City of Philadelphia reaches agreement with white-collar workers union on a one-year contract extension

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The city of Philadelphia has reached an agreement with its white-collar workers union on a one-year contract extension.

AFSCME District Council 47 President April Gigetts said the union was working on a new, multi-year contract when the city offered the extension with a 4.4% raise — the largest the union has seen in many years — plus a $1,400 bonus.

"It was ratified overwhelmingly by the membership," Gigetts said.

It also increases the amount of paid parental leave to eight weeks, adds the Friday after Thanksgiving as a paid holiday and removes restrictions on using sick time to care for others.

"Those were things that came out of our discussion with the city about alternative work schedules," Gigetts said.

The union is still seeking arbitration over Mayor Cherelle Parker’s return-to-office order .

Gigetts said the union had hoped to get parity with the police and firefighter unions, both of which agreed to contract extensions with 5% raises.

"We had hoped this mayor would do something new and innovative. So, that didn’t happen. But still, it was 4.4 — you know, something to be proud of."

Neither union officials nor the Parker administration would talk about the agreement on the record, but the memorandum they signed says “the city wishes to recognize the commitment of DC 47’s members in the service of the city” with the additional time off.

DC 47’s old contract expired on June 30.

The extension leaves only the blue-collar workers union, AFSCME District Council 33, working without a contract.

DC 47’s agreement says that if DC 33 gets a better economic deal, DC 47 will be adjusted to meet that package.

Parker has scheduled a news conference for Friday to discuss details of the deal.