24.17.514    COMMERCIAL SUPPLIERS NOT SUBJECT TO PREVAILING WAGE LAWS

(1) A commercial supplier of goods and supplies is not subject to Montana's prevailing wage laws unless that supplier acts as a construction contractor, subcontractor or employer on the public works contract by performing on-site labor.

(2) Employees of a commercial supplier who are engaged in the performance of services directly upon the job site must be paid the applicable prevailing wage rate for the classification of work performed.

(3) For the purposes of this rule, the term "construction work" means labor that is performed after the commercial supplier delivers the goods or supplies. The fact that a commercial supplier charges for delivery (based on distance from the commercial supplier's location to the job site) does not transform the delivery into "construction work".

(a) As an example, the dumping of gravel from a belly-dump trailer, even if the dumping is done in a long row, is considered to be part of the delivery of the gravel. However, if the driver of the delivery vehicle performs "shovel work" after the load is dumped, that "shovel work" is considered to be "construction work".

(b) As another example, ready-mixed concrete is delivered by a commercial supplier from the mixer truck to a particular location on the job site. The mixer truck operator is delivering the concrete when the operator directs the flow of concrete down the delivery chute that is attached to the mixer truck, even if that flow is directed into a form that has been assembled by others in place. Further movement or manipulation of the concrete, after it leaves the end of the delivery chute, such as distributing the concrete evenly in the form with a shovel or screeding the concrete, constitutes "construction work".

(c) As another example, a commercial supplier delivers road oil to a public works contract site in a tank truck. The transfer of the road oil from the tank truck to a storage tank or into a road oiler truck is considered to be delivery within the meaning of this rule. However, if the supplier's tank truck also sprays the road oil directly on the road surface, that spraying operation is considered to be "construction work" for which the prevailing rate of wages must be paid.

(d) As another example, a commercial supplier of cabinets is not engaging in "construction work" by delivering the cabinets to a particular location or locations in a building that is being constructed pursuant to a public works contract. However, any installation work done to attach the cabinets to the building, or work performed after the cabinets are attached to the building, constitutes "construction work" within the meaning of this rule.

History: 18-2-431, MCA; IMP, 18-2-401, MCA; NEW, 2002 MAR p. 2446, Eff. 9/13/02.