Pittsburgh is in serious financial difficulties because of a long history of signing generous contracts with its employees. And now City Council wants to abandon what little progress that had been made under Act 47 over the last five years. Council just voted to amend the Act 47 coordinator’s latest plan by restoring pay raises and a 5th week of vacation for long time employees-a week that was removed under the original Act 47 plan. Final approval awaits and faces objections by the Mayor.
From news accounts it appears labor leaders have been lobbying Council members for labor friendly changes in the coordinator’s plan before it goes to a final vote. And right on cue, Council has decided to go along. After all, in Pittsburgh maintaining labor peace with City unions is job one.
How to pay for the new found generosity while still trying to figure out how to cover previously incurred legacy costs? Impose $26 million in fees on all-day parkers, hospital admissions and university students. And hire a delinquent tax collector to see if he can wring $13 million from tax scofflaws over the next five years.
Rather than facing up to the real need to reduce employee costs-which are nearly 60 percent of total expenditures-and the further buildup of legacy costs, the City Council apparently believes that it can spend more, tax more, and hope state and federal generosity will be there when the inevitable crunch comes. Evidently Council members are admirers of the philosopher Alfred E. Neuman who in times like these would say, "What, me worry?"
One of America’s great cities indeed.
