Prevailing Wage

MSD Prevailing Wage Program

On April 11, 2019, the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District’s Board of Trustees adopted Ordinance 15136 establishing a Prevailing Wage Program that meets its Charter requirement to pay prevailing wages on improvement projects.

Additional information on the requirements of the District’s Prevailing Wage Program is provided in  The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District Prevailing Wage Rules.

MSD Fiscal Year 2025 Prevailing Wage Order

Projects Subject to MSD Prevailing Wage

How the Prevailing Wage is Calculated

The District’s prevailing wage rate shall serve as the minimum rate paid to workers in each occupational title on MSD construction projects that meet the definition of a public works project per the Rules of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, 8 CSR 30-3.020 and RSMo 290.210. Projects subject to the MSD Prevailing Wage include:
  • All Capital Improvement and Replacement Program (CIRP) construction projects regardless of the amount of the engineer’s estimate or the amount of the bid
  • All applicable Blanket Contracts
  • All non-CIRP projects over $10,000 as applicable.

The applicability of this requirement shall be as determined by the District and as stated in the project bid documents and/or specifications.

Projects subject to the MSD Prevailing Wage requirements may also be subject to the Missouri Prevailing Wage Law and/or the Davis Bacon Act. In such cases the higher of the wage rate shall prevail.

The District will establish the prevailing wage rates based on the wage rate most commonly paid, as measured by the number of hours worked at each wage rate, for that occupational title. Prevailing Wage Orders will be issued annually.

Source of Hours and Wages

In determining the prevailing wage rates, the District will utilize reported hours and wage data provided by the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations for the prior year, for construction projects that occurred within the City of St. Louis or St. Louis County during that one year period.

The District will also accept and consider information submitted by contractors, subcontractors, labor unions, and other interested parties. However, information regarding local wage rates for entry level workers and federally registered apprentices will not be considered. Submitting parties will be required to confirm that the data was not also submitted to the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. The data must be submitted using the Contractor’s Wage Survey and must submitted to the District electronically by January 31st of each year for work performed during the prior year.

Apprentice and Entry-Level Workers

Under the District’s Prevailing Wage Program entry level workers/trainees will not be permitted to work at a less than the prevailing wage rate unless they are enrolled in an US Department of Labor approved apprenticeship program. The ratio of trainees to journeymen on the job site shall not be greater than permitted under the plan approved by the Employment and Training Administration.
Questions regarding the District’s Prevailing Wage Program or complaints regarding any violation of the District’s Prevailing Wage Rules should be directed to PrevailingWageMSD@stlmsd.com