DW Close Co., Inc. v. DEPT. OF LABOR AND INDUS.

**What Happened** D.W. Close Company and Burke Electric were accused of cheating workers out of proper wages on public construction projects. The companies classified their employees as "electronic technicians" and paid them lower wages. However, the Washington Department of Labor and Industries found that these workers were actually doing "inside wireman" work - specifically pulling electrical wire through conduit pipes longer than 10 feet. Under state prevailing wage laws, this type of work requires higher pay rates. The companies challenged this decision in court. **What the Court Decided** The court sided with the Department of Labor and Industries. It confirmed that the employers violated prevailing wage laws by misclassifying their workers and paying them less than required. The court also upheld the state regulations that define different types of electrical work and their corresponding pay rates. **Why This Matters for Workers** This ruling protects workers on public construction projects from wage theft through job misclassification. It reinforces that employers cannot avoid paying proper wages by simply giving workers different job titles when they're performing work that legally requires higher pay rates. Workers doing skilled electrical work are entitled to prevailing wages, regardless of what their employer calls their position.