Frequently Asked Questions
I see you have offices in both San Diego and Los Angeles. Could you tell me more about your company's structure and how you operate in both locations?
Yes! Our main office is located in San Diego, California, where we primarily handle administrative work such as billing, HR, estimating. We have a separate Los Angeles office for our project management and client engagement north of Camp Pendleton.
When considering your project and the field Meier employs, we have completely separate crews and teams local to the San Diego and Los Angeles regions. Our foremans and crews of laborers and carpenters are local to their projects. We do not “travel” between the two regions.
Do you bid prevailing wage, Davis Bacon, labor agreement type of projects?
Prevailing Wage - Yes.
Project Labor Agreements/Collective Bargaining Agreement - No.
Meier is a merit-based firm, that is not signatory to a Union. Please send us any non-PLA projects you have!
What's the typical size or scope of the projects you undertake?
Over the past 3 years, our commercial concrete projects have ranged from $3M to $19M, with an average project size of $12M. We're happy to put a proposal together for you, no matter the size of the project.
As we add our services in the residential and retail / tenant improvement sectors, the values of these projects range. Some of the smaller retail tenant improvement and single-family slab projects are in the $15-40k range. At MEIER, we've grown into the philosophy of, "If it's concrete, we're interested and we can do it!"
What is CA LABOR CODE SECTION 218.8?
California Labor Code Section 218.8, effective from January 1, 2022, outlines the liabilities of direct contractors in private construction projects. This section holds direct contractors responsible for any debts owed to wage claimants that are incurred by subcontractors at any tier under the direct contractor. The liabilities include unpaid wages, fringe benefits, other benefit payments or contributions, penalties, liquidated damages, and interest that a subcontractor owes due to labor performance.
This law ensures that direct contractors are accountable for the labor-related financial obligations of their subcontractors, promoting fair labor practices in the construction industry and highlights the importance of working with the lowest qualified subcontractors.
How does Meier compensate employees?
The majority of Meier employees are W-2 employees, with a few administrative positions that are outsourced via fractional services. Office team members are salaried, as are our upper field management team. Meier's field crew members are Hourly W-2 employees, which is a standard industry practice. Meier does not pay employees "cash", as this is tax fraud and is illegal by both the California Penal Code and Federal Penal Code.
Everything at Meier is done above board, and we value our employees as an ethical employer. Meier provides health insurance plans and 401k plans with employer matching. Our HR team does a great job at ensuring Meier is compliant with applicable state and federal laws. As a W-2 employee, our hourly team members are paid for any overtime hours worked, they are covered by Meier's workman's compensation insurance policy and have access to unemployment insurance and various state programs - such as Paid Family Leave for Maternity/Paternity leave. As W-2 employees, these programs are funded with the tax dollars paid by the employee and the employer. These are legal requirements that Meier proudly upholds.
What makes paying "cash" illegal and considered tax fraud?
Federal Codes:
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Internal Revenue Code (IRC):
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IRC Section 61: Defines gross income and requires all income to be reported to the IRS.
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IRC Sections 3101 & 3111: Mandates the withholding of Social Security and Medicare taxes from employee wages.
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IRC Section 3401: Defines "wages" and requires employers to withhold federal income taxes from employee wages.
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IRC Section 7201: Tax evasion, criminal penalty for willfully attempting to evade taxes.
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IRC Section 7202: Failure to collect or pay over taxes (including withholding for employees).
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IRC Section 6662: Accuracy-related penalties for underpayment of taxes.
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IRC Section 6011: Requires tax returns to be filed accurately, including reporting all wages paid.
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Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA):
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FICA (Social Security Act): Requires employers to withhold Social Security and Medicare taxes from employee paychecks and contribute to these programs.
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Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA):
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FLSA: Requires employers to pay employees at least the federal minimum wage, provide overtime pay for hours worked over 40 per week, and maintain accurate records of hours worked.
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Noncompliance with the FLSA due to under-the-table payments can lead to back wage claims and fines.
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Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA):
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FUTA: Requires employers to pay federal unemployment taxes (which are not withheld from employees’ pay). Employers paying under the table may avoid paying these taxes, violating federal law.
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California State Codes:
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California Revenue and Taxation Code:
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Section 17041: Requires income to be reported and taxes to be paid to the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB).
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Section 17501: Requires withholding taxes for employees and submission of these taxes to FTB.
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Section 19131: Penalties for failure to pay taxes, including paying wages under the table and failing to report income.
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California Labor Code:
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Section 3700: Requires employers to provide workers' compensation insurance for all employees, which would be circumvented if employees are paid under the table.
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Section 510: Requires employers to pay overtime wages to employees working more than 8 hours per day or 40 hours per week.
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Section 1182.12: Sets California's minimum wage law, which applies to all employees regardless of whether they are paid on the books or off the books.
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Section 1194: Allows employees to sue for unpaid minimum wages and overtime if they were not properly paid due to under-the-table payments.
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Section 2802: Requires employers to reimburse employees for necessary business expenses incurred in performing their duties (e.g., equipment, travel).
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Section 226: Requires employers to provide itemized wage statements detailing hours worked, wages earned, deductions made, etc.
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California Unemployment Insurance Code (UI Code):
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Section 13020: Requires employers to report wages paid to employees to the Employment Development Department (EDD) for unemployment insurance tax purposes.
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Section 1352: Penalties for employers who fail to report wages paid to employees to the EDD.
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California Penal Code:
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Section 532: Defines and penalizes fraudulent conduct, including making false statements or engaging in fraudulent transactions related to employment and payment practices.
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Section 1180.1: Discusses crimes related to false employment practices, including wage theft and under-the-table payments.
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California Business and Professions Code:
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Section 17200: Prohibits "unfair competition," which includes deceptive practices like paying employees off the books to avoid tax obligations.
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Section 17500: Prohibits false or misleading advertising, which can extend to misleading employment practices, including under-the-table payment schemes.
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California Workers' Compensation Laws:
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Section 3550-3552: Requires employers to provide workers' compensation insurance for their employees, and penalties are imposed for failing to do so.
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Meier Concrete is a structural concrete contractor that has been serving Southern California for over 3 generations. We offer a variety of services, including commercial and residential concrete construction. Meier is a trusted partner that is committed to completing projects on time and within budget.
CSLB LIC #1031229