Pittsburgh police's tentative deal includes pay increases, new system for discipline

Pittsburgh City Council has reached a tentative contract agreement with city police that includes pay increases and a new system for disciplining officers.

The union representing Pittsburgh’s police officers ratified the proposed contract last month, with 572 votes in favor of the deal and only 13 against it. The contract extends through Dec. 31, 2025.

After the union voted to ratify the deal, Robert Swartzwelder, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Fort Pitt Lodge #1, said the contract was a step in the right direction but remains imperfect.

Pay for Pittsburgh officers will remain less than what county police and officers in many other neighboring municipalities make. City officials have acknowledged that the disparity has contributed to a staffing shortage and resulted in officers working mandatory overtime.

Swartzwelder told the Tribune-Review that under the new deal a 30-year veteran of the Pittsburgh force will be making less than $92,000 at the end of 2025 — compared with $94,000 a year for an Allegheny County sheriff’s deputy with two years of experience. The starting salary for a new Pittsburgh police recruit will be about $70,000 a year.

Jake Pawlak, director of the city’s Office of Management and Budget, said the contract will bring pay for Pittsburgh officers more in line with neighboring police departments.

“I think this contract goes a very long way in closing that gap and not making it financially infeasible for a Pittsburgh police officer to remain in the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police,” Pawlak said.

The contract also includes a reorganization of vacation and time-off schedules, Barb Warwick, D-Greenfield, said. The goal is to reduce overtime, which saves taxpayers from paying additional overtime wages and alleviates the burden of extra hours on officers.

The new contract also will create a more open system for disciplining officers, Mayor Ed Gainey said. He said the contract includes “a disciplinary matrix that will provide our officers and the public a clear understanding and transparency into what happens if an officer violates the law or breaks policies and procedures.”

The full contract has not been made public.

Councilwoman Deb Gross, D-Highland Park, voiced concerns that the contract was not included in the public record on the city’s online Legistar legislative database.

Pawlak said the deal remains tentative. A final contract must be drafted within 70 days. City Council approved a resolution Wednesday “to ratify the broad terms of the agreement,” he said. No substantive changes can be made to the final product.

Gross said she would like to see council take a vote on the final contract, though Pawlak said the administration is not planning to return to council for another vote. Council President Theresa Kail-Smith, D-West End, said she would work with other council members and officials to ensure they are following proper procedure.