California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement v. Dillingham Construction, N.A. (1996)
- Docket
- 95-789
- Decided
- 1996-01-01
Summary
Question: Does the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 preempt California's prevailing wage law to the extent that the law prohibits payment of an apprentice wage to an apprentice trained in an unapproved program? Conclusion: No. In a unanimous decision, authored by Justice Clarence Thomas, the Court ruled that California's prevailing wage law does not "relate to" employee benefit plans, and thus is not preempted by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.