Chester Bross Construction Co. v. Missouri Department of Labor & Industrial Relations

**Construction Company Must Pay Prevailing Wages to Equipment Mechanic** Chester Bross Construction Company challenged whether it had to pay prevailing wages to a mechanic who repaired and maintained construction equipment at a public works job site. The company argued that since the mechanic was doing maintenance work rather than actual construction, Missouri's Prevailing Wage Act shouldn't apply to that worker's pay. The Missouri Court of Appeals disagreed with the construction company. The court ruled that the state's prevailing wage law does cover mechanics who perform repair and maintenance work on construction equipment at public works sites. The company's attempt to exclude maintenance workers from these wage protections failed. This decision matters for workers because it protects the wages of support staff who work on publicly-funded construction projects. Prevailing wage laws require employers to pay workers at least the standard wage rates for their type of work in that area, which are typically higher than minimum wage. The ruling ensures that not just traditional construction workers, but also mechanics and other maintenance workers at these job sites, receive fair compensation. This prevents contractors from trying to save money by classifying essential workers as exempt from wage protections.