PHILADELPHIA CITY WORKERS
No contract, no peace!
By Betsey Piette
Philadelphia
Shouting "No contract, no peace," hundreds of city workers
staged a sit-in and forced a five-hour delay at the City
Council's opening session on Sept. 23 to protest expired
contracts. Members of AFSCME District Councils 33 and 47, who
staged the protest, have worked without contracts since June
30.
City workers, fighting to protect their pensions, health and
welfare benefits and for a fair wage, also challenged the
council's plan to introduce tax-cut bills aimed at eliminating
the city's business-privilege tax by 2017. This tax cut for the
bosses, com ing on top of deep cuts in federal spend ing for
local governments, would devastate already meager city services
and threaten the closure of fire stations, recreation centers,
health care centers and more.
While major corporations like Comcast Cable are seeking
tax-free office space in buildings being renovated under
federal empowerment zone programs, many city residents,
including the elderly and the poor, are paying higher property
taxes this year in the aftermath of property re-assessments
around the city.
The pending cuts in Philadelphia's city services come at the
same time when the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Auth ority
(SEPTA) management announced fare increases and severe service
cuts, including the elimination of weekend service, if their
alleged $62-million deficit is not offset by more public
transit funds from the state of Pennsylvania.
Workers in the city's school district also face stalled
contract negotiations. The current contract for the
Philadelphia Feder ation of Teachers expired Aug. 31, but the
district and the union agreed to extend its terms until Sept.
30. Key areas of contention include health insurance, the
length of the workday and work rules, including teacher
assignment.
Teachers currently select the school in which they work,
with preference for seniority. School Reform Commission Chair
James Nevels wants the commission to control assignments and
threatened to impose the new contract terms on teachers if no
resolution is reached by the Sept. 30 deadline. Under a bill
rushed through the Pennsylvania Legislature two years ago,
which laid the basis for a state takeover of the city's
schools, Phila del phia teachers are prohibited from
striking.
At the council protest, city workers were joined by
Electrical Workers from IBEW Local 98, UNITE, United Food and
Commercial Workers, Graduate Employ ees Together-University of
Pennsylvania, SEIU and the Philadelphia Federation of
Teachers.
Members of the Philadelphia Million Worker March Committee,
holding signs reading "Philadelphia Million Worker March
supports city workers' right to fair contracts" distributed
several hundred fliers for the Oct. 17 Million Worker March in
Washington, D.C. The fliers were very well received by the city
workers.
A specific demand of the protest was for Mayor John Street
to address the workers and make a commitment to start
negotiations. Some councilmembers tried to block this request.
But workers shouted, "You got paid, what about us?" referring
to the council's recent pay increase. When asked to leave the
chamber, the workers shouted, "Hell no, we won't go!"
Finally, in the early afternoon, Street was allowed to
speak, and in response to the determination of the workers,
made a commitment to hold round-the-clock negotiations over the
weekend. Francesca Alvarado, an AFSCME DC 47 delegate and a
local organizer for the Million Worker March, told Workers
World that negotiations had resumed as of Sept. 27 and that
members are expecting a contract before the next City Council
meeting.
"If no progress occurs," Alvarado promised, "the workers
will be back every Thursday."
Reprinted from the Oct. 7, 2004, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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