So with the advent of modern surveying technology there arises some new questions concerning prevailing wages. With things like UAV's, software like Datumate, mobile LiDAR, etc how is it applied?
For UAV's (when legal), say we have a two person crew out there...not a survey crew but a pilot and a spotter. They are only taking photos (or what about with a LiDAR unit?) and are not trained in surveying...they are trained in how to fly the UAV.
For Datumate, I can send anyone out there to take pictures. No measuring, etc. I wouldn't pay PW if I sent an office tech out just to take pictures of a site to document it.
For mobile LiDAR, the crew is driving at 60mph through a site and are done.
I know there is more involved of course such as ground control, etc. and that would of course be covered but what about the other stuff? Say for instance we have a project where we already have control located for use in Datumate or with a UAV. I send someone out there to take new photos of the site after work is done or something has changed and, assuming the control is still there, we don't have to do any traditional survey work. Just take pictures from the ground or fly a UAV over to get pictures.
Is it really a survey crew for this type of work where most of the actual survey work is done in the office?
Thoughts?
There is a lot more to these data acquisition methods than what one may think. You still need competent individuals with understanding of guiding principles. What may look simple isn't always.
I know that it's not as simple as I made it out to be...I was oversimplifying but that doesn't change that the people are not doing traditional surveying by any means (other than ground control).
Does taking photos on a site (or over) constitute a need to pay prevailing wages? Do the pilots of photogrammetry firms have to be paid PW?
In NY (and I think in most places that have PW) this applies to all publicly funded work, construction or preliminary work. It adds 20%-40% to most projects.
Tom
Am I to understand that you make less than the prevailing in the locality where the work is performed according to the New York Prevailing Wage laws?
In California the Department of Industrial Relations will respond to questions about Prevailing Wage applicability in situations that don't seem to fit the usual profile, and will issue a determination letter. Isn't there a similar body in your state?
Prevailing wage for a crew chief in NYC (for construction) is $90.91/hr. For consulting (ie preliminary work) it is $54.51/hr. This includes the $27/hr supplemental benefit. Our senior crew chief make around $30 an hour and we offer around $9/hr in benefits when broken down like that. So yes we pay less than the prevailing wage for non publicly funded projects but we pay the prevailing wage on public projects.
I think that is what you were asking.
Tom
Yeah I sent a letter to them and have not heard back, just wondering what other people's take on it is (not that it matters since the State has the final say).
Keep in mind what I'm saying was my understanding of what was happening in Illinois. The prevailing wage was only applied to construction projects for public works projects, not all surveying.
In NY all public works projects have to pay prevailing wage no matter if it is preliminary design surveys or construction layout. The only exception is boundary only projects.
Tom
The union certainly grabbed a slice of the pie in N.Y. didn't they?
We don't do heavy construction work south of where we are because even if it is open shop (like public works projects should be unless there is a PLA agreement) we get harassed by the machine operators and other people on site. The union reps themselves stop by our field crews around once a month to try and get them to join. Never much up near our office but whenever we are working south towards NYC.
When I worked for a different company we got booted from a job because the machine operators stopped working until we left the site as non union surveyors. The site stood still for two days while the powers that be tied to negotiate and we were eventually taken off the project.
Don't take this as me being anti-union...I'm not...I just don't appreciate the heavy handed tactics by some unions and the fact that I think they are overpaid by a lot. A guy who never graduated high school is making over 100k a year while in other unions, like my wife's teachers union, she has a doctorates degree and makes less than 50k a year.
Tom
Without opening a big can of worms, my guess is that your teacher wife truly enjoys her job. She comes home with a smile. Plus she knows she can go just about anywhere in the country and still love her work. That happiness factor has value that is hard to put a dollar amount on.
Meanwhile, the bone headed factory union grunt can't wait to get off work. He hates his job, and is totally locked in with no place else to go. Ever. Stuck in a rut.
Me, I'm anti union for government workers because I fund them, and a certain percentage are just plain lazy and waiting to retire. Private industry unions - WGAS - go for it (but no subsidies). I'll shop somewhere else if I don't like the product. I love the fact that Toyota told the UAW to go find a cliff and jump off, and dollars to donuts their workers are well paid and happy.
Spock had it right - Live Long and Prosper
Some time ago we were asked to do some Prevailing Wage staking work in Portland. If we sent the field crew to do the work we would have to pay PW of, as I recall over $50/hr. But if 2 licensed professionals went out to do the very same staking work, PW didn't apply, and they (read me and the company owner) would merely be paid their bargain basement PLS salary. In the end I think that the work was constructed without benefit of survey of any kind.
