290.210.  Definitions. — As used in sections 290.210 to 290.340, unless the context indicates otherwise, the following terms shall mean:

  (1)  "Collective bargaining agreement", any written agreement or understanding between an employer or employer association and a labor organization or union which is the exclusive bargaining representative of the employer's or employer association's employees pursuant to the terms of the National Labor Relations Act and which agreement or understanding or predecessor agreement or understanding has been used to determine an occupational title wage rate;

  (2)  "Construction", construction, reconstruction, improvement, enlargement, alteration, painting and decorating, or major repair;

  (3)  "Department", the department of labor and industrial relations;

  (4)  "Labor organization" or "union", any entity which has been designated pursuant to the terms of the National Labor Relations Act as the exclusive bargaining representative of employees of employers engaged in the construction industry, which entity or affiliated entity has ever had a collective bargaining agreement which determined an occupational title wage rate;

  (5)  "Locality", the county where the physical work upon public works is performed;

  (6)  "Maintenance work", the repair, but not the replacement, of existing facilities when the size, type or extent of the existing facilities is not thereby changed or increased;

  (7)  "Prevailing hourly rate of wages" or "prevailing wage rate", the wages paid generally, to workers engaged in work of a similar character in the locality in which the public works is being performed, including the basic hourly rate of pay and the amount of the rate of contributions irrevocably made to a fund, plan or program, and the amount of the rate of costs to the contractor or subcontractor which may be reasonably anticipated in providing benefits to workers and mechanics pursuant to an enforceable commitment to carry out a financially responsible plan or program which was communicated in writing to the workmen affected, for medical or hospital care, pensions on retirement or death, compensation for injuries or illness resulting from occupational activity, or insurance to provide any of the foregoing, for unemployment benefits, life insurance, disability and sickness insurance, accident insurance, for vacation and holiday pay, for defraying costs of apprenticeship or other similar programs, or for other bona fide fringe benefits, but only where the contractor or subcontractor is not required by other federal or state law to provide any of the benefits; provided, that the obligation of a contractor or subcontractor to make payment in accordance with the prevailing wage determinations of the department, insofar as sections 290.210 to 290.340 are concerned, may be discharged by the making of payments in cash, by the making of irrevocable contributions by the assumption of an enforceable commitment to bear the costs of a plan or program as provided herein, or any combination thereof, where the aggregate of such payments, contributions and costs is not less than the rate of pay plus the other amounts as provided herein;

  (8)  "Public body", the state of Missouri or any officer, official, authority, board or commission of the state, or other political subdivision thereof, or any institution supported in whole or in part by public funds;

  (9)  "Public works", all fixed works constructed for public use or benefit or paid for wholly or in part out of public funds.  It also includes any work done directly by any public utility company when performed by it pursuant to the order of the public service commission or other public authority whether or not it be done under public supervision or direction or paid for wholly or in part out of public funds when let to contract by said utility.  It does not include any work done for or by any drainage or levee district;

  (10)  "Public works contracting minimum wage", the wage rate determined by the department pursuant to section 290.257;

  (11)  "Workers", laborers and mechanics.