Nevada Labor Commissioner Begins 2013-14 Prevailing Wage Survey

Nevada Labor Commissioner Thoran Towler today released the 2013–2014 Construction Wage Survey for contractors throughout the state. 

Completed surveys are due by 5:00 pm on July 15 in order to be included in the process to determine the prevailing wage rate which will be posted on October 1 as required by Nevada law. “The deadline is critical,” said Labor Commissioner Thoran Towler, “If the survey has not been received in either our Carson City or Las Vegas offices by 5:00 pm on July 15^th, it won’t be counted in the survey.  It is the contractor’s responsibility to make sure the survey has been received.”

State law requires the Commissioner to conduct an annual survey of contractors who have performed construction work during the past year in order to determine prevailing wage rates. Prevailing wage rates are required to be paid on all Nevada public works construction projects — such as schools, libraries, roadways and government buildings — costing more than $100,000.

Contractors can access the survey by visiting http://www.laborcommissioner.com.  The website also contains convenient links to Nevada's prevailing wage laws, as well as state-required posters and other useful employment information. Individuals may also request a hard copy by calling the Office of the Labor Commissioner toll-free at 1-800-992-0900, in Las Vegas at (702) 486-2652, or in Carson City at (775) 687-4850. For those who wish to submit a completed survey via email, the forms must be sent to publicworks@laborcommissioner.com no later than July 1 (prior to the July 15 deadline for all other methods of submission) to allow for an initial review and email verification of receipt.

All contractors who have worked on construction projects may participate in the survey, even if they are not required to have contractors’ license.  “Temporary employment agencies and engineering firms often have employees who work on construction projects,” Commissioner Towler said, “Since they have to pay prevailing wages on public works projects, the employer can participate in the survey.”

According to Administrative Assistant Claudia Torres, who oversees the data collection and calculation of the rates, the Labor Commissioner’s Office strives to ensure that the public understands how the rates are established.  “We often receive telephone calls and e-mail from people curious as to how we came up with a particular rate,” said Claudia Torres.  “The data obtained from the surveys is loaded into a computer program, which calculates the prevailing wage rates on a county-by-county, job-classification basis.”

Commissioner Towler encourages all contractors, particularly those working in rural areas, to participate as precisely as possible in the survey to ensure that the calculated prevailing wage rates accurately reflect the rates that are being paid in a particular community. If no rates are reported for a craft in a county, the Commissioner must rely on wage rates as reported for the nearest county that has a rate. A low-population county can end up with the same rate established for Clark County for a particular craft because no rural numbers were reported.  Participation by all contractors is key.

Contractors should keep several important facts in mind when completing the survey:

• All data from all contractors will be considered.  However, the information must be within survey requirements.  For example, work must be done within the specified dates and must be for a classification included in the survey. 

• Surveys should include wages paid on private and commercial projects.  To establish a rate reflective of what's been paid, the survey should include wages paid on all construction projects, not just publicly-funded projects.  

• Rural projects should be included.  The size of a project is not important.  Where the work was performed and what rate contractors paid a specific classification in a given locale are the important factors.

About the Office of the Labor Commissioner

The Office of the Labor Commissioner is a division of the Department of Business and Industry. The Labor Commissioner strives to ensure that all workers are treated fairly under the law by investigating complaints of non-payment of wages, State minimum wage, overtime, and prevailing wage disputes. The office also monitors youth employment standards, including work hours and safe, non-hazardous working conditions.

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