Illinois DOL providing prevailing wage training online May 25

Springfield, IL – The Illinois Department of Labor (DOL) will hold an online training session for reporting wages and benefits to determine local prevailing wages at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 25.

The Illinois AFL-CIO reported that DOL is asking unions to submit their wage and benefit information by the end of June, using the department’s prevailing wage survey portal. The resulting wage rates are to be posted on July 15.

The training session is designed for the people who file each union’s wage certifications. It is scheduled to last one hour. Union representatives who wish to participate may register in advance by going online to https://bit.ly/3uqeGeJ.

Only Labor unions and contractor associations may participate. Those who register will receive additional instructions on how to join the event, called a “webinar.”

The Illinois AFL-CIO said unions that have already submitted their information do not need to do so again, but that if the information is incorrect or needs updating, the prevailing wage might not reflect current bargaining agreements.

ON PUBLIC WORKS
The Illinois prevailing wage law requires contractors and subcontractors to pay laborers, workers and mechanics employed on public works projects no less than the general prevailing rate of wages (consisting of hourly cash wages plus fringe benefits) for work of similar character in the locality where the work is performed.

Contractors or subcontractors found in violation of the law must pay workers the difference between the wage they paid and the prevailing wage, and are subject to penalties and punitive damages. A contractor or subcontractor found to have violated the act on two occasions in a five-year period may be disbarred from public works projects for four years. Contractors are required to post prevailing wage rates at job sites.

To facilitate determining prevailing wage rates, the state operates a Prevailing Wage Portal online. To access it, users will need to create an Illinois Public ID Account, with a user ID and pin number, if they don’t have an account already. The telephone hotline is (312) 793-1585, from 9 to 5 p.m. weekdays. Contact numbers for providing prevailing wage information are (217) 782-1710 or (312) 793-3600. Or send email to DOL.PWsurvey.Government@Illinois.Gov.