Williams v. SNSANDS CORP.

The California prevailing wage law mandates the payment of prevailing wages to workers employed in the execution of a contract for public works. (Lab. Code, § 1771.) Plaintiff and respondent Fred H. Williams was an employee truckdriver for defendant and appellant SnSands Corporation, doing business as S&S Trucking (hereafter S&S Trucking), who sought unpaid wages in this action. In the first phase of a bifurcated court trial, the parties presented to the court certain stipulated factual scenarios, involving the on-hauling of materials to, and the off-hauling of materials from, a public works construction project, and sought a determination of whether S&S Trucking’s truckdrivers were entitled to prevailing wages in each circumstance. In a second phase, the trial court applied the phase one conclusions and awarded Williams $76,853.27 for unpaid wages.

S&S Trucking contends the trial court erred in concluding that its truck-driver employees were entitled to prevailing wages under the prevailing wage law for hauling building materials from public works construction sites to nonpublic works project sites. It also contends the amount of the court’s award is not supported by…