Welch Is Expanding $15 Minimum Wage To All City Employees

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Newly hired city of St. Petersburg part-time employees with less than five years at the job will receive at least $15 an hour starting April 1, a city news release said.

A 2015 city council-approved policy said the city's $15 minimum wage was for all full-time employees and part-time employees who worked for at least five years. The change in the policy extends at least $15 an hour to part-time employees with less than five years on staff. This is for new hires and current part-time workers under five years of experience.

The decision expedites a new state law gradually increasing minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026, which voters approved in 2020, city staff said.

“Everyone deserves to earn a living wage whether they’ve been on the job for five years or five days," Mayor Ken Welch said. "St. Petersburg led the way in 2015 to provide a $15 minimum wage and it is time we extend that to all employees, regardless of tenure.”

Currently, the policy change will affect 211 city employees. It’s expected to cost the city $218,000 for the balance of fiscal year 2022