The Memphis City Council began a discussion Tuesday on the feasibility of increasing all part-time city employees’ pay to $15 an hour next year.
Driver of the conversation, Councilman Edmund Ford Jr., said there are about 850 part-time city employees who work an average of 28 hours a week and make less than $15 an hour. Of the 850 employees, Ford said many work in divisions “that can be deemed vital.” And some are the lowest paid employees, making about $12, he said.
Ford estimates that increasing the 850 employees’ pay to at least $15 an hour would cost about an additional $3.6 million annually.
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To fine-tune this number, Ford suggested the creation of an exploratory committee to study the feasibility of the goal.
“I’m not asking for a fiscal note on this without it being completely vetted,” he said.
The committee will be charged with presenting deliverables, as well as providing a realistic timeline of implementation. The study will also examine the quality of each city employee’s work and compare their salary to what the average pay is for others in the same capacity of work.
“But at the same time, I want to make sure that this council is fiscally responsible when we look at particular issues such as poverty,” Ford said. “I just want to make sure people who might be in that part-time capacity know that we are going to look at it and see how feasible it might be.”