Defense of Contractor - Davis-Bacon Prevailing Wage Claims

This case concerned the construction of a marine boat dock on an island in Boston Harbor. The Plaintiff claimed entitlement to unpaid wages and enhanced wages under the federal prevailing wage statute known as the Davis Bacon Act. The Plaintiff sought treble damages and legal fees.

Under the Davis Bacon Act construction workers on federally funded projects must be paid specified wage rates (classified according to each trade and the locale of the project) for time spent on the job site. In this case the Plaintiff argued he was not paid for time spent on the "site of the work" as defined in the statute. He also took the position that since the work of constructing the dock was performed from a barge, workers should be compensated at the federal Davis Bacon rates while the barge was en route to the island where the boat dock was being constructed, in addition to the time spend there with the barge anchored while it served as the work platform. The travel on the barge each day was about 3 hours for a round trip.

There were contested facts as to whether and when the Plaintiff was actually on the work site. There was a legal issue regarding the definition of the "site of the work" whether the mobile barge was the "site of the work" while in transit to the island. If the Plaintiff prevailed on any of his claims it would have opened the door to claims from other construction workers on this same project to file similar suits.

The case was tried before a Maine Superior Court Justice in June 2013. The Court issued a decision in August 2013 finding in favor of our client on all claims.