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AFSCME District Council 33's Statement Regarding the Order of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Denying the City of Philadelphia’s King’s Bench Petition.

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania today denied the request made by the City of Philadelphia to have the Court assume jurisdiction over the four-year-old contract negotiations between the City and AFSCME District Council 33. On February 5, the City asked the Supreme Court to take jurisdiction of the lawsuit the City filed several days earlier in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court. The City’s request was contained in a “King’s Bench Petition,” which our Union opposed, in a brief written by our Union’s attorney, Samuel L. Spear Esq. of Spear Wilderman, P.C., and which was supported by many other labor unions throughout the State. The vote to deny the City’s Petition was by a 5 to 1 margin, with Chief Justice Castille dissenting.

The impact of this decision on public sector collective bargaining in Pennsylvania is enormous, as the City’s Petition in effect asked the Supreme Court to authorize ending the bargaining process and permitting the City to impose what it termed its “final offer.” The City’s brief in the Supreme Court advocated that this strategy would have widespread repercussions throughout Pennsylvania by permitting public employers to terminate collective bargaining by simply imposing their versions of what they unilaterally think is best for the workers, the public employers, and the citizens. For years, the courts and the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board have ruled such tactics to be illegal. The City’s effort to change that law in the Supreme Court has now been put to rest, for the time being at least.

Our Union represents over 10,000 employees of the City of Philadelphia. The Union’s Collective Bargaining Agreement with the City expired July 1, 2009. The parties have been engaged in collective bargaining negotiations since that time. Our members have received no raises in wages or benefits for almost six years. During that entire time, they have faithfully continued to work each and every day serving the citizens of Philadelphia.

Since the City filed its two legal actions, the Union has been attempting to have the City continue bargaining with us. We have also been meeting with the State Mediator to attempt to enlist his help in moving the City forward to reach a fair contractual agreement with us. With the Supreme Court’s vote today, we are hopeful that the City will bring this dispute back to the bargaining table, where it belongs, instead of its remaining stuck in the court system.

Welcome to the new website for AFSCME District Council 33. We hope you will visit this website on a regular basis, to get updates on activities at the District Council.

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Check out the "Calendar" tab (on the left) for information on upcoming events all around District Council 33. For more details about any of the listed events, click on the title of the event. If you have an event you would like listed in this DC 33 Calendar, please send us an email (see the contact page).

This is why we must continue to fight. 

Watch and learn. 

Click the headline above (or "Read More") to get information about the changes to DC 33 Dental Benefits. Read more >>>

Click the headline above (or "Read More") to get information about the changes to DC 33 Health Care Benefits. Read more >>>

District Council 33 President Pete Matthews has submitted an OpEd to both the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Daily News. The Inquirer has refused to publish the piece without substantial cuts and the Daily News has not even responded. To read and download the OpEd, click here: Read more >>>

District Council 33 President Pete Matthews sent a letter and fact sheet to members of City Council, State Representatives, State Senators, members of Congress, US Senator Bob Casey, and other statewide candidates to let them know that DC 33's contract dispute with Democratic Mayor Mike Nutter could cause turnout problems in the November General Election.  To read and download copies of the letters and fact sheet, click here: Read more >>>

Check out our radio ad entitled "Nutter Dictates". Listen to the ad here.

In 2008, when he wanted our Union's support, Mayor Michael Nutter promised DC 33 members a fair contract. Since that time, our Union has helped the City save $415 million - but we STILL don't have a fair contract. Check out our TV ad calling on Mayor Nutter to give us a FAIR CONTRACT!

In addition to the TV ad you can see above, District Council 33 is also running radio ads, demanding that Mayor Nutter settle a fair contract with our Union!

Click here to listen to the ad.