Existing law requires that all workers employed on public works projects shall be paid the general prevailing rate of per diem wages as determined by the Director of the Department of Industrial Relations.
Assembly Bill 1851
On September 29, 2022, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1851, which, effective January 1, 2023, will amend Labor Code Section 1720.3 to expand the definition of “public works” to cover the on-hauling materials used for paving, grading, and fill onto a public works site provided that the individual driver’s work is integrated into the flow process of construction. This definition will apply to contracts involving any state agency, including the California State University and the University of California, or any political subdivision of the state. AB 1851 expands the coverage of Section 1720.3, which previously included only the hauling of refuse from a public works site to an outside disposal location in the definition of public works. In 2015, the Legislature similarly expanded the definition of “public works” to include the hauling and delivery of ready-mixed concrete.
AB 1851 continues the Legislature’s trend of expanding the definition of public works.
