Council overrides Fitzgerald's veto of minimum wage increase for county employees
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Some Allegheny County employees may get a pay raise on Jan. 1, 2024.
That's because County Council overrode County Executive Rich Fitzgerald's veto of a minimum wage bill.
On a 10-to-5 vote Tuesday night, Allegheny County Council boosted the minimum wage to $18 an hour, effective Jan. 1, and even higher in the years to follow, but there's still uncertainty over how to pay for this.
Under the bill as enacted, about 650 county employees can expect a pay raise to $18 an hour, jumping to $19 the next year and $20 an hour on Jan. 1, 2026.
"It just seemed like now was the right time to try to boost these workers and get them up to a level where they are actually earning a living wage," said Councilman Pat Catena, Allegheny County Council President.
Catena, one of 10 Democrats who supported the override of executive Fitzgerald's veto, says the new minimum wage will apply to all full-time, part-time, and seasonal employees and should help the county fill vacant positions.
"Hopefully, we can compete and fill some of these 1,500 open positions that are out there in the county and across the county."
Opponents of the bill raised several objections, including its cost, estimated to be between $20 and $30 million.
"Everything boils down to where are we going to get the money, and the taxpayers always foot the bill," Councilman Bob Macey said.
Councilman Macey, one of three Democrats and two Republicans, who voted to uphold the veto, says passage was rushed without answers to how to pay for this and even if it was legal to raise wages, a right that both Fitzgerald and Macey say is reserved for the county executive.
"There may be legal challenges to this, and those legal challenges may take a little bit of time. There again, I wouldn't hang my hat on Jan. 1," Macey added.
Catena doesn't dispute there are legal issues and says how to pay for the higher minimum wage is unresolved, but points to excessive spending on the jail overtime, $57 million, says Catena.
"Fifty-seven-point-eight million dollars in overtime at the county jail and solve some of that issue - that would easily go to pay for the increase that we're talking about," Catena added.
Well, however, the council and the Executive figure out how to pay for this pay raise, unless blocked by a court, it's set to take effect in five months.