Are libraries required to pay prevailing wages for projects funded through the Public Library Construction Grant Program?
Public libraries, as described in Section 253(2) of NYS Education Law, are subject to the prevailing wage law. Free Association libraries are usually not subject to such law, unless they are involved in construction contracts that take place on municipal property or involve municipal use. In the case of Free Association Libraries, prudence would dictate that such libraries contact the Department of Labor and request a determination as to the applicability of the prevailing wage law in the particular circumstances then present. Projects subject to the prevailing wage law require the payment of certain minimum wages for all laborers, workers and mechanics, and it is vital that such information be provided to any party bidding on such a project.
