(a) "Laborer" means any person who, acting as an employee, performs labor upon or bestows skill or other necessary services on any work of improvement.
(b) "Laborer" also includes any person or entity, including an express trust fund described in Section 3111, to whom a portion of the compensation of a laborer as defined in subdivision (a) is paid by agreement with that laborer or the collective bargaining agent of that laborer. To the extent that a person or entity defined in this subdivision has standing under applicable law to maintain a direct legal action, in their own name or as an assignee, to collect any portion of compensation owed for a laborer, that person or entity shall have standing to enforce any rights under this title to the same extent as the laborer. This section is intended to give effect to the long-standing public policy of this state to protect the entire compensation of laborers on works of improvement, regardless of the form in which that compensation is to be paid.
(Amended by Stats. 1999, Ch. 795, Sec. 4.)