St. Petersburg is First City in State to Adopt Wage Dispute Program

Andrew Froman was quoted in Tampa Bay Times on April 16, 2015. The article “St. Petersburg is First City in State to Adopt Wage Dispute Program” discussed how the City Council unanimously approved a measure to create a program to intervene in wage disputes, making it the first city in Florida to do so.

Andrew was quoted on how a local law would only add an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy to an issue that can be settled easily in the court system.

"There is already plenty of oversight," said Andrew.

Andrew predicted that if St. Petersburg passes the ordinance and Pinellas County follows suit as some commissioners have indicated, then similar proposals could pop up in Tampa and Hillsborough County.

"If successful, it'll be over here soon enough," Andrew said.

The courts, as a matter of practice, award attorney fees in wage-dispute cases if workers win their cases. Plenty of firms do brisk business representing workers, Andrew said.

"All you need to do is drive 5 miles up U.S. 19 and if you miss all the billboards, you're just not paying attention," Andrew said.

To read the full article, please visit Tampa Bay Times.