Hire Blacks Or Lose City Contracts Says Alabama Congressman Fred Richardson to Businesses

by | Feb 12, 2015 | News | 0 comments

The black unemployment problem in this country is a something we have been discussing for a long time. Many have wondered why more and more politicians and city officials haven’t spoken up on behalf of the black community help solve the issues we face, but maybe a change is brewing.

In Mobile, Alabama this month, during a discussion over the renewal of a city contract, one such politician made it clear he wants to see more blacks hired. In fact, if he didn’t see a chance in the following year, then the company would lose his support and hopefully the entire city contract.

Fred_Richardson_byGabeTynesFred Richardson is the Mobile Councilman who spoke up and made it clear the hiring of black employees would be a requirement for an environmental company to keep the the city’s contract and business moving forward.

The company in question is Payne Environmental Services corporation who is a certified woman-owned small business in the state of Alabama. Payne assumed they were in compliance with the minority requirements in the city, but Richardson feels they need to hire more black people being the city of Mobile is almost completely black.

At stake is a 6,000 stormwater management contract with the city that was renewed, but with the contingency offered by Richardson in his remarks during the pre-hearing.

“You have one year,” Richardson told a Payne representative.

“Richardson’s comments come two weeks after the creation of a Citizens’ Advisory Committee on Contracting Opportunities for Small Business and Minority-Owned Firms and the launch of the city’s first concentrated supplier diversity program, ” according to Al.com.

Hopefully, more and more councilmen and women will start to step up for the communities they serve and demand black employment by their contractors, if is not possible to hire more black owned businesses. This is one way we can go about protecting the jobs in the community and the economic stability as a whole.

SOUND OFF: What do you think of Councilmen Richardson’s insistence on hiring of black people by city contractors?

Source: AL.com

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