Mayor Peduto says hundreds of city employees facing layoffs if no federal funding

PITTSBURGH — Four hundred city employees could be laid off if Pittsburgh does not receive federal funding, according to Mayor Bill Peduto.

Peduto said the layoffs would come after making non-personnel cuts over the last few months. The city still needs to find $100 million that was lost due to COVID-19. State leaders, including Peduto, held a virtual meeting Tuesday to discuss the need for the money.

The cuts would be a 10% reduction to each city department, including the police and fire departments.

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“Let me be very clear about this, there will not be an economic recovery if we allow our cities to go bankrupt,” Peduto said. “We aren’t looking at it like a handout that will be on a continuous basis. We are looking at it as a bridge to help us get through a national crisis.”

Public safety officials sent Channel 11 a statement reading:

“Cuts would certainly have an impact, but without knowing the specifics, it’s hard to gauge the extent of that impact. We hope the federal government will recognize the needs of local governments and help ensure staffing continuity. It is safe to say that additional cuts to personnel would be a concern.”

Peduto is supposed to present next year’s budget to city council in September, but the city is trying to push that meeting back to November to see if Washington will come through with funding.

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