The largest union of Philadelphia city workers authorized a strike Wednesday, demanding a new contract with better pay and benefits.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees District Council 33 has been working without a contract since June 30. The union represents more than 9,000 city employees, including sanitation workers, police dispatchers and water department workers. Hundreds of them rallied outside City Hall on Wednesday afternoon, shutting disrupting traffic at rush hour.
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During the rally, the union members held a voice vote to authorize a strike, FOX29 reported, but the union is expected to take a formal vote during a meeting in the next week. Union leaders will give Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration a 10-day notice about a potential strike, 6ABC reported.
In August, District Council 33 submitted a 17-page proposal for a four-year contract that included pay raises, better pension plans, alternate work schedules, pandemic relief and a change in the residency requirement that most workers live in the city.
Greg Boulware, president of District Council 33, said earlier this month that the city offered a one-year extension with an average pay increase of $50 per pay period. He said it did not address the other issues raised by the union.
"The City failed to acknowledge the effort we put into crafting a comprehensive proposal that would benefit our members and genuinely demonstrate Philadelphia's concern for its workforce," Boulware wrote on the union's website earlier this month, adding that the city "did not arrive prepared" for discussions and presented a "generic" proposal offered to other municipal unions.
Joe Grace, a spokesperson for the mayor's office, told NBC10: "It's not our place to discuss the union's tactics or strategies. We remain confident in what we've negotiated throughout this year with every other union representing our municipal workers, and we believe we will be able to find an amicable resolution with District Council 33's leadership and membership as well."
