The day after her inauguration, County Executive Sara Innamorato announced a pay increase for some county workers as part of a sweeping change to the government’s employment practices.
“I am excited to say that we will be raising the floor on part-time and full-time employees in this county in 2024,” Innamorato said Wednesday. She announced the new policy at the Allegheny County Courthouse, under murals depicting the region’s industrial past.
Full-time county employees will make at least $18 an hour, with wages increasing annually to at least $22 an hour by 2027. Part-time, hourly workers will receive at least $15 an hour — a $3 an hour increase from their current base pay. The increases go into effect immediately.
Abigail Gardner, a spokesperson for the county executive, estimated that the change will affect dozens of part-time workers and fewer than 500 full-time employees.
Previous efforts to boost the county minimum wage were bogged down by controversy. County Council voted last summer to set an $18-per-hour pay floor for all hourly county employees, including full-time, part-time and seasonal workers starting in 2024. The minimum would then increase by $1-per-hour for the next two years.
Council overrode former County Executive Rich Fitzgerald’s veto of the bill, and he took them to court over the issue, arguing that the county’s Home Rule Charter gives the executive — not council — authority to set wages and salaries.
Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Daniel D. Regan ultimately agreed with Fitzgerald and ruled that the ordinance violated the charter and labor agreements with county employees because it did not involve collective bargaining with county unions.
At the time, Innamorato said increasing the minimum wage would be a “day-one priority” for her administration. She reiterated that promise in her inaugural address Tuesday and fulfilled it the day after, though in accordance with Regan’s ruling, the wage boost does not apply to unionized positions.
Still, Innamorato said the policy was backed by union leaders, some of whom attended the announcement.
“For them, this is a win because when we come to the table and start with bargaining negotiations, we have set, on our own terms, a higher floor for them to bargain from,” she said. “It's a win-win for both nonunion as well as unionized employees here at the county.”
On Wednesday, she said she ultimately agreed with the spirit of council’s action and thanked them for “pushing the issue forward.”
The wage increases and policy changes will have no immediate impact on the county budget, Innamorato said. That’s because last year County Council elected to include money for the increase in this year’s budget, which was passed before Regan ruled against the wage hike.
Innamorato argued that the change will save the county money in the long run by reducing turnover. She said county officials will work with the budget office to understand the fiscal impact increased wages may have on future budgets, while “making sure that we are also incorporating the cost savings of employee retention and increased productivity and a fuller work culture that we have here and create here at the county.”
Innamorato’s administration also announced plans to overhaul the county’s vacation policy, which has been untouched since the 1990s. All employees will now start with three weeks of vacation time, rather than just five days.
Innamorato is also lifting a pre-employment drug test requirement that has long been imposed on county workers — though the testing requirement will remain for law-enforcement and other positions where it was required by law. And she’s removing a policy that set a waiting period before newly hired employees could begin taking sick time and parental leave.
Innamorato re-stated her inauguration day promise to review salary bands and remove degree requirements for some county jobs.
Innamorato said the changes are all part of an effort to improve conditions for the county’s workforce.
“The county has a record low unemployment right now, and that means hiring is competitive and the county cannot compete if we are not recognizing the work/life balance that people need to be successful,” she said. “It's well-established that providing employees with better vacation time and sick time benefits, it reduces turnover, and it improves productivity. This is something the private sector understands and has implemented for years, and county government needs to catch up.”
