Right now, the cost of rent in St. Petersburg is skyrocketing, gas prices are on the rise, and grocery bills are a little tougher on the wallet.
While it’s become more expensive to live in the "Sunshine City," wages have remained stagnant for many workers.
St. Petersburg officials announced last week the base wage for all city employees would be raised to $15 an hour beginning April 1.
The City Council initially raised the minimum base pay to $15 an hour in 2015, but the policy exempted part-time employees with less than five years with the city.
St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch said he was made aware during a budget discussion that the base wage was not $15 an hour across the board for city workers — adding that amending it was the right thing to do.
"I'm glad we were able to make that adjustment for our hard working employees,” he said. “And we expect them to really set the standard for public service, but we ought to pay everyone at least a living wage and that's what we're doing."
He said this increase should make a difference in workers’ lives.
"With all the stresses and inflationary issues that folks are trying to deal with right now, I believe that everyone should be paid that living wage including our part-time folks as well."
A living wage helps people get out of poverty and build wealth, Welch said, adding that wages need to keep up as costs rise, and the city will increase pay accordingly to the extent it can.
The change will raise the salaries of 211 employees...
Carter alleges false claims after being linked to a Jane Doe lawsuit that initially named Sean “Diddy” Combs A federal judge has ordered that Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter’s lawsuit accusing a Jane Doe and ...