On Thursday, the St. Petersburg City Council — led by the activist interfaith group, Faith and Action for Strength Together (FAST) — met to discuss a proposed local hiring ordinance that would require contractors who win city construction jobs worth $2 million or more to set aside at least 25 percent of all work hours for unemployed or underemployed Pinellas County residents. The ordinance would require that all contracts for such projects contain provisions requiring contractors to make good faith efforts to employ apprentices for at least 20 percent of all hours of work performed.
But due to opposition spearheaded by Mayor Foster, the idea was dropped at the meeting.
The proposal has been criticized by representatives of the construction industry, as well as the editorial page of the Tampa Bay Times. After the proposal died during the discussion, the Foster administration suggested an alternative solution: a registry of unemployed and underemployed workers that city contractors would be rewarded for using. Ultimately the council rallied behind Councilman Jeff Danner's proposal to host a workshop that would be scheduled within the next 20 days, and bring about members of FAST, the Associated Builders and Contractors, the local Chamber of Commerce, and all other interested parties.
This article appears in Jan 10-16, 2013.