DC33 city workers agree to strike if they don’t get a contract

Members of Philadelphia’s largest union for city workers have voted in favor of going on strike if they don’t get a new multiyear employment contract with the mayor.

Thousands of members of AFSCME District Council 33 have agreed to walk off the job if union leadership calls for it. DC33 president Greg Boulware said the union will not strike immediately, but could do so if negotiators cannot reach an agreement with Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s office.

“We’re hoping that does not need to happen, and that we can come to an amicable resolution that works for both parties. Right now, we’re not at that place,” Boulware said. “We’ll give every opportunity to the city to see reason and acknowledge the plight of our membership.”

The more than 9,000 municipal workers represented by DC33 include 911 operators, sanitation workers, and library employees, among many others. The sanitation, water, and prisons departments have the most DC33 members.

“This city runs because we make it work,” said DC33 member Jeff Bemiss at a rally in October where members expressed support for a strike. Bemiss, a water department employee, has worked for the city for almost 18 years.

“We’re just tired of not getting the credit we deserve. We’re tired of not being paid what we deserve. We deserve a fair contract so we can feed our families,” Bemiss said.

For city residents, a strike could mean no trash pickups, and a lag in police, fire, and ambulance response, according to a union spokesperson.

Workers voted in person between Nov. 7 and Wednesday, with the votes tallied on Thursday. Roughly 3,400 members participated, 87% of whom voted to authorize the strike.

Asked if there have been further negotiations or offers from the city since the union and the mayor’s office met officially in October, Boulware said: “There’s been conversation thus far, nothing that’s truly tangible for us to consider.”

“The Parker administration is continuing to work around the clock towards a successful resolution of this very important matter,” city spokesperson Joe Grace said in an email on Thursday.

SEPTA workers represented by Transport Workers Union Local 234 have also authorized a strike as they negotiate for a new contract, and could call for a work stoppage at any time. Boulware acknowledged that TWU has also threatened to strike and said DC33 has been in regular contact with TWU.

“We very well may be working in collaboration,” he said.

TWU has acknowledged talking with the city union on the possibility of coordination but has not commented on specifics.

Meanwhile, SEPTA’s contract with a second union representing 350 suburban bus, trolley, and Norristown High Speed Line operators expires Monday. SMART Transportation Division Local 1594 also wants action on safety from public attacks and harassment and an increase in wages.

The city workers’ most recent three-year contract, which had been negotiated with former Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration, expired at the end of June.

DC33 is seeking wage increases, flexibility to a rule that requires most city workers to live in Philadelphia, and improvements to pension plans. The Parker administration has proposed a one-year contract that roughly extends the terms of the previous contract and includes a 4.4% raise, as well as a one-time bonus of $1,400.

Unions representing city workers such as police officers, firefighters, and professional and supervisory staff have already agreed to short-term contracts under Parker’s administration.

The mayor’s office has said it favors short-term contracts because the new administration is getting its “feet on the ground,” and because the mayor wants to safeguard the city’s finances.

Boulware said the mayor’s proposal to DC33 was the same as its offer to District Council 47 a few months prior.

“The city had our proposal for roughly 2½ months, and they came back with roughly nothing,” Boulware said in an interview on Oct. 30. “It shows that the city is out of touch about what our needs are. The average salary for that union is substantially higher than what ours is, and so the same raise doesn’t work the same way.”

DC33 members make on average between $40,000 and $45,000 in annual wages, according to the union.

DC33 has been talking about a potential strike for weeks.

At a special general membership meeting outside City Hall on Oct. 30, several workers chanted: “We will strike!” Hundreds showed up to the rally, and they informally voted to strike by show of hands.

A few held signs with an image of Mayor Parker that read “Give us our money!” and “Pay us like you paid your cabinet.”

A day after the City Hall rally, Councilmember Nina Ahmad and other public officials signed a letter addressed to Parker raising concerns about how negotiations have gone. Their letter said the 4.4% raise proposed is, “at best, inadequate.”

“We believe that the current approach and progress in these negotiations do not reflect the commitment these hardworking Philadelphians deserve,” reads the letter, which Ahmad posted to X.

Boulware was elected to his position in June, unseating interim leader Omar Salaam in a contentious election. Salaam had taken that role for a few months after former DC33 president Ernest Garrett was removed from his position earlier this year.

At the October rally, Boulware acknowledged that he stepped into the role of president at a key moment for the union.

“I signed up to be a leader in this thing,” Boulware said. “I know that I needed to be the one to stand up for our membership [and make sure] the city is understanding that they have to take care of us while we’re taking care of everybody else.”

Staff writer Thomas Fitzgerald contributed to this article.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify TWU’s comment about possible coordination with DC33.