So much for labor peace.
Last year at this time, there was little more than a peep to be heard from the four municipal labor unions as they were renegotiating contracts with the Nutter administration. At the mayor's request, all sides had agreed to keep their talks out of the public spotlight - which is exactly what happened, with a few minor exceptions.
That does not promise to be the case this year, evidenced by soured relationships between many of the union leaders and Nutter.
Those tensions will spill over publicly this Thursday, when District Council 33, which represents blue-collar workers, and District Council 47, whose members work white-collar city jobs, gather for a 5 p.m. rally in LOVE Park. According to a flier being distributed, Transport Workers Union Local 234 and SEIU Local 32BJ will also participate "to show solidarity with all public sector unions."
DC 33 and DC 47 have contracts that expire June 30.
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I think the Mayor's people should make a two-columned list: what the average employee gets in benefits and what city employees get in benefits. The average employee pays copays. The average employee doesn't get free legal representation for civil matters, something most average employees don't even KNOW about city employees. City employees don't have to pay for their own divorces, custody disputes, even juvenile matters for their kids. The union has lawyers that work for the unions which handle that. The pension contribution relative to the pension payout is not even sustainable. There won't be a pension at this rate in the very near future. The answer is not to delay pension payments and refi the pension so that there is a greater debt load, as Council had Nutter go to Harrisburg to do. Philly is the go-to city for contracting out labor and for renegotiating union contracts, and it's time for the city to hire those private law firms and consultants to get their advice on how to get the best deal for the taxpayer.— CleanupPhilly- The unions are also not dealing with the fact that newbies pay more and get less than the old timers. So it's a little hard to cry "injustice" from the man. If your job can be done by someone for less money just as well, the market will decide. The law supports fair market based decisions that don't violate contracts, and Nutter can't afford to sign a contract that violates the market because there is not going to be a sales tax hike. The timing of this contract renegotiation is before the mandate from Harrisburg to make cuts comes in, and Nutter knows it. He knows he's got to be tough on the unions, and that his Obamesque new Dem base of support understands that. It parallels Rendell, who parlayed his cost cutting and collections legal prowess into the governor's chair.— CleanupPhilly
Comment removed.- It was okay for City Council to take that retirement package and report the VERY NEXT DAY back to City Council?? Leave it to our dear elected officials to watch each other's backs and the heck with the working men and women that do all the hard work in this city and not sit on their fat you know what's dictating to them that the workers are getting paid too much. Watch your backs City Workers - they are going after your jobs - UNITE AND FIGHT! The Sanitation Department - Remember how it was? Trash piled up? The City is going to raise your real estate taxes and then say that they can't give you a raise in pay? Cut your retirement so those on City Council can keep taking retirement packages in the 100's of Thousands of Dollars and return to work??? WHERE is the extra money going to come from??? Come on People - Smell the stink from City Hall!! Is this really TRANSPARANCY of Government???— JusticeDeserved
- It was okay for City Council to take that retirement package and report the VERY NEXT DAY back to City Council?? Leave it to our dear elected officials to watch each other's backs and the heck with the working men and women that do all the hard work in this city and not sit on their fat you know what's dictating to them that the workers are getting paid too much. Watch your backs City Workers - they are going after your jobs - UNITE AND FIGHT! The Sanitation Department - Remember how it was? Trash piled up? The City is going to raise your real estate taxes and then say that they can't give you a raise in pay? Cut your retirement so those on City Council can keep taking retirement packages in the 100's of Thousands of Dollars and return to work??? WHERE is the extra money going to come from??? Come on People - Smell the stink from City Hall!! Is this really TRANSPARANCY of Government???— JusticeDeserved
- Right, Council takes DROP which robs the city pension of payments into it from the highest paid city workers. How is the state supposed to stomach passing a sales tax hike? The unions were silent on DROP, now they're going to pay more themselves as a result for pensions. It's too late to protest. Too little, too late.— CleanupPhilly
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