(The Center Square)—For 116 Pittsburgh city workers, overtime didn’t just supplement their salaries last year; it exceeded them, according to an analysis of pay data by The Center Square.
Nearly all the employees were in public safety roles: 73 were police, 26 were paramedics, and 14 worked for the fire department, along with three workers in other departments.
That’s an increase from 109 city workers whose overtime pay exceeded their base salaries in 2024, according to city data. Pittsburgh officials, battling a budget deficit, have expressed concerns about over-time costs for its workforce of roughly 3,600, but the practice continues.
Among the city workers whose overtime exceeded their salaries in the past two years was Lisa Epps-Cuda, a public education specialist for the fire department. She averaged roughly $154,000 in overtime, significantly more than her base salary of $107,000.
Epps-Cuda was also part of a smaller group last year: 78 city employees who earned six-figures from overtime pay alone.
The top earner was Jerome Wasek, an emergency and medical services crew chief. He made $271,229 from overtime. The figure was nearly three times as large as his base salary of $92,405. Anthony DeSantis, a fifth-year paramedic, received $259,548 in overtime, a sum far greater than his $85,896 salary.
Overtime exceeding salary is relatively common in Pittsburgh, a city of 310,000, the 74th largest in the country this year. It is far less common and more concentrated among county workers in Allegheny County, the southwestern Pennsylvania county of 1.2 million that includes the Steel City.
Only 32 county workers made more from overtime than their base salary, most of whom worked for the county jail or regional medical center. And only six county employees earned $100,000 or more from overtime last year, fewer than their 78 city counterparts.
‘Constant coverage’
Justin Marlowe, research professor at the Harris Public Policy School at the University of Chicago, said city workers have more opportunities for overtime than their county peers.
“Police, fire, and EMS require constant coverage,” he said in an interview. “When there’s gaps in coverage due to sick leave, vacation, or special events, those gaps are often filled with overtime. County functions like the sheriff and jails also require that coverage, but they’re much smaller by comparison to the city.”
Pittsburgh’s emergency medical services unit is short 25 paramedics out of a budgeted 172 positions, according to union officials, a gap that often must be filled through overtime.
In addition to earning more take-home pay, the city’s firefighters can use overtime to increase their pensions. The extra dollars are counted toward their pension benefits. While Pittsburgh limits the practice of so-called “pension spiking,” the state of California in 2013 and city of Phoenix in July 2014, among others, prohibit the practice.
Michael D. Makowsky, associate professor at the John E. Walker Department of Economics at Clemson University, said that while he cannot speak to Pennsylvania specifically, overtime carries high costs.
“You’re overextending the budget, and you’re overextending the staff,” he said in an interview.
Jon Atkinson, president of the Fraternal Association of Professional Paramedics Local 1, rebutted the notion that earning significant overtime pay reflects excessive or easy work.
“What’s shocking is the number of hours they put in,” Atkinson said in a telephone interview. “(Jerome Wasek, the highest overtime earner) will work 18 to 20 hours a day for two weeks straight, and even though he gets five weeks off a year, he will take only two weeks off.”Atkinson added that paramedics are required to complete regular specialized training, such as river rescues, and staff sporting events, such as those for the city’s professional sports teams, the Steelers, Penguins, and Pirates.
Spokespersons for the Fraternal Order of Police Fort Pitt Lodge 1 and Pittsburgh Firefighters IAFF Local No. 1 did not return requests for comment.
From the top down
The reliance on overtime in Pittsburgh extends beyond the highest earners. A total of 459 city employees earned more than $50,000 from overtime last year—nearly four times as many as the 119 county employees who did so.
Those figures reflect the upper- and middle tiers. Yet even typical Steel City employees in public-safety jobs made more in overtime than their county peers.
City emergency medical service workers averaged $38,697 of overtime last year, compared with $10,870 for their county counterparts. Police showed a similar gap: city officers earned $36,120 on average, nearly three times the county figure.
Taken together, Pittsburgh city employees earned nearly twice as much overtime last year as Allegheny County employees—$71 million versus $38 million—despite having a workforce more than 40% smaller.
City workers’ reliance on overtime has alarmed some Pittsburgh officials, even though union officials note it reflects ongoing staffing shortages.
A vow for belt-tightening
On March 12, Mayor Corey O’Connor reported that the city was $8.6 million in the red, principally because it spent $20 million more in employee overtime than was budgeted.
“We knew we’d have to tighten our belts,” he said at a press conference, “but the reality is worse than we thought.”
O’Connor’s comments came less than a year after City Controller Rachael Heisler sent the city council a two-page memo detailing her concerns about excessive overtime.
“Overtime should be for emergency expenses,” Heisler said later. “It should not be used for general operations.”
Heisler did not return a request for comment. City councilmember Bob Charland declined comment through his office spokeswoman Joyce Pagan.
Draft weekend and beyond
City officials expect to pay even more overtime this month.
From Thursday, April 23 to Saturday the 25th, the National Football League will hold its annual draft for collegiate players outside Acrisure Stadium, home to the Pittsburgh Steelers. As many as 700,000 people are expected to attend the three-day festivities, an event likely to require significant overtime.
Marlowe noted that to pare costs for overtime, many cities are considering expanding their use of civilian personnel in administrative and other back-office positions for fire and police departments.
On March 27, the city of Chicago released a 762-page report it commissioned that recommended hiring more civilians for roles such as digital forensics, crime scene processing, and crime analytics.
“Inclusive of benefits, insurance, training, and other factors, civilian positions cost less than their sworn equivalents,” the report said.
Atkinson noted that his paramedics union has sued the city to overturn the requirement that emergency medical services personnel live in the city, asking that it be extended to Allegheny County.
“If we can get this overturned, we should have a lot more people apply for our openings,” he said.
As for the city’s police force, Pittsburgh has hired more civilians. Whether it continues to do so instead of relying on overtime may determine whether overtime becomes a staffing tool—or a growing fiscal strain.
