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Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto has issued an executive order requiring city workers to be paid a minimum of $15 per hour.
The order will be phased in over five years. The first phase is an increase to $12.50 per hour starting in January 2017. The second phase raises the minimum wage to $13.75 in 2019, reaching $15 an hour starting Jan.1, 2021.
"Nobody who puts in 40 hours should have to live in poverty," Peduto said.
The increase affects about 300 city employees, which is about 10 percent of the city’s total workforce.
The order also requires legislation be submitted to council requiring city contractors to comply with the same minimum wage.
Peduto did not provide many details about what the increase will cost the city, except for an estimate of $150,000 in the first year.
Peduto said it is an investment for Pittsburgh beyond dollars and cents.
“You want to get a gun out of a young kid’s hand? Put a paycheck in it,” he said.
