Tucson Passes $15 Minimum Wage For Most City Employees

TUCSON, AZ — The Tucson City Council on Tuesday approved a $30 million package that raises the minimum wage for city employees to $15 an hour, among other items.

Among the items included in the measure are a $2.5 million increase in funding for health insurance costs, in addition to the pay raise.

The measure's passage comes after Tucson City Manager Michael Ortega launched a study into the city's wages versus other employers, the city said.

The measure impacts close to 80 percent of the city's 3,882-person workforce, representing the largest compensation package in Tucson's history.

The raises will take effect in June, with the goal of hitting market posture within the next two years, the city said.

Mayor Regina Romero released the following statement on the measure:

“This historic compensation package reaffirms that our city’s most valuable resource is the employees who serve day in and day out to provide the core services that Tucsonans depend on. This package, combined with the raising of the minimum wage for city employees to $15/hr, will improve recruitment and retention throughout the organization, ensuring that we are attracting and retaining a talented workforce while improving services and saving taxpayers’ the cost of retraining employees.”

“Every time we lose a city employee to another employer, we are losing institutional knowledge and the time and money we have invested in training them. My thanks to the City Manager for working with my office to develop a plan that ensures we are paying every member of our 3,800+ organization a competitive, living wage.”

Funding for the pay raise and other items will come from Tucson's general and enterprise funds and will not increase taxes, the city said.

Ortega described the measure as a win-win for the city and its employees in a statement:

“I am deeply grateful for the Mayor and Council’s leadership to bring market-rate pay increases to City employees. This action shows an appreciation for the dedicated staff that continued to serve our community through the Great Recession and this pandemic. It will also assist in recruiting and retaining top-notch talent.”