Pittsburgh officials revisit ending pension offset for retirees

After receiving a petition signed by more than 200 city employees Tuesday, Pittsburgh City Council members said they support removing a pension offset that decreases the benefits paid to retirees who are also collecting Social Security.

Councilman Anthony Coghill presented the petition to council President Theresa Kail-Smith and said he agreed with the workers, who are asking the offset be removed.

The offset impacts city employees, except firefighters and police. It calls for a reduction in pension payments by 50% of the amount received from Social Security after an employee reaches maximum Social Security retirement age. The provision applies only to city employees hired after June 30, 2004.

A proposal to end the offset for elected officials floated by council in 2019 ultimately wasn’t approved after opposition from Mayor Bill Peduto’s office, which didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment about the petition.

Coghill presented the petition during the council meeting before Labor Day and said it’s time for the city to fully support its employees.

“These people are relying on their income,” Coghill said.

The offset was added when Pittsburgh was financially strapped and under state oversight. The city’s financial conditions have improved in the last 18 years, he said.

“I think the will is there to change it,” Coghill said after the council meeting. “It’s the right thing to do when it comes down to it.”

Council President Theresa Kail-Smith said she’s been working on the issue councilmen with R. Daniel Lavelle and Ricky Burgess and council Budget Director Bill Urbanic.

They’re working to see if the city can afford ending the offset, Kail-Smith said.

“We actually have a meeting Thursday to discuss this,” she said.

Council has a long-standing support of labor issues that side with workers, Councilman Bruce Kraus said, and ending the offset is about “defending the right of workers across the board in the city.”