AFSCME District Council 33 reaches 1-year contract extension with city of Philadelphia
Philadelphia's largest municipal workers' union reached a one-year contract agreement with the city, union officials announced during a press conference Friday evening.
"We figured out how to get the yes and that's what I am super proud of," said Mayor Cherelle Parker.
AFSCME District Council 33 President Greg Boulware signed off on the one-year extension with the city of Philadelphia. During the press conference, Boulware said the extension provides members with a raise that would help increase their workers' quality of life.
They approved a strike authorization on Nov. 14.
According to the mayor's office, the contract will be for the fiscal year 2025 and includes a 5% salary increase, a one-time bonus of $1,400 and other benefits.
However, this does not mean the union or the city is stepping away from the negotiation table. Boulware described the extension on Friday as a "step in that right direction."
"We work hard and give ourselves, give our spirit and our souls to the city of Philadelphia because we love it," said Boulware. "We are Philadelphia from every corner of this city. So nobody knows it like we do and nobody works the way we do."
"I want to commend you for fighting. That is what a union leader is supposed to do," said Parker. "You pushed, and you pushed, and you pushed at the table."
District Council 33 was bargaining on behalf of more than 8,400 municipal employees in Philadelphia's streets, sanitation and water departments, and police dispatch among other agencies.
"Philadelphia continues to work because the members of District Council 33 do," Boulware said. "We are going to continue to press forward with that. And continue to make the lives better for our members of District Council 33 who we say repeatedly are Philadelphia. Not just work for Philadelphia, we are Philadelphia."
Boulware said District Council 33 and the city of Philadelphia will continue to push forward working on a long-term agreement that would bring some security for the union workers for the next several years to come. The journey toward the long-term agreement is expected to begin in January 2025, Boulware said.
"This is the start," said Parker. "If we stay at the table, I as mayor have wholeheartedly committed to reaching a multiyear deal."