A $15 an hour minimum wage for all City of Charleston employees is effective immediately.
Charleston City Council voted Tuesday night to increase minimum pay, including for police and firefighters. But some firefighters are still calling for more, as the police and fire department struggle with vacancies. The Charleston Fire Department has 30 vacancies, and the police department has 39.
Public safety officials say their biggest challenge is spending the money and time to train and equip employees but losing them shortly after. William Pesature, a former firefighter, says the $15 an hour minimum wage is not enough.
“Fire services are on a downward trend. There are just two ways about it. And vacancies are a problem," says Pesature, Vice President of the Professional Firefighters Association of South Carolina.