U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
WASHINGTON
14 NOV 1977
MEMORANDUM NO. 129
FOR: ALL GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING AGENCIES OF THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
FROM: SECRETARY OF LABOR 
SUBJECT: Enforcement of the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts
On September 16, 1974, the Secretary of Labor issued
All Agency Memorandum No. 118 to stress the need for
each contracting agency to improve its enforcement
activity under the Davis-Bacon and related acts. The
1974 Memorandum expressed the hope that American workers
could look forward to a period of meaningful enforcement
activity by each contracting agency to protect their
statutory rights. Unfortunately since then there has been
an even greater decline on the part of the contracting
agencies in fulfilling their enforcement responsibilities.
President Truman sent Reorganization Plan No. 14 to the
Congress in 1950 to insure uniform enforcement of the
protections afforded construction workers by contracting
agencies awarding Davis-Bacon contracts. This Plan gives
the Secretary of Labor the responsibility for prescribing
appropriate standards and uniform regulations in order to
achieve adequate enforcement of this labor standard.
Enforcement responsibility remained with the contracting
agencies.
I am, therefore, requesting that you assist me by insuring
that those staff members to whom Davis-Bacon and related
acts responsibility has been assigned make certain that
laborers and mechanics receive the wages prescribed by the
law. Since contractors should also be protected from
unknowingly incurring large back wage liabilities, it is
important that your agencies advise them at preconstruction





















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conferences of the obligations to which they are
contractually committed. It is equally important
that each contracting agency diligently review the
certified payrolls and conduct on-site compliance
visits to construction sites.
Because of the desire of this Department to fulfill its
oversight responsibilities under Reorganization Plan
No. 14, in the near future we will meet with representa-
tives of all contracting agencies to discuss the
enforcement problems that have emerged with respect to
the Davis-Bacon and related acts. Appropriate solutions
will be developed to guarantee a full enforcement effort
by all responsible agencies. Details for the conference
will be forwarded to you soon.
My concern is that the current decrease in the level of
enforcement of labor standards protections legislated by
the Congress might be misinterpreted as an attempt to
not honor the intent of these laws. I want to avoid
such a misunderstanding and know that I can depend upon
your assistance to remedy this matter of joint concern.