DC Auditor report exposes wage theft on school projects

Wage theft and DC government's nonexistent enforcement on publicly-funded school modernization projects was exposed in a report issued last week by the DC auditor. “We applaud the DC Auditor for including an evaluation of Davis-Bacon compliance as part of its most recent review of DCPS modernization projects,” said Dennis Desmond, Business Manager of LiUNA Local 11. The Davis–Bacon Act is a federal law that requires paying the local prevailing wages on public works projects for laborers and mechanics. Local 11 represents more than 3,500 construction laborers, many of whom have worked on city school construction projects. “Disreputable contractors cheat on wages to win work, so it is essential that the District have a system in place to detect Davis-Bacon violations,” Desmond added. ​