For Immediate Release: March 11, 2022

Contact: Mark Brueggenjohann  202-728-6014

IBEW Applauds Proposed Changes to Davis-Bacon Regulations

Lonnie Stephenson, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, issued the following statement on the U.S. Department of Labor’s Davis-Bacon regulation proposal:

“The IBEW and its 775,000 members applaud the Biden Administration for its proposal to bring Davis-Bacon Act regulations into the 21st century. 

“If enacted, this proposal would modernize the 41-year-old prevailing wage system in several ways, including by ensuring prevailing wage rates keep up with actual wages paid to workers in the local community and strengthening worker protections and enforcement, thereby protecting workers from employer retaliation. Over time, these changes will result in greater financial security for working people.

“The proposed updates to the regulations will restore the Act’s intended bipartisan purpose to protect the hard-earned wages of construction workers, and in doing so, shield them from exploitation. These efforts by President Biden, Secretary of Labor Walsh, and the entire Biden Administration mark the start of a new day for our members and their families. As IBEW electrical workers and others in the building trades embark on the mission to usher our nation’s aging infrastructure into the 21st century, we applaud the Administration’s efforts to ensure that pay reflects the work of this highly trained, highly skilled workforce.”

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The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) represents approximately 775,000 members and retirees who work in a wide variety of fields, including construction, utilities, manufacturing, telecommunications, broadcasting, railroads and government.