After several months of tense negotiations, Tampa officials have hammered out a tentative agreement with the city's firefighters on a one-year contract. ...more

February 28, 2009

After several months of tense negotiations, Tampa officials have hammered out a tentative agreement with the city's firefighters on a one-year contract. ...more

February 27, 2009

Reporters from TBO.com, The Tampa Tribune and News Channel 8 are exploring the Tampa Bay area today, talking with people as they watch history unfold. Check back with TBO.com throughout the day as we post stories, photos and multimedia elements from Washington and Tampa. ...more

January 20, 2009

In the long history of inaugurations, Barack Obama's swearing in as the 44th president of the United States may rank as among the the most historic and profound, according to pundits. ...more

January 20, 2009

TAMPA City officials and representatives of Tampa's largest union meet today to select a mediator to intervene in a contentious dispute over pay raises and a longer contract. The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1464, representing about 2,000 of the city's blue-collar, technical and clerical employees, declared an impasse in the talks last month. ...more

December 10, 2008

The choice before the Tampa City Council today is simple: Appease a politically powerful union by awarding it an exorbitant pay package or safeguard limited tax dollars. ...more

August 22, 2008

In an action it has taken only twice before in the past 10 years, the Florida Professional Firefighters association is asking its 25,000 members not to have anything to do with a municipality whose firefighters, it says, are being treated poorly. ...more

June 23, 2008

CLEARWATER -- In an action it has taken only twice before over the past ten years, the Florida Professional Firefighters association is asking its 25,000 members not to have anything to do with a municipality whose firefighters, it says, are being treated poorly. This time, the city is Clearwater. ...more

June 19, 2008

After hearing nearly two hours of arguments, the Tampa Sports Authority delayed a decision Monday on whether Hillsborough County paramedics will be allowed to work Tampa Bay Buccaneers games along with city emergency personnel. ...more

February 26, 2008

Tampa firefighters earn an average of more than $59,000 a year. They work 24-hour shifts, then get 48 hours off, a schedule that allows many to work second jobs or run businesses. They also enjoy a generous pension plan that allows them to retire after 20 years, sometimes sooner. ...more

December 14, 2007