City Council backs unions in push for contracts
City Council threw their support behind the city's municipal workers unions today, voting unanimously on a resolution calling for the Nutter Administration to negotiate a fair contract.
City Council backs unions in push for contracts
Jan Ransom
City Council threw their support behind the city’s municipal workers unions today, voting unanimously on a resolution calling for the Nutter Administration to negotiate a fair contract.
A vocal crowd of members from DC 33 and DC 47 appeared at today’s Council session in force shouting “Keep your word,” –a statement directed at Mayor Nutter.
The unions have been without a contract since it expired in 2009. Nutter has said he would not agree to a contract that doesn’t include significant benefit changes.
“[The resolution] says two things. One, there should be a fair contract, two, our workers have sacrificed and that should be acknowledged,” said City Councilman Wilson Goode Jr., who sponsored the resolution. “Some asked the question why would City Council project itself into union negotiations, I asked what negotiations? Regardless of what you consider to be a fair contract…not having a contract is simply bad fiscal policy.”
Goode said the city’s five-year plan should include contracts for the unions.
“No new contract for our members was ever given by this Administration,” Catherine Scott, president of DC 47 told Council, adding that both unions saved the city money. “So, I say to the Nutter Administration honor your word…stop the stalemate.”
DC 33 president Pete Matthews also urged Nutter to move on a contract deal.
“All we want to do is be treated fairly,” Matthews said.
Nutter later told reporters that he wants a contract that is fair to workers and taxpayers.
“We’re trying to negotiate a contract and [Matthews is] running for reelection in his union. You might hear anything at this point and time,” Nutter said. “What I want is a fair contract to our public employees that’s also fair to the citizens and taxpayers of this city,” he said, adding like the arbitration award correctional officers received earlier this week.
No surprise there, council is interested in reelection, not doing the right thing.
Council should remember that it's the TAXPAYERS that pay the union members and their salaries! Nutter is looking out for the TAXPAYERS! Oh wait, this is Phila. and that's not how things work in the Dem "union" town.— jcc1960- “All we want to do is be treated fairly,” Matthews said.
Meaning a yearly 6% increase and free healthcare. Vote everyone out and loosen the noose that the unions have on this city. They're choking what life is left, out of it. 
Comment removed.- The taxpayer has a say at the ballot box CleanupPhilly. The Mayor is the representative of the taxpayer. You should love Nutter. He is anti-union and anti-middle class. The man has no loyalty to anyone but his high-priced political appointees. — Michael T. Welsh
- Nutter is a good man.— tynol10
- Yeah, this is a big DUH. Do away with the unions. The taxpayers are paying for the pork. We should get a little more bacon. I wish I was guaranteed this kind of job. Unions should work in the real world.— PotteryPete
- Since most of Council were financed by PAC, and Special Interest Groups of the unions during election time!! Is it any wonder which side they pick in this fight?? They sure don't put their constituents interest first, as the source of the revenue for the contracts!!! Some of us in the public sector, have gone without pay raises, or a job for the same amount of time!!!— Dadair1
- Unions are a threat to Democracy. Think about it. If all unions do is drive up labor costs AND protect incompenant or ignorant workers, that mean citizens are taxed higher for a less effective yet intrusive government. Amazing what Philadelphian's will accept. Maybe we should get them to pay for the air they breathe too.— Citizenc92
- Amazing how there are never any follow-up questions to King Nutter. When you have negotiations both sides should compromise. Where has the Nutter Administration compromised since 2008? The unions have gone without raises since 2007, are paying more towards their health care and have frozen pay step and seniority increases. When has Nutter ever acknowledged those sacrifices and when are the reporters going to do their jobs and give a dollar figure on how much Nutter has balanced the budget on the workers backs? The Inquirer and Daily News are just propaganda organs for the Nutter Administration. They are an extension of his press office. Nutter is an arrogant, elitist snob and the journalists are his servants.— Serpico
- This comment has been deleted. — stonewall jackson
- You sound confused General Stonewall Jackson. This isn't the Battle of Bull Run my friend. DROP should be eliminated. King Nutter should make sensible cuts to the fat and bloat in the city government(too many managers and political appointees) and allocate that money for raises for street-level employees like Philadelphia Fire Fighters and the workers in DC 33 and 47. — Serpico
- Nutter can't run again for Mayor, so he's got nothing to lose, I say take the unions down and represent the taxpayers. Maybe Council should go away and we'll use the millions wasted on them.— TheRevoltionWillNotBeTelevised
- And Philly wonders why it has more in common with Detroit than it does with NYC, DC or Charolotte.— Citizenc92
- For once, a Democrat mayor stands up to the unions, and the other dems on the council turn on him. No surprise. The democrats will always be in the pocket of big labor and vice versa. The only dems that dare stand up to the system are the ones not facing re-election. I commend Nutter for doing the right thing here.— MattPSU
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
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Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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