Source: http://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/firststep/results.htm?fs=AR000000000000000000000000000000000
Timestamp: 2018-02-25 17:47:13
Document Index: 421118176

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 5', 'arts 1', 'arts 4', 'art 541', 'arts 50', 'art 639', 'art 639']

(40 USC �327 et seq.; 29 CFR Part 5)
The Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA) is administered by the Wage and Hour Division (WHD). CWHSSA applies to contractors and subcontractors on certain contracts with the federal government or the District of Columbia that require or involve the employment of laborers or mechanics (including guards and watchmen), including federal service contracts and federal construction contracts over $150,000. Covered contracts include those entered into by the federal government, any agency or instrumentality of the federal government, any territory of the U.S., or the District of Columbia.
CWHSSA also applies to certain federally assisted construction contracts over $100,000 subject to Davis-Bacon and Related Acts wage standards where the Federal Government is not a direct party, except those contracts where the federal assistance takes the form only of a loan guarantee or insurance.
Certain contracts are exempt from CWHSSA. These include contracts for the following:
Transmission of intelligence;
Purchase of supplies, materials, or articles ordinarily available in the "open market";
Work required to be done in accordance with provisions of the Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act; and
Contracts administratively exempted by the Secretary of Labor in special circumstances in the public interest to prevent injustice or undue hardship or to avoid serious impairment of government business.
The Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA) requires contractors and subcontractors to pay laborers and mechanics, including watchmen and guards, employed in the performance of covered contracts one and one-half times their basic rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek.
The Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA) provides workers on covered contracts the right to receive one and one-half times their basic rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek on such contracts. The Wage and Hour Division accepts complaints of alleged CWHSSA wage violations. Wage and Hour Division district offices are listed at www.dol.gov/whd/america2.htm.
The provisions of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA) may also apply to Davis-Bacon and Related Acts contracts where the contract is financed in whole or in part by grants or loans from the U.S. Government, or loans insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, except where the federal assistance is only in the nature of a loan guarantee or insurance. CWHSSA is supplemental to the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act. In addition, state overtime laws may apply to certain contracts.
Contractors or subcontractors who intentionally violate the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA) may be subject to fines, imprisonment, or both.
Contractors and subcontractors who violate CWHSSA�s overtime wage provision are liable to the affected employee(s) for the unpaid wages. Overtime wage violations may also result in the assessment of liquidated damages assessed for each calendar day an employee is allowed to work in excess of a 40-hour workweek without payment of the required overtime compensation.
Accrued contract amounts may be withheld in sums necessary to satisfy the liability for unpaid wages and liquidated damages. Any contractor or subcontractor aggrieved by withholdings for liquidated damages may appeal to the head of the contracting agency. The agency head shall review the administrative determination and issue a final order. If the damages sum is determined to be incorrect, or the contractor or subcontractor inadvertently violated the provisions of the CWHSSA while exercising due care, the agency head may recommend appropriate adjustments in the liquidated damages to the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division, who shall issue an order with respect to the recommendation. Such order may be appealed to the Department�s Administrative Review Board (Board). The contractor or subcontractor may file a claim in the U.S. Claims Court for all final orders mandating a liability for withholding of liquidated damages.
Employees have rights of action and/or of intervention against the contractor and its sureties if the amounts withheld are insufficient to reimburse the unpaid wages. Under such an action, it is no defense that employees accepted less than the required rate of wages or voluntarily made refunds.
Contractors or subcontractors found to have committed willful or aggravated violations of CWHSSA�s overtime requirements may have their contracts terminated and may be declared ineligible to receive future contracts for a period not to exceed three years.
Contractors or subcontractors may challenge the Wage and Hour Division�s determinations of violations before an Administrative Law Judge. Contractors or subcontractors may appeal decisions and orders of Administrative Law Judges that result in payment of wages or debarment to the Administrative Review Board (ARB). ARB determinations on violations and debarment may be appealed to and are enforceable through the federal courts.
(40 USC �276a; 29 CFR Parts 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7)
The Davis-Bacon and related Acts (DBRA) generally apply to contractors and subcontractors performing on federal and federally assisted contracts in excess of $2,000 for construction, alteration, or repair (including painting and decorating). Laborers and mechanics performing on the site of the work of DBRA-covered contracts are entitled to receive prevailing wage rates for such work.
The Davis-Bacon and related Acts (DBRA) require that contractors and subcontractors performing on covered contracts pay laborers and mechanics employed on the project jobsite not less than the prevailing wage rates (including fringe benefits) listed in the contract�s Davis-Bacon wage determination for corresponding classes of laborers and mechanics. The rates listed are based on wages and fringe benefits WHD found to be prevailing for laborers and mechanics employed on similar projects in the area. Davis-Bacon labor standards clauses and the applicable wage determination(s) must be included in covered contracts.
Apprentices may be employed at less than the predetermined rates if they are individually registered in and employed pursuant to an apprenticeship program registered with the Department of Labor or with a state apprenticeship agency recognized by the Department. Trainees individually registered may be employed at less than predetermined rates if they are participating in a trainee program certified by the Department.
Contractors and subcontractors on DBRA projects are required to pay laborers and mechanics weekly and to submit weekly certified payroll records to the contracting agency. DBRA contractors and subcontractors are also subject to rules concerning allowable payroll deductions.
Contractors and subcontractors on Davis-Bacon Act prime contracts in excess of $150,000, or related Act contracts in excess of $100,000, are also required, pursuant to the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act, to pay laborers and mechanics one and one-half times their basic rates of pay for all hours over 40 worked on a covered contract in a workweek.
The Davis-Bacon and Related Acts provide laborers and mechanics on covered contracts the right to receive at least the locally prevailing wages (including fringe benefits), as determined by the Department of Labor, for the type of work performed. The Wage and Hour Division and respective federal contracting agencies accept complaints of alleged Davis-Bacon violations.
Since 1931, Congress has extended the Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements to numerous other laws � �related Acts� � that provide federal assistance for construction through loans, grants, loan guarantees, and insurance. These laws require payment of the prevailing wages determined in accordance with the Davis-Bacon Act on federally assisted construction undertaken pursuant to the relevant law. Examples of the related Acts are the Federal-Aid Highway Acts, the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (and various other HUD-administered laws), and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
The Copeland "Anti-Kickback" Act prohibits contractors from inducing any person employed in DBRA-covered construction to give up any part of the compensation to which he or she is entitled, and requires contractors to submit a weekly statement of the wages paid to each employee performing DBRA-covered work. Implementing regulations govern allowable payroll deductions.
Contractors on projects subject to Davis-Bacon labor standards may also be subject to overtime pay requirements under the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA) and the Fair Labor Standards Act.
In addition to these federal labor standards, State and local prevailing wage and overtime pay requirements may apply.
Contractors or subcontractors found to have disregarded their obligations to employees under the Davis-Bacon Act, or found to be �in aggravated or willful violation� of any of the related Acts, may be subject to debarment from future contracts for up to three years. In addition, contract payments may be withheld in sufficient amounts to satisfy liabilities for unpaid wages and for liquidated damages that result from overtime violations of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA). Breach of the required contract clauses under the Davis-Bacon and related Acts and CWHSSA may also be grounds for termination of the contract.
Contractors and subcontractors may challenge the Wage and Hour Division�s determinations of violations and debarment before an Administrative Law Judge. Contractors and subcontractors may appeal decisions by Administrative Law Judges to the Department's Administrative Review Board (ARB). ARB determinations on violations may be appealed to and are enforceable through the federal courts.
Falsification of the required certified payroll records or any kickback of wages may subject a contractor or subcontractor to civil or criminal prosecution, the penalty for which may be fines and/or imprisonment.
(41 USC �351 et seq.; 29 CFR Parts 4, 6, and 8)
The wage requirements of the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA or Act) are administered by the Wage and Hour Division (WHD). The SCA�s prevailing wage requirements generally apply to contracts in excess of $2,500, whether negotiated or advertised, entered into by the federal government and the District of Columbia where the principal purpose of the contract is to furnish services in the U.S. through the use of service employees. The term "service employee" includes any employee engaged in performing services on a covered contract other than an individual employed in a bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity as those terms are defined in 29 CFR Part 541.
The SCA does not apply to certain types of contracts. These statutory exemptions include:
Contracts for construction, alteration, and/or repair, including painting and decorating, of public buildings or public works (i.e., contracts covered by the Davis-Bacon Act;
Work required in accordance with the provisions of the Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act;
Contracts for transporting freight or personnel by certain means (such as by airplane) where published tariff rates are in effect;
Contracts for furnishing services by radio, telephone, telegraph, or cable companies, subject to the Communications Act of 1934;
Employment contracts providing for direct services to a federal agency by an individual;
Contracts with the United States Postal Service, the principal purpose of which is the operation of postal contract stations;
Services performed outside the United States, as that term is defined in the Act; and
The SCA requires contractors and subcontractors performing services on covered contracts in excess of $2,500 to pay service employees in various classes no less than the wage rates and fringe benefits found prevailing in the locality, or the rates (including prospective increases) contained in a predecessor contractor's collective bargaining agreement, as provided in wage determinations issued by the Department of Labor. These determinations are incorporated into the contract.
For contracts equal to or less than $2,500, contractors are required to pay the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. Contractors must also, under the provisions of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act and/or theFair Labor Standards Act, generally pay employees at least one and one-half times their regular (or basic) rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek.
Finally, contractors must notify employees commencing work on a covered contract of the compensation due them under the wage and fringe benefits provisions of the SCA.
The SCA provides covered service employees on covered service contracts the right to receive at least the locally prevailing wage rate and fringe benefits (or the rates, including prospective increases, contained in a predecessor contractor's collective bargaining agreement), as determined by the Department of Labor, for the type of work performed. The Wage and Hour Division accepts complaints of alleged SCA violations.
A government contracting agency may request a wage determination by filing Standard Form (SF) 98 for contracts in excess of $2,500.
The SCA applies only to contracts awarded by the federal or District of Columbia governments. As noted above, contractors generally are required to pay employees working on covered contracts for overtime hours worked in accordance with the overtime pay standards of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act. If the employees are covered by the FLSA, the overtime provisions of the FLSA may apply as well.
Violations of the SCA may result in contract terminations and liability for resulting costs to the government, withholding of contract payments in sufficient amounts to cover wage and fringe benefit underpayments, legal action to recover the underpayments, and debarment from future contracts for three years.
Contractors and subcontractors may challenge determinations of violations and debarment before an Administrative Law Judge. Contractors and subcontractors may appeal decisions of Administrative Law Judges to the Administrative Review Board (ARB). ARB determinations on violations and debarment may be appealed to and are enforceable through the federal courts.
(41 USC �35 et seq.; 41 CFR Parts 50-201, 202, 203, and 210)
The wage and hour requirements of the Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act (PCA) are administered by the Wage and Hour Division (WHD). The PCA applies to contractors with contracts in excess of $15,000 for the manufacturing or furnishing of materials, supplies, articles, or equipment to the U.S. government or the District of Columbia. The PCA covers employees who produce, assemble, handle, or ship goods under these contracts.
The PCA does not apply to executive, administrative, and professional employees, or to outside salespersons exempt from the minimum wage and overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, nor does it apply to certain office and custodial workers.
Certain contracts are not covered by the PCA. They include:
Contracts to purchase materials, supplies, articles, or equipment that may usually be bought in the "open market"
Contracts to purchase perishables, including dairy, livestock and nursery products
Contracts to purchase agricultural or farm products processed for first sale by the original producers
Contracts made by the Secretary of Agriculture for the purchase of agricultural commodities or products of agricultural commodities
Contracts for public utility services and certain transportation and communication services
Contracts awarded to sales agents or publishers representatives for delivery of newspapers, magazines and periodicals by their publishers
Contracts for materials, supplies, articles, or equipment no part of which will be manufactured or furnished within the geographic limits of the States of the United States of America, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, or the District of Columbia
Contracts administratively exempted by the Secretary of Labor in special circumstances to avoid serious impairment of government business when the exemption will serve justice or the public interest
Covered contractors must pay employees on the contracts the federal minimum wage. The employers may pay special lower rates to apprentices, students in vocational education programs, and disabled workers if they obtain special certificates from the Department of Labor. Employees must also be paid one and one-half times their regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek.
The PCA prohibits the employment of youths less than 16 years of age and incarcerated individuals, except under certain conditions. Not included are persons paroled, pardoned, or discharged from prison, or prisoners participating in a work-release program.
The PCA provides employees on covered federal contracts the right to be paid at least the minimum wage for all hours worked and time and one half their regular rate of pay for overtime hours. The Wage and Hour Division(http://www.dol.gov/whd/) accepts complaints of alleged PCA violations.
State and local laws regulating wages and hours of work may also apply to employment subject to the PCA. When this happens, the employer must observe the law setting the stricter standard.
The Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act may apply simultaneously to the same employer.
Contractors and subcontractors who breach the required contract terms or violate the Act may be subject to a variety of penalties. The underpayment of wages and overtime pay may result in the cancellation of the contract and/or withholding of contract payments in amounts sufficient to reimburse the underpayment. Liquidated damages and/or penalties may be assessed on a daily basis for each underage minor or incarcerated individual who is employed, for which contract payments may also be withheld. The Department of Labor may also bring legal action to collect wage underpayment and fines for underpaying workers and/or illegally employing underage minors or incarcerated individuals. Willful violations may subject the employer to cancellation of the current contract and debarment from future federal contracts for a three-year period.
Upon issuance and service of a formal complaint on the contractor, a hearing shall be scheduled before an Administrative Law Judge. The decision of the Administrative Law Judge may be appealed to the Administrative Review Board (ARB). ARB determinations on violations and debarment may be appealed to and are enforceable through the federal courts.
(29 USC �2101 et seq.; 20 CFR Part 639)
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) generally covers employers with 100 or more employees, not counting those who have worked less than six months in the last 12 months and those who work less than 20 hours per week, or those employers with 100 or more employees, including part-time workers, who in the aggregate work at least 4,000 hours per week, exclusive of overtime. Regular Federal, state, and local government entities that provide public services are not covered. Employees entitled to notice under WARN include managers and supervisors as well as hourly and salaried workers.
A covered plant closing occurs when the permanent or temporary closure of a single site of employment or of one or more facilities or operating units within a single site of employment results in an employment loss as defined by WARN regulations. A covered mass layoff occurs when 50 to 499 employees are affected during any 30-day period at a single employment site (or for certain multiple related layoffs, during a 90-day period), if these employees represent at least 33 percent of the employer’s workforce where the layoff will occur, and the layoff results in an employment loss for more than six months. If the layoff affects 500 or more workers, the 33 percent rule does not apply.
Workers or their representatives, and units of local government may bring individual or class action suits. U.S. district courts enforce WARN requirements. The court may allow reasonable attorney's fees as part of any final judgment.
There are no workplace poster requirements under the WARN Act.
Employers do have notice requirements under the WARN Act.
If an employer orders a plant closing or mass layoff, it is required to provide notification to the employees or their representatives, the state dislocated worker units, (so that they can promptly offer dislocated worker assistance), and the chief elected officials of local governments.
Notices to employees or their representatives. WARN requires employers to notify either the individual employees affected by a plant closing or mass layoff or their representatives at least 60 calendar days prior to any planned plant closing or mass layoff. If employees are terminated on different dates, the date of the first individual termination within the statutory 30-day or 90-day period triggers the 60-day notice requirement.
Notices to representatives. These notices must contain the following:
A statement about whether the planned action is expected to be permanent or temporary and, if the entire plant is to be closed, a statement to that effect
Notices to individual employees. If the affected employees do not have a representative, the notice is to be written in language understandable to the employees and is to contain:
The expected date when the plant closing or mass layoff will begin, and the expected date when the individual employee will be separated
An indication whether or not bumping rights exist
The notice may include additional information useful to the employees such as information on available dislocated worker assistance, and, if the planned action is expected to be temporary, the estimated duration.
Notices to State Dislocated Worker Units and the chief elected officials of local governments. WARN requires employers to separately provide notices to the state dislocated worker unit and to the chief elected official of the unit of local government in which the affected plant is located. The notice should contain:
The expected date of the first separation, and the anticipated schedule for making separations
The job titles of positions to be affected, and the number of affected employees in each job classification
An indication as to whether or not bumping rights exist
The name of each union representing affected employees, and the name and address of the chief elected officer of each union
The notice may include additional information useful to the employees such as a statement of whether the planned action is expected to be temporary and, if so, its expected duration. As an alternative, an employer may give notice to the state dislocated worker unit and to the unit of local government by providing them with a written notice stating:
The name and address of the employment site where the plant closing or mass layoff will occur
The expected date of the first separation
The number of affected employees
If the employer chooses the alternative notice, the information required for the longer form of notice must be maintained on-site where it is readily accessible to the state dislocated worker unit and to the unit of local government.
For general information about WARN, a fact sheet, worker�s guide (PDF), and employer's guide (PDF) are available from the Employment and Training Administration�s Web site. Specific requirements of WARN may be found in the Act itself and the regulations at 20 CFR Part 639.
The Department of Labor provides employers, workers, and others with clear and easy-to-access information and assistance on how to comply with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. Compliance assistance related to the Act, including the WARN e-laws Advisor is available on the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act Compliance Assistance Materials Web page.
WARN is enforced through the U.S. District Courts. Workers, their representatives, and units of local government may bring individual or class action suits against employers believed to be in violation of the Act. The Department of Labor has no authority or legal standing in any enforcement action and cannot provide specific binding or authoritative opinions or guidance about individual situations. The Department of Labor provides assistance in understanding the law and regulations to individuals, firms, and communities.
Employment and Training Administration (ETA) (http://www.doleta.gov)
Office of Policy Development and Research, Division of Policy, Legislation, and Regulations
Tel: 1-877-US2-JOBS (1-877-872-5627) or 1-202-693-3079; TTY: 1-877-889-5627