In handling thousands of disputes and controversies under Illinois’s ever-expanding prevailing wage law for 25 years, there are no surprises anymore—particularly over these past several years where we have seen the Illinois...more
7/22/2025
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Compliance ,
Construction Industry ,
Contractors ,
Government Agencies ,
Illinois ,
Infrastructure ,
Labor Regulations ,
Municipalities ,
New Legislation ,
New Regulations ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Public Projects ,
Public Works ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State Labor Laws
The Illinois Prevailing Wage Act (IPWA) is a union-backed law that places enormous burdens on construction contractors, developers, property owners, and public bodies throughout Illinois. It’s extraordinarily confusing,...more
7/21/2025
/ Compliance ,
Construction Contracts ,
Construction Industry ,
Contractors ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Illinois ,
Labor Regulations ,
Penalties ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State Labor Departments ,
State Labor Laws ,
Suspensions & Debarments ,
Wage and Hour
On June 30, 2023, Governor Pritzker signed HB 3351 into law, which amends the Illinois Power Agency Act (IPAA) to require certain projects under the Illinois Solar For All Program to be subject to the prevailing wage...more
Legislation aimed at expanding green energy construction projects is spreading throughout the United States. With it, prevailing wage mandates and project labor agreements tied to such projects are becoming more common....more
If you have frequented the SmithAmundsen Labor & Employment Blog, you may recall that we previously reported on one of the very first actions taken by Governor Pritzker immediately following his inauguration in January 2019....more
Contractors beware – the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) has ramped up audits of contractors as labor unions and related organizations flood the IDOL with “complaints. Remember, under the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act...more
5/7/2021
/ Audits ,
Compliance ,
Contractors ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Illinois ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Non-Union ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Public Works ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
State and Local Government
Big Labor continues to use local, state and federal prevailing wage laws to target contractors they have a “beef” with. Since most prevailing wage audits are triggered by a complaint (including 3rd party complaints), trade...more
Contractors, developers, architects, owners, project managers and even public bodies often ask the same obvious question when dealing with any type of prevailing wage ordinance or law, “what are my obligations?” While...more
Having handled countless prevailing wage disputes, the local, state or federal administrative agency assigned to administer compliance (i.e. the US Department of Labor) is the only government entity that can lawfully...more
You may not remember… in 2013, then Governor Quinn signed into law an amendment to Illinois’ Prevailing Wage Act (IPWA) which sort of redefined what the PREVAILING WAGE RATE meant by adding one little word. Effective January...more