Members of the Tampa Tribune editorial board describe themselves as center-right, which is typically accurate (though having worked at the paper and sat in on some of their meetings, this reporter would add that they're kindly and pretty open-minded). They tend to look at many issues in terms of fiscal conservatism, and have even come down on the side of causes supported by progressives because of of their long-term economic benefits.
That's why, while not huge fans of big government, they saw Medicaid expansion as a financially prudent move and sought in vain to get the idea's GOP critics to look at it from that perspective. Same goes for environmental causes; they also endorsed Amendment 1 last year.
On Tuesday, they're on the same side as labor activists on an issue that seems like a no-brainer: wage theft.
The Hillsborough County Commission is weighing an ordinance that would hold employers liable for any pay they try to withhold from their workers, be it through not compensating for hours worked, failing to give back the right amount in tips, making employees work through their breaks or a range of other forms of wage theft.
It happens all the time, but many who experience it don't have the wherewithal to pursue a claim through the court system. Hillsborough County is the second worst when it comes to how rampant it is (behind Miami-Dade) and Pinellas County is the fourth worst.
St. Petersburg unanimously passed such an ordinance, which was somewhat based on one Miami-Dade County developed five years ago, a model that cost less but has proven to be very effective.
Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner, a Democrat, pushed for that method, which would bring on an in-house staff position to handle claims of wage theft through an administrative process.
Republicans on the commission prefer a method passed by Palm Beach County, which costs more, but pays a legal services nonprofit to handle cases through the court system. Not only is it more expensive, but it's also gotten about one-fifteenth of the return on investment that Miami-Dade has.
Republicans on the commission are, ostensibly, afraid of growing government, imposing regulations on businesses and potential cost overruns.
Commission Chair Sandy Murman told CL that having the claims process go through the court system would have more teeth when it comes to getting employers to take the claims seriously.
The Trib's editorial board isn't buying it.
The Palm Beach model happens to be the one favored by the Florida Retail Federation, which lobbies on behalf of retailers and contacted Hillsborough Commission Chair Sandy Murman before the debate over Beckner’s proposal.
Being adverse to bloated government programs is a laudable position. But that argument doesn’t ring true in this case. There is no evidence the ordinance will grow government beyond the modest addition being proposed. The vote against adopting the Miami-Dade model seems more grounded in appearances and in appeasing a powerful lobby.
In an interview with CL, Murman denied that the FDF lobbied her, and instead said she reached out to the FDF for info on the options that are out there.
“I asked for information and they gave it to me,” she said.
She added that the commission will look at a "hybrid ordinance" tailored to the needs of the county, though it appears that having an in-house person to examine wage theft claims is probably D.O.A.
A lot of people are scratching their heads as to why that should be.
"It doesn’t make a lot of sense to reject the more efficient model for the more costly one," writes the Trib's edit board. "Commissioners should reconsider the merits of creating a local wage theft office and drop their opposition."
We will take a more comprehensive look at the wage theft issue in our June 11 print edition, and we will continue posting our coverage of the issue on the web.
This article appears in Jun 4-10, 2015.