Compliance Report — May 2022
The City of Los Angeles Bureau of Contract Compliance and the Los Angeles Housing Department is currently overseeing compliance on many residential projects due to the JJJ (2017) and HHH (2016) bond measures. Unlike residential projects in the past, these projects require contractors to comply with labor standards regarding using licensed contractors, paying prevailing wages and hiring workers from local and disadvantaged areas and state-approved apprenticeship programs. Some HHH projects include a project labor agreement (PLA) with the City of LA while some JJJ projects have a developer- or general contractor-elected PLA.
Prevailing wage and PLA compliance with residential projects is new to many general contractors and project owners and there is a learning curve for the contracting community. Here are a few reminders when working on a residential prevailing wage project:
- Currently, the published residential prevailing wage applies to non-commercial projects (under Department of Labor guidelines) with units consisting of one or more rooms for the use of one or more persons as a housekeeping unit with space for eating, living, and sleeping and permanent provisions for cooking and sanitation, up to and including five-story and loft garden type of apartments over two levels of parking, and all residential maintenance in these occupancies.
- The only apprentices that may be used on residential public works projects are those in the residential apprenticeship program; the minimum rate of pay for these workers is the residential apprenticeship rate of pay.
- There are three residential prevailing wage classifications on public works projects. They each have a minimum corresponding rate of pay: Master Residential Electrician, Residential Wireman, Residential Apprentice(s).
- All wage sheets are published at IBEW11.org under the “Contracts” heading.
Veronica Martinez
