Pittsburgh's Living Wage Ordinance, Title 1 Chapter 161, requires city contractors and subsidized employers to pay above the Pennsylvania $7.25 minimum. The rate adjusts annually based on Allegheny County cost-of-living data published by the city.
Codified at Pittsburgh Code Title 1 Chapter 161, the Living Wage Ordinance applies to companies holding service contracts with the City of Pittsburgh exceeding a threshold dollar amount, plus recipients of significant city financial assistance such as URA grants or tax abatements. Covered employers must pay each worker an hourly rate calculated to support a small family above the federal poverty line, indexed annually. The Office of Management and Budget administers the ordinance. Hotel workers fall under living wage requirements only when employed by a hotel that received city subsidies or holds a city service contract; broad hotel-worker living wage rules of the Los Angeles type were not adopted.
Contractor noncompliance triggers contract termination, debarment from future city work, back-wage liability, and interest assessed by the Office of Management and Budget.
See how Pittsburgh's hotel living wage rules stack up against other locations.
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