Overtime has paid off in a big way for some Westmoreland County workers.
A TribLive analysis of overtime paid to county employees in 2025 found that for some, working additional hours has more than doubled their annual pay.
One senior staffer, who has worked as a corrections officer at the jail since 2001, made more than $101,000 in overtime last year in addition to his $63,000 annual salary. Pay records revealed he spent more than 2,200 additional hours on the job.
Corrections officers at the jail normally work standard eight-hour daily shifts that total 2,080 hours annually. Through overtime alone, that guard out-earned Warden Steve Pelesky, whose annual pay in 2025 was $95,639.
The county’s finance staff also has initiated a review of overtime spending, its root cause and impacts on the workforce.
“We have employees who are constantly working double shifts so safety is a main concern. It could create liability for everybody,” Controller Jeffrey Balzer said.
Westmoreland County employees earned more than $21 million in overtime during the last three years. The county paid out nearly $6.8 million in overtime in 2024 and another $6.9 million in 2023.
Personnel shortages, struggles to hire staff and requirements of several departments to operate around-the-clock have led to what officials said were excessive but necessary expenses required to keep key government functions operating.
For employees, overtime can be a financial boon. But its impact on county finances and concerns about overworked staff in key positions raise additional questions, officials say.
“We want to provide services and make sure our staff is competent and at full capacity, but we also don’t want people to get burned out,” Commissioner Sean Kertes said.
In 2025, employees throughout the county’s 80 departments earned more than $7.2 million in overtime. Staff at the county prison, 911 dispatching and nurses at Westmoreland Manor topped the list of those who received additional pay.
About 30% of all overtime paid out in 2025 went to employees at the county jail. According to payroll figures obtained by TribLive, the top overtime earner at the jail has been among the dozens of county employees who also have at times more than doubled their annual wages by working additional hours.
Since 2023, one guard has taken home $267,000 in added pay above his annual salary, according to payroll figures. Corrections officers accounted for five of the county’s top 10 overtime earners last year.
“We have staff who really like overtime, and I’ve never noticed any slips in job performance,” said Pelesky, who has been warden since February 2025.
Overtime is dictated through a collective bargaining agreement between the county and the United Mine Workers of America Local 522, which represents the more than 100 corrections officers at the jail. Volunteers with the most seniority are offered the first crack at working overtime. The additional hours are doled out on a rotating basis.
“Overtime is needed almost every day to schedule shifts when people call out or are on vacation,” Pelesky said. “We know the numbers are high, but we have a lot of staff.”
Last year 180 employees, including guards, administrators and other support staff, received at least some overtime.
It’s the same situation at other departments required to be manned 24 hours a day. The county’s 911 dispatchers earned nearly $1.3 million in overtime last year, and nurses at Westmoreland Manor also took home more than $1.1 million in additional pay. The county’s sheriff’s department racked up almost $685,000 in overtime wages.
County officials say the overtime is necessary.
“Our 24-7 operation is a challenge, and, to my knowledge, there’s never been a safety issue due to overtime, but it’s a legitimate concern and the potential exists,” said Commissioner Ted Kopas. “If there are no safety issues, it doesn’t matter if there are five people getting overtime or just one. I’m more concerned about the overall overtime budget.”
Rising overtime costs also impact the county’s long-term financial health, both in annual budgeting and long-range planning related to the pension account.
Employee pension payouts are based on the average earnings of a worker during the final three years on the job. An outsized jump in pay because of overtime can balloon payouts from the pension fund and ultimately means more tax dollars are required to keep the retirement account adequately funded, Balzer said.
