PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The city of Philadelphia has reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with a union representing about 4,000 white-collar workers, ending a stalemate that dates back to 2009.
The accord, announced Tuesday night by Mayor Michael Nutter and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees AFSCME District Council 47, must still be ratified by rank-and-file members.
The pact is retroactive to 2009 and extends into mid-2017. It includes three wage increases and a $2,000 ratification bonus but no back pay for the years workers have gone without raises, The Philadelphia Inquirer (https://bit.ly/1heX8bj ) reported.
Union president Frederick Wright said the administration dropped its bid to get the right to furlough workers for up to three weeks each year, as well as force new workers into a hybrid pension plan with lower guaranteed benefits.
But the city said the pension contribution from current employees will increase from 2 percent to 3 percent of their pay in 2016, and new employees who opt for the old pension plan will contribute about 4 percent.
Nutter said the estimated cost of $122 million over the next five years would pose “a substantial challenge for our budget but one that we believe is warranted on behalf of our employees and taxpayers.”
Asked whether a similar deal could be reached with the approximately 10,000 blue-collar workers represented by AFSCME District Council 33, the mayor declined to make any predictions. He said each contract is “different and unique.” The two sides met Friday for the first time in a year and Nutter said he expected negotiations to resume this week.
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Information from: The Philadelphia Inquirer, https://www.inquirer.com
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