Several states and the federal government have considered raising their minimum wage to $15 an hour, and a city councilor says maybe Tulsa should get on board.
Councilor Lori Decter Wright said the city does a good job training workers and getting them certifications, which costs thousands of dollars per employee.
"We’ve been doing that piece, and then the private sector is hiring them back with all this great training and experience. And so, what are we going to do to compete? Obviously, our competitors in the private sector are offering those higher wages," Decter Wright said.
Decter Wright said her idea would apply to city employees only. A recent audit found 178 positions make less than $15 an hour, mostly labor and trade workers. They’re set for a 10% increase next month, but the lowest-paid will be making around $14.75.
"As a major employer in the area and as a city that’s saying we want to retain young folks and working folks, I just wanted to make sure that we did include the 178 positions that we know right now are not meeting that threshold," Decter Wright said.
The city is in the middle of a two-year plan to increase employee compensation. To start the new year, many workers are getting moved a step up their pay scales, while labor and trade workers will get their pay scales increased 10% across the board.
A second round of pay increases could kick in January 2021.
