Bill > H1753

This bill proposes to amend existing Massachusetts General Laws, specifically Chapter 149, sections 26 and 27, which relate to prevailing wages, a term referring to the minimum wage and benefits that must be paid to workers on public construction projects. The core of the bill is to insert language that recognizes and includes "bona fide apprenticeship programs approved by the commonwealth" as a component that employers can contribute to, alongside existing provisions for pension plans and health and welfare funds, when calculating wages and benefits for these projects. These apprenticeship programs must comply with specific requirements outlined in Chapter 23 of the General Laws, sections 11E to 11L, which govern the establishment and operation of such programs. The bill also adds a provision that employers engaged in construction must deduct payments to health and welfare plans, apprenticeship programs, pension plans, and supplementary unemployment benefit plans only in accordance with the relevant collective bargaining agreement.