News & Public Affairs

MacDill AFB expo supports service-disabled veteran business-owners. listen

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Tags: military, jobs, veterans, service, disabilities, MacDill Air Force Base, military spending, contracts

Today more than 600 veterans and small businesses met at Tampa’s Convention Center, looking for ways to connect veteran business owners who have been disabled in combat with military contracts. MacDill Air Force Base organized the expo.

The Association for Service Disabled Veterans estimates that out of more than 26 million veterans, 2 million are service disabled. Eugene Toni works out...

AFSCME Local 167 union is in contract negotiations with Hillsborough County listen

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Tags: AFSCME, American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, Hector Ramos, contracts, Hillsborough County Commission, Helene Marks, Lucia Garsys, labor, unions

A local public employees union is negotiating for a new two-year contract with the Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners. On Friday, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees or AFSCME negotiations.

Hector Ramos is the Regional Director of AFSCME’s Local 167 union. He said some of their concerns are about wage increases and overtime.

Ramos said AFSCME needs workers to be treated fairly even...

Sarsota Commissioners: Why are more local contracts leaving town? listen

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Tags: Sarasota County Commission, contracts

As Sarasota County Commissioners approved local projects they call part of the their local stimulus plan, they also debated their policy regarding local vendors, and how much they are being underbid by out-of-town companies.

The county’s current ordinance gives local vendors preference on contracts if they are within 10 percent of the lowest bid by a contractor.

However, Jennifer Slusarz, procurement manager for the county, said that preference policy just went into effect last mont...