Missouri Releases First Prevailing Wage Rates Following 2018 Overhaul
Date Posted: July 12, 2019
Posted In: News, Workforce,
From The Missouri Times: Following a sweeping overhaul of the prevailing wage system last year, Missouri has set the first rates under the alterations.
On Wednesday, the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DOLIR) announced the prevailing wage rates for FY 2020 and are now in effect for use on all Missouri public works construction projects.
During the 2018 regular session, the Missouri General Assembly gave its stamp of approval to HB 1729, championed by GOP Rep. Jeffrey Justus, after hours of debate and compromise.
The compromised language was not a total repeal, as was originally proposed, but instead laid out more specific criteria for the calculations used to decide the prevailing wage.
One provision states if there are less than 1,000 reportable hours for an occupation in that locality, the public works contracting minimum wage would be equal to 120 percent of the average hourly wage in a particular locality.
The reason for this, according to supporters, was heavily populated areas, such as St. Louis County or Jackson County, were dictating the wages in nearby rural areas. The intent of the provision was to make the wages more reflective of their respective localities.
The changes do not impact projects worth less than $75,000.
Under the prevailing wage in effect, a carpenter in Jefferson County would earn $54.69 an hour while a carpenter in Macon County, where less than 1,000 hours were reported, would earn $18.78 an hour.