Getting a raise! Thursday night St. Pete leaders moved one step closer to a new plan to boost pay for thousands of workers.
City councilman Karl Nurse says he was shocked by how little some contract workers make, even those working on the biggest projects in town!
Now, Nurse has found a way to hold employers accountable. The low wages are being paid to contractors working on projects around city council.
“As an employer indirectly I’m embarrassed,” Nurse explained.
That’s why Councilman Nurse is on a mission to boost pay for contractors working throughout St. Pete. The problem: the city typically hires the lowest bidder and they found several of those companies bid low because they pay their employees less.
Now, Nurse’s proposal is to boost the wages contractors must pay their employees to $12 an hour. In 2018, that amount would go up to $13 an hour. In 2019, it would go up to $14 an hour and by 2020, $15 an hour.
“So that no contractors would be put at a disadvantage because they pay their employers more,” Nurse added.
The new plan still has to get past one more step: A public hearing on September 21.
