Associated General Contractors Assoc.

Davis-Bacon Act

The Davis-Bacon Act of 1931 required general contractors working on federal contracts or with federal assistance to pay a "prevailing wage" to workers.

The AGC agreed with the law's intent, but argued that, as written, it threatened to lock in prevailing wages that might just as easily be too low as too high. The AGC continued to work to fix this and other problems of the Act until in 1935, a set of amendments were more successful in bringing about the clarity that the general contractors needed.

Content from: Building on Experience AGC 100 Years