From Pete Matthews, President AFSCME District Council 33

(Sent to Philadelphia City Council and Phila area State Reps, State Senate, Congressional Leaders and Senator Casey)

For the last four years District Council 33 has delivered for the City.

When Mayor Nutter asked for help with workforce adjustments in 2009 District Council 33 delivered
b
y showing him how to avoid laying off 200 City workers by moving them to funded positions. This saved the City $35 million.

District Council 33 unilaterally changed its Health and Welfare Fund from fully insured to self insured two year before the City did for non-represented city employees, assuming greater risks in order to maintain health benefits. The City has not increased health benefit contributions for four years. District Councils 33and 47 combined have saved the City $84 million.

District Councils 33 and 47 members have not received a pay increase in four years. That has saved the City $61 million.

When the City needed legislative approval from the Legislature in Harrisburg to defer payments to the Pension Plan District Council 33 stepped up and delivered. That saved the City $235 million.

When the City needed approval from the Legislature in Harrisburg to raise the Sales Tax to generate new revenue District Council 33 stepped up and delivered again. To date the Sales Tax increase has generated more than $100 million.

Add it up. $415 million in savings and $100 million (and counting) in new revenue.

How has Nutter (or his spokesman) responded?

“You can’t save what you never had.”

Really?

When Mayor Ed Rendell forced $200 million in concessions in 1992 he bragged about how much he saved.

Since Nutter took office, his five-year budget projections have assumed employee costs would remain essentially flat regardless of inflation.

That means any basic wage increases would have to be offset by savings – reduced overtime, for instance, or use of furloughs to pare expenses.

Nutter has suspended yearly step raises for employees in their first five years on the payroll, along with longevity increases, paid to veteran workers for every five years’ service. In terms of the pension savings, Mark McDonald, Nutter’s spokesman, said they were deferred payments, which would ultimately need to be paid back and represented no savings at all.
Really?
The City saved $235 million that it didn’t have to pay out over the last four years and somehow that is NOT savings?
Nutter has not personally attended even one negotiations session.
Here is what Nutter says:
“The challenge here is every time we have a conversation, they want to talk about what they don’t want to do, and not what needs to be done.”
“Everyone has to be part of the shared sacrifice.”

Our Conclusion?

This shows Mayor Nutter’s lack of leadership.

Mayor Michael Nutter is the most anti-union mayor in Philadelphia’s history.

He would rather dictate than negotiate a Fair Contract.

Remember, this is still a Democracy