Poll: Police Detail or Road Flagger

[smoterh.livejournal.com]

[Poll #1577209]

Comments

[wallacestreet.livejournal.com]

Ok, then. I'll change my vote to "use the cops" since it's apparently cheaper as we are grossly overpaying private flaggers (I think. Again, not having done the work, I'm not sure it's as easy as it seems, but it doesn't seem too hard). I wonder what the rates for flaggers in other parts of the country are (say LA or Seattle with comparable cost of living).

Thanks for the education.

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

Let me correct myself a little - prevailing wage rates are set by law - I do not know, by I am researching it, WHO sets those rates.

What I can give you is a reference for the laws as they apply to the Feds:

http://www.gpo.gov/davisbacon/index.html
The Davis-Bacon Wage Determinations contained on this web site are wage determinations issued by the U.S. Department of Labor under the Davis-Bacon and related Acts. The Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor determines prevailing wage rates to be paid on federally funded or assisted construction projects.

I'm intentionally underlining the federally funded bit, lest someone think I'm trying to pull a fast one by using federal regs to discuss state issues: that is the LAW for the feds, but it indicates what the generally acceptable wage rates are in the area.

http://www.gpo.gov/davisbacon/MA.html

[wallacestreet.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I suspect that much road construction work is at least federally assisted so those rates would apply to a lot of state projects too.

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

And a key thing to remember is that when it is NOT a government agency performing the work that has a detail cop, the comany pays MORE than the cop's rate to the city that provides the cop - administrative fees that fill the coffer of the city ... few of the politicians who oppose details want us to pay attention to that nugget.

[wallacestreet.livejournal.com]

This administrative fee is a hidden tax. We're paying the state to pay the companies to do the roadwork or we're paying higher rates to NSTAR or whatever. Not that I'm against filling city coffers, but I'd prefer it to be done with direct fees and taxes whose benefits can be debated rather than through the back door like this.

sorry for the multiple edits

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

Tell me this - if NSTAR didn't have to pay for flaggers or detail cops, do you think your rates would actually go down? That's more confrontation than I want to express.

I do not think that lowering the cost to providers automatically translates to reduced costs to consumers.

Once a major corporation has its hooks into you, they don't lower their charges if their costs are lower - look at the ever increasing cost of rate plans for AT&T, with reduced services provided: they used to offer an "unlimited" smart phone data plan (actually had a 5gb/month limit which they usually never charged on) with unlimited texting for $50/month.

Their new Data Pro Plan costs $25/month, and gives you 2GB/month, $10 for each GB over that each month, no messaging included.
$20 for unlimited messaging
So, they have reduced the demand on their system (their cost) by killing unlimited data plans, and, to get the same service I used to have, it will cost me $75/month.

[wallacestreet.livejournal.com]

Ok, so the federal rate for Somerville flaggers is $23 and change with $17 and change for "fringes". I'm not sure what that means exactly. Does the company get $40/hour for the flaggers to pay wages and benefits? Do they add on the workers' comp and FICA and etc. to that number? How does it compare to the state $34/hr in the table posted above?

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

I'm having a friend research that for me now, as I had those exact same questions ... ah, I found it all on my own:

Fringe Benefits:
• Fringe benefits can include health insurance premiums, retirement contributions, life insurance, vacation
and other paid leave.
• Fringe benefits do not include employer payments or contributions required by other Federal, State or
local laws such as SSI.
• Although a company’s fringe benefits and basic hourly rates may differ from the wage decision, the
company’s fringe benefits + the basic hourly rate must equal the total amount shown in the wage decision
(basic + fringe).
• Example: Wage decision shows basic rate as $25 + $10 fringes. Company pays $20 basic + $15 fringe.

also - flaggers MUST be paid overtime - so if the construction job has a flagger on duty for more than 40 hours/week, it goes to time and a half.

Cops on detail do not qualify under the overtime laws.