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Kern County · Tunnel Worker
Tunnel Worker prevailing wage in Kern County, California
$86.16an hour, base wage + fringe benefits · Group I
$56.45 base wage + $29.71 fringe benefits
Kern County uses the same tunnel worker rates as 10 other counties. See all of them on one page.
On California public works in Kern County, a Group I tunnel worker must be paid at least $86.16 an hour in total: $56.45 in wages plus $29.71 in employer payments to health, pension, training and other funds. Daily overtime is $114.385 and Sunday and holiday work is $142.61. DIR puts 15 job titles in Group I, batch plant laborer and bottom lander among them.
DIR general determination SC-23-102-12-2026-1, issued August 22, 2026. Expires June 30, 2027. Checked against dir.ca.gov on October 24, 2026.
DIR lists 5 tunnel worker rates for Kern County, from $86.16 to $88.48 an hour. See all of them.
Base wage and fringe benefits: $56.45 + $29.71
The basic hourly rate is the taxable wage. The other lines, the fringe benefits DIR calls employer payments, are what DIR expects the employer to pay into health, pension and other plans for each hour worked. An employer can pay part of that as extra wages instead, as long as the total per hour stays at $86.16 or more.
| Basic hourly rate (taxable wage) | $56.45 |
| Health and welfare | $9.85 |
| Pension | $12.92 |
| Vacation and holiday (footnote b) | $5.45 |
| Training | $0.80 |
| Other payments | $0.69 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $86.16 |
Straight time covers an 8-hour day.
When does this rate change?
- A project pays the rates in effect on its bid advertisement date for the life of the job, plus any increase DIR set in advance (DIR FAQ).
- DIR issues new determinations on February 22 and August 22, and they take effect 10 days later. This rate is from determination SC-23-102-12-2026-1, issued August 22, 2026; DIR's expiration date for it is June 30, 2027.
Scheduled increases
DIR has already set these increases. Work on or after each date is paid the higher rate. DIR often leaves part of an increase "to be allocated to wages and/or employer payments" and confirms the split when it comes due, and it can reduce a scheduled increase in a later notice, so check DIR's increase page before you pay it.
| Takes effect | Increase per hour | Total after increase |
|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2027 | +$4.01 | $90.17 |
| July 1, 2028 | +$4.11 | $94.28 |
| July 1, 2029 | +$4.16 | $98.44 |
The double asterisk after DIR's expiration date means the next rate is already set. If the work runs past that date you have to pay the new rate, and DIR says to build it into contracts signed now (DIR FAQ, Q8).
Source: DIR increase PDF
Tunnel Worker Group I job titles
Work DIR classifies in Group I, copied as printed. The other groups and their rates are in the table below.
- Batch Plant Laborer
- Bottom Lander
- Changehouseman
- Dumpman
- Outside Dumpman
- Loading and Unloading Agitator Cars
- Nipper
- Pot Tender using mastic or other materials
- Rollover Dumpman
- Shotcrete Man (helper)
- Subsurface Laborer (non-miner)
- Swamper/Brakemen (Brakeman and Switchman on tunnel work)
- Tool Man
- Top Lander
- Tunnel Materials Handling Man
Source: Group I, page 2
Every tunnel worker rate in Kern County
As DIR lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- Group V$88.48
- Group IV$87.63
- Group III$86.94
- Group II$86.48
- Group I$86.16
| Classification | Base wage | Fringe benefits | Total rate | Daily OT | Determination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group I | $56.45 | $29.71 | $86.16 | $114.385 | SC-23-102-12-2026-1 |
Group II7 jobs in this group
| $56.77 | $29.71 | $86.48 | $114.865 | SC-23-102-12-2026-1 |
Group III16 jobs in this group
| $57.23 | $29.71 | $86.94 | $115.555 | SC-23-102-12-2026-1 |
Group IV4 jobs in this group
| $57.92 | $29.71 | $87.63 | $116.59 | SC-23-102-12-2026-1 |
Group V1 job in this group
| $58.77 | $29.71 | $88.48 | $117.865 | SC-23-102-12-2026-1 |
Davis-Bacon tunnel worker rate in Kern County
Federally funded or assisted construction here uses the U.S. Department of Labor's wage determinations. When a California awarding body runs a federally funded or assisted project, DIR's rates must be paid where they are higher than the Davis-Bacon rates (DIR public works FAQ).
We don't put a federal figure next to DIR's here, because the federal determinations split this trade into groups that don't line up with DIR's. The federal rows for this trade are below; match the classification to the work.
| Construction | Federal classification | Base wage | Total rate | WD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building, Highway, Heavy | LABORER, TUNNEL: GROUP 1: BATCH PLANT LABORER; CHANGEHOUSE PERSON; DUMP PERSON; DUMP PERSON (OUTSIDE); SWAMPER (BRAKE PERSON AND SWITCH PERSON ON TUNNEL WORK); …LABO0220-002 | $53.60 | $79.34 | CA20260020 Mod 5 |
| Building, Highway, Heavy | LABORER, TUNNEL: GROUP 3: BLASTER, DRILLER, POWDER PERSON; CHEMICAL GROUT JET PERSON; CHERRY PICKER PERSON; GROUT GUN PERSON; GROUT MIXER PERSON; GROUT PUMP …LABO0220-002 | $54.38 | $80.12 | CA20260020 Mod 5 |
| Building, Highway, Heavy | LABORER, TUNNEL: GROUP 4 GROUP 4: DIAMOND DRILLER; SANDBLASTER; SHAFT AND RAISE WORK (KERN COUNTY)LABO0220-002 | $55.07 | $80.81 | CA20260020 Mod 5 |
| Building, Highway, Heavy | LABORER, TUNNEL: GROUP 2: CHUCKTENDER, CABLETENDER; LOADING AND UNLOADING AGITATOR CARS; VIBRATOR PERSON, JACK HAMMER, PNEUMATIC TOOLS (EXCEPT DRILLER); BULL …LABO0783-001 | $53.92 | $79.66 | CA20260020 Mod 5 |
Davis-Bacon rates from SAM.gov, read October 25, 2026. Our federal totals are base plus fringe; DOL prints no total. California Davis-Bacon changes
How Kern County compares
The main tunnel worker rate in every county that has one, and how the pay splits here and in the nearest counties. All bars use the same scale.
Every county in California
Base wage and fringe benefits, nearby
- Kern Countybase $56.45$86.16
- Tulare Countybase $53.39$86.16
- Ventura Countybase $56.45$86.16
- Los Angeles Countybase $56.45$86.16
Tunnel Worker rates in nearby counties
Current DIR rates. You pay the rate for the county where the work is done, even if your shop is somewhere else.
DIR's tunnel worker rates for Kern County are the same as in 10 other counties: Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo and 2 more.
| County | Classification | Base wage | Total rate | vs Kern County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kern County | Group I | $56.45 | $86.16 | |
| Tulare County | Bit grinder, blaster, driller, powderman-heading, cherry pickerman- where car is lifted, concrete finisher in tunnel, concrete/screed man, grout pumpman and potman, gunite and shotcrete gunman and potman, headerman, high pressure nozzleman, miner-tunnel, including top and bottom man on shaft and raise work, nipper, nozzleman on slick line, sandblaster-potman (work assignment interchangeable) | $53.39 | $86.16 | same |
| Ventura County | Group I | $56.45 | $86.16 | same |
| Los Angeles County | Group I | $56.45 | $86.16 | same |
| Kings County | Bit grinder, blaster, driller, powderman-heading, cherry pickerman- where car is lifted, concrete finisher in tunnel, concrete/screed man, grout pumpman and potman, gunite and shotcrete gunman and potman, headerman, high pressure nozzleman, miner-tunnel, including top and bottom man on shaft and raise work, nipper, nozzleman on slick line, sandblaster-potman (work assignment interchangeable) | $53.39 | $86.16 | same |
| Santa Barbara County | Group I | $56.45 | $86.16 | same |
| San Luis Obispo County | Group I | $56.45 | $86.16 | same |
California tunnel worker prevailing wage by county, with a map
Footnotes on this rate
DIR's footnotes, in DIR's words. Several change the rate itself: zone pay, a percentage added to the total, or which overtime hours get which rate.
- a For classifications within each group, see Page 2.
- b Includes an amount per hour worked for supplemental dues.
- c All work performed over 12 hours in a single work day shall be paid for at double time (2x).
DIR's other marks: # means an apprenticeable craft, * means in effect until superseded, ** means the next rate is already set.
More from DIR on this rate
- Holidays (DIR PDF)
- Scope of work: which tasks this rate covers
- Travel and subsistence
Are you being paid this rate?
Add your hourly wage to what your employer pays into health, pension and other plans for you, and compare it with $86.16. Plan payments only count if the money goes into the plan; your pay stub won't show them, but plan statements will. The training amount goes to the California Apprenticeship Council or an apprenticeship program, not to you. Check a week of pay.
Contractors on most public works jobs file certified payroll with the state, and anyone can look it up in DIR's CPR public search. If your total comes up short, you can file a public works complaint with the California Labor Commissioner.
Source
California Department of Industrial Relations, general prevailing wage determination SC-23-102-12-2026-1, page 1: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Southern/SC-023-102-12.pdf
Each figure is copied from DIR's file and checked by a second, separate reader. How we check · How to read a determination · Download Kern County as CSV · Report an error