McKinley Foundation at University of Illinois v. Illinois Department of Labor

**What This Case Was About** The McKinley Foundation at the University of Illinois was building a construction project and claimed they didn't have to pay prevailing wages to workers. The Illinois Department of Labor disagreed, saying the Foundation was required to follow the state's Prevailing Wage Act, which ensures workers on certain public projects get paid fair, market-rate wages. **What the Court Decided** The Illinois appeals court ruled in favor of the Department of Labor. The court found that because the McKinley Foundation used tax-exempt bonds issued through a state agency (the Illinois Finance Authority) to finance their construction project, they became a "public body" under the law. This meant they were required to pay prevailing wages to construction workers on the project. **Why This Matters for Workers** This decision protects construction workers by ensuring they receive fair wages on projects that use public financing, even when the employer is technically a private organization. When any entity uses government-backed financing like tax-exempt bonds, workers can expect to be paid prevailing wages rather than potentially lower rates. This ruling strengthens wage protections for workers on publicly-financed construction projects.