Technician Denied Higher California Wage for Work Aboard Train

Technicians installing electrical equipment on rail cars as part of a public project are not entitled to California’s prevailing wage rate, because that rule doesn’t extend to work on “rolling stock,” the state’s supreme court said Monday.

Dictionary definitions dating back to the turn of the 20th century uniformly define “public works” as fixed works on real property, Justice Carol A. Corrigan wrote. Lawmakers have had ample opportunity to expand the understanding of public works to include work performed on rolling stock, but have not done so, Corrigan said.

The question was posed to the court by the U.S. Court ...