments made to monitor and enforce laws related to public works if those payments are not made to a program or committee established under the federal Labor Management Cooperation Act of 1978 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 175a), or for payments for industry advancement and collective bargaining agreement administrative fees if those payments are not made pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement to which the employer is obligated. Credits for employer payments also shall not reduce the obligation to pay the hourly straight time or overtime wages found to be prevailing. However, an increased employer payment contribution that results in a lower hourly straight time or overtime wage shall not be considered a violation of the applicable prevailing wage determination if all of the following conditions are met:

(1) The increased employer payment is made pursuant to criteria set forth in a collective bargaining agreement.

(2) The basic hourly rate and increased employer payment are no less than the general prevailing rate of per diem wages and the general prevailing rate for holiday and overtime work in the director’s general prevailing wage determination.

(3) The employer payment contribution is irrevocable unless made in error.

(d) An employer may take credit for an employer payment specified in subdivision (b), even if contributions are not made, or costs are not paid, during the same pay period for which credit is taken, if the employer regularly makes the contributions, or regularly pays the costs, for the plan, fund, or program on no less than a quarterly basis.

(e) (1) The credit for employer payments shall be computed on an annualized basis when the employer seeks credit for employer payments that are higher for public works projects than for private construction performed by the same employer, unless one or more of the following circumstances exist:

(A) The employer has an enforceable obligation to make the higher rate of payments on future private construction performed by the employer.

(B) The higher rate of payments is required by a project labor agreement.

(C) The payments are made to the California Apprenticeship Council pursuant to Section 1777.5.

(2) Paragraph (1) shall apply to all employer payments not made directly to the worker, regardless of whether any contributions are made or benefits are provided with respect to private construction, with the exception of contributions to defined contribution pension plans that provide for both immediate participation and essentially immediate vesting. An employer may take full credit for the hourly amounts contributed to those defined contribution pension plans for public works projects even if the employer contributes at a lower rate or does not make contributions to private construction. For purposes of this section, “essentially immediate vesting” means the benefit vests within the first 500 hours worked.

(3) The employer shall have the burden of demonstrating that the credit for employer payments was properly calculated pursuant to this subdivision. The employer shall, upon the request of the Labor Commissioner, produce records of employee hours and employer payments on private construction sufficient for the Labor Commissioner to verify that the credit for employer payments was properly calculated on an annualized basis pursuant to this subdivision. The Labor Commissioner may deny the employer credit for the employer payments if those records are not produced.

(f) Any exemptions to the annualization requirements of subdivision (e) issued by the director prior to January 1, 2026, are revoked.

(g) (1) For the purpose of determining those per diem wages for contracts, the representative of any craft, classification, or type of worker needed to execute contracts shall file with the Department of Industrial Relations fully executed copies of the collective bargaining agreements for the particular craft, classification, or type of work involved. The collective bargaining agreements shall be filed after their execution and thereafter may be taken into consideration pursuant to Section 1773 whenever they are filed 30 days prior to the call for bids. If the collective bargaining agreement has not been formalized, a typescript of the final draft may be filed temporarily, accompanied by a statement under penalty of perjury as to its effective date.

(2) When a copy of the collective bargaining agreement has previously been filed, fully executed copies of all modifications and extensions of the agreement that affect per diem wages or holidays shall be filed.

(3) The failure to comply with filing requirements of this subdivision shall not be grounds for setting aside a prevailing wage determination if the information taken into consideration is correct.