Opinion ID: 2321104
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Prevailing Wage Law, Generally

Text: Under Section 5 of the Wage Act, [n]ot less than the prevailing minimum wages as determined [under the Act] shall be paid to all workmen employed on public work. 43 P.S. § 165-5. Public bodies proposing contracts for any project of public work are to request, from the Secretary of Labor and Industry, prevailing minimum wage rates (categorized by craft or classification of workers in the job locality) for incorporation into ensuing contracts. Id. §§ 165-4, 165-7. See generally Borough of Youngwood v. PWAB, 596 Pa. 603, 614, 947 A.2d 724, 730-31 (2008). In relevant part, a project is a public work if it is performed under contract and is paid for in whole or in part with public funds. 43 P.S. § 165-2 (definition of public work); see Pa. Nat'l Mut. Cas. Ins. Co. v. PWAB, 552 Pa. 385, 396-97, 715 A.2d 1068, 1074 (1998) ( Penn National I ). Pursuant to the Charter School Law, boards of trustees and contractors of charter schools are made subject to the provisions of the Act. See 24 P.S. § 17-1715-A(10)(iii). Given that there may be some disharmony in the application of some of the specific elements of the Wage Act in charter-school scenarios, the Commonwealth Court has held that such elements are not strictly applicable. See Mosaica Educ., Inc. v. PWAB, 836 A.2d 185, 189-90 (Pa.Cmwlth. 2003) ( Mosaica I ). Under Mosaica I, the payment of charter-school funds to finance construction may suffice to trigger wage regulation. See id.