Nutter will ask court to let him impose terms on DC 33
After years of stalemate, the Nutter administration on Friday asked a judge to allow the city to impose his "final offer" on the city's largest union.
Nutter will ask court to let him impose terms on DC 33
After years of stalemate, the Nutter administration on Friday asked a judge to allow the city to impose his "final offer" on the city's largest union.
Nutter is seeking permission from a Common Pleas Court judge for the city to implement the plan he presented to District Council 33 two weeks ago. The plan includes incremental pay raises in exchange for cost reductions in overtime rules, possible furloughs, a less generous pension plan for new hires and other changes.
"Union leaders have held our public employees and the taxpayers hostage," Nutter said at a press conference. "We are no closer to an agreement today than we were four years ago."
DC 33 President Pete Matthews said that his union is still willing to bargain and that Nutter's desire to implement terms unilaterally is typical of the way he negotiates.
"That does not surprise me. I’ve said it in the past: He tries to act like a dictator. He dictates terms," Matthews said.
It looks like an uphill battle for the administration. In 1993, a Commonwealth Court ruled that the Housing Authority was not allowed to impose terms on its workers as long as they didn't strike, and the state Supreme Court took a pass on the case.
But Shannon Farmer, the city's chief negotiator, said Friday that the facts of this case - DC 33 has been without a contract for years, not months like the PHA workers - will lead to a favorable decision.
Nutter says an overhaul of pensions and work rules for city workers is necessary for the city's financial health.
Union leaders, however, contend the city can pay for its workers since it balances its budget every year and can still afford vanity projects like the Dilworth Plaza renovation outside City Hall, which will cost the city tens of millions of dollars.
Also nutter need to stop with the bloated paychecks to outside people. Like cindy christian from CHOP on the citys payroll to do exactly what ??? NOthing. Christian gets a big check from CHOP (full time) and the city doing basically nothing, only to be consulted for a high profile case.. Nutter also hire so many others to do less than part time work. Why should the workers suffer— noncents- If you patt nutter on the back and says good job, you '' be on his payroll! If youre in the trenches and the valleys, you could kiss a decent wage goodbye.. Nutter is the true essence of 1%. This man has DC fooled especially pres, obama. If obama only remeber Nutter was for Hillary in 2008, but nutter is willing to play politics until it land him in a pile of dog sh*7%6$t— noncents
- The Commonwealth appellate courts decided this issue years ago. Nutter will fail.— anti-tax
- The cost of government has to brought under control. Here is the first step. There are many more can be taken. The pain now is less than the pain will be if no action is taken.— Wildman Bill
- Let's take it to court like the police and firefighters! He keeps losing but never gets the hint. He owes and it's time to pay up.— 2thru
- @hannible you have the right name .youll be coming over the mountain again but this time it will be trash so you can feed your pet rats .bring it on.....— cityslicker
- "Get rid of your cronies before coming after the employees that actually keep the City running." You mean like the traffic court criminals? Like Nutter's guy at the airport with the $87K/year 'job'? THOSE slobs that 'keep the city running'? Yeah, we sure can't afford to do without those union goons.— b,ill at,kins
- i hope the city wins,city workers dont do 8 hours work for 8 pay anyway— copter 3
- How about imposing a mass layoff of these slugs. You could post the jobs over the weekend and have 40,000 applicants lined up on Monday morning.— TonyMarino
- Maybe someone should start the recall process if he is incompetent and unfit to effectively lead.— IceCold
- hANNIBAL YOU HAVE NO CLUE OF WHAT YOURE ASKING FOR... This city would be shut down .... but hey! Pete gather your troops and go!!!!!!! strike!— noncents
- This may be the first step of many from a second term, nothing to lose but wants to do the right thing, elected official. If the court allows the mayor to proceed, he may next pursue changes in the police and fire contracts, esp related to new hires. While city salaries may be fair, city taxpayers cannot afford the bloated benefits, DROP, and pensions. They either get curtailed, or we become the next Detroit. Make no mistake about it.— misterpond
- STOP raising taxes...we are already have the biggest tax burden of any city in the nation.— flyers2thecup
- @b,ill at,kins the traffic court and any other court employees for that matter are not part of dc 33 or dc47. the municipal court employees are under the first judicial district not the city. neither is the guy who got the airport job. that was a political crony who got a patronage job. please get you facts straight and stop posting gibberish— ihatenewyorkers
- A bit of a desperate move, desparate man?. He has PICA coming up soon, the past 4 - 5 year budgets were fairy tales budgets. Although PICA, what are they? nothing, no backbone really.— uandwhosearmy
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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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