What is the prevailing wage?
A. Covered workers must receive the appropriate wage rate for their craft: the prevailing wage is the basic hourly rate of pay and the bona fide benefit rate of contribution as determined by the Commissioner of the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The same department also administers the NJ Prevailing Wage Act, a NJ state law that protects construction workers including, but not limited to carpenters, plumbers, power equipment operators, and laborers.
Federal laws and those in most states require that private employers with government contracts pay their employees working on these public contracts the prevailing wage, meaning no less than the usual wages and benefits that comparable workers in the locality are paid. The prevailing wages for workers employed under government contracts are determined by government laws or regulations.
