U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 
OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20210
JAN 29 1980
ALL AGENCY MEMORANDUM NO. 132
TO: ALL GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING AGENCIES
AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
FROM: DONALD EDISBURG
Assistant Secretary 
SUBJECT: Format Change for Some Wage
Determination Decisions
In the near future, the Department of Labor will
begin using a new format for schedules of crafts
and rates in some of its prevailing wage decisions
issued pursuant to the Davis-Bacon And related
acts. In the new format, fringe benefits will not
be separately identified. Rather, they will be
stated as a composite figure Which is the total
hourly equivalent value-of fringe benefits found
to be prevailing. Fringe benefits Which cannot
be stated in monetary terms will be shown in foot-
notes similar to those used in the current format.
An example of the new schedule format is attached.
It will be used as existing wage schedules are
revised and updated.
We are adopting the new format as a result of a 
ruling by the Wage Appeals Board that the Davis-
Bacon Act does not require the payment of the a
specific fringe benefits listed as prevailing on
a particular wage determination. The Board
essentially held that any bona fide fringe benefit,
such as one listed in the Act, or cash payments
in lieu of any or all of the fringe benefits
listed on the Department's prevailing wage deter-
minations could be used to meet a contractor's






















 2
fringe benefit obligations. Accordingly, we will
no longer make the separate identification of
fringe benefits when the new format is put into
place.
We also would like to take this opportunity to
call to your attention the fact that we have had
many complaints from individual contractors and
associations representing them that wage decisions
made part of the Invitations for Bids and the
contractual documents are not legible and can
result in inadvertent wage violations because of
a confusion as to the exact amount required to be
paid. To correct this problem, we are urging all
contracting agencies to insure that the wage
decisions appearing in the Federal Register which
are disseminated to bidders are legible. In addi-
tion, if the wage decision is a published general
decision applicable to a wide geographic area or
multiple types of construction, the contracting
agency should consider extracting, for the bid and
contract documents, only those portions of the
wage decision that will apply to the project.
Contractors should be advised on the application
of the various schedules and rates by the con-
tracting agency.
Attachment
































GRAPHIC – “DAVIS - BACON INFOERATION SYSTEM
WAGE SCHEDULE NUMBER WAGE SCHEDULE REPORT FEB 24, 1980”