Monday, January 16, 2017

The Word On Davis Bacon Construction Projects

By Frank Collins


The controversy surrounding labor wages has necessitated the creation of more enlightened laws. One such law was passed in the year 1931, which regulated wages for labor contracted to work on government construction works. The main provision of the act was for contractors to give the prevailing standard pay to construction laborers and mechanics in their employ.

The Housing and Urban Development department is still currently using the bill for its projects. Many companies in the industry really try to deal in Davis Bacon projects because of the way they negatively impact their balance sheets. Other issues apply to the controversies surrounding the act, one of which how compensation should be given.

Under the Related Acts, government is supposed to be responsible for the financial grants, loans and other forms of assistance. But these have become slow in coming and tied up with red tape, so that contractors with government housing contracts are not able to fully utilize their rights for these. Serving Related Acts provisions promptly was meant to be a consideration for construction companies.

Families that could not afford private housing often have recourse to the low income projects made under the bill. But then, the participating companies have often made substandard installations to save on costs to fulfill their need to pay their workers well. However, their workers still have much the same problems of making ends meet today compared to earlier times.

Government guarantees or underwrites a failed system of providing affordable housing to income earners in the lower brackets. Today, a lot of people who are beneficiaries of this system still take the housing units that are offered. The choice is to spend more on much better built apartments or homes.

The country has not been known to be strong in delivering social systems that address basic needs for citizens. The Davis Bacon act has become a very heavy load for administrations that need to progress from it. For times that are touted to more progressive, it is an archaic law that has made government unpopular and top heavy.

People who are enrolled in the HUD programs do not have much of a choice. Housing provided by the private sector at least doubles the money needed for having a home that will not leak when it rains. Owners of these units have the privilege of spending more out of pocket for installs to improve their homes.

In 1979 a report was submitted by the General Accounting Office to the effect that it was no longer viable or relevant. A call was made to repeal it, because of valid reasons concerning the inability of government to deliver on its provisions. However, one fact was missing, and that was the way it was used prejudicial to blacks.

States across the country have also passed their own Little Davis Bacon laws. But then, these are more politically colored decisions that are constantly being blocked any which way through litigious legislation. Ultimately, the government and legislature need to come up to terms for a better kind of law to take effect.




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