DAVIS-BACON ACT
The Davis-Bacon Act (40 U.S.C.A. §§ 276a to
276a-5) is federal law that governs the MINIMUM
WAGE rate to be paid to laborers and mechanics
employed on federal public works projects. It
was enacted on March 3, 1931, and has been
amended. Its purpose is to preserve local wage
standards and promote local employment by
preventing contractors who bid on public contracts
from basing their bids on the use of cheap
labor recruited from foreign sources.
When controversies arise under the Davis-
Bacon Act, they are first submitted to the federal
agency that is in charge of the project. Thereafter,
if the dispute is not satisfactorily resolved,
the matter is submitted to the secretary of labor.
The Wage Appeals Board of the LABOR DEPARTMENT
acts on behalf of the secretary in reviewing
QUESTIONS OF LAW and fact made in wage
determinations issued under the act and its
related prevailing wage statutes. The board has
discretion in selecting the controversies that it
will review. Following these administrative procedures,
a dissatisfied party may seek relief in
the federal courts. The courts, however, will only
review whether there has been compliance with
the constitutional, statutory, and procedural
requirements of the practices and procedures of
the agencies involved in the dispute.
CROSS-REFERENCES
Labor Law.
