NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — City employees will receive a wage increase after the New Orleans Civil Service Commission passed an ordinance introduced by Councilmember Jared C. Brossett last month.
The payment plan raises the minimum wage for all city workers to $15 per hour after the council passed an ordinance to for all contract employees to receive the same minimum pay rate in July.
“I’m glad we’re continuing to take steps toward a $15 per hour minimum wage,” stated Councilmember Brossett in a media release on Wednesday.
“For too long, our city employees have been working for a city they can hardly afford to live in. With the rising cost of living, this increase in wages is critical. It also sends a message to our city employees that we value and respect the work they do.”
New Orleans Fire Fighters Association President Aaron Mischler concurred with Brossett’s comments, and went so far as to say he was moved to tears upon hearing the news of the increase.
“This has been a long-time coming,” said Mischler. “No City of New Orleans employee should live in poverty or work two or three jobs to pay their bills. When the commissioners approved the City Council’s request to increase pay, I wept. Our quest to be recognized as the professionals that we are, has finally come to fruition.”
