"Are their families more perfect than our families?": Municipal workers rally
Photos by Mariel Waloff
Yesterday afternoon, hundreds of Philadelphians came out in the rain to send a message to state legislators (who were meeting nearby) that Mayor Nutter's attempt to balance the city budget on the backs of city workers is unacceptable. As the crowd gathered at Transit Workers Union Local 234 at Second and Spring Garden Streets, TWU President Willie Brown summed up the situation: "What we face here is classism. When you see the higher ups say we make too much, but they don't make enough, that's a problem. When it comes to us, when you look at our pension plan we put twice as much in as a manager, but they take twice as much out. That's got to stop... You haven't heard any politicians say that they're going to take a pay cut. You haven't heard any politicians say that they're going to give up on some of their pension. These people get lifetime health benefits when they leave office. Are their families any more perfect than our families? Do they love their people any more than we love our people?"
The spirit of love and unity prevailed as members of four major unions (TWU, which has been without a contract since March, AFSCME D.C. 33 and 47, which have been without contracts since June, and SEIU 32BJ, which has had salary cuts), joined by supporters from around the city, marched through Old City to the Consitution Center. As one leader explained, "We have, between District Council 33 and 47, suggested ways to raise revenue and to save money that are close to a billion dollars. Again the administration has not acted on it, so we really feel that we have to take to the streets and let people know how serious this situation is."
All of MMPs Feeds
Comments
When Budget Choices Arise, Think Long Term
The current administration at the Philadelphia Museum of Art has
been indifferent to our calls for justice (except for granting our
folks up to three days of paid sick leave in Sept 2008). I've dealt
with a lot of institutions in our city who are short changing workers
and I can say, without a doubt, that all of them have acted more
reasonably. However, if you look back at the history of the guards at
the museum, it becomes more clear where they have gotten this attitude
from.
Our city's last major budget crisis occurred in 1992. Mayor Ed
Rendell had just won his election and started his first days in office
with a city that was, much like today, in deep fiscal trouble.
He was fighting to take away a lot from the city's municipal
workers. The unions fought hard and even went on strike. Mayor Rendell
was able to get many of the concessions that he wanted. The unions lost
much and to this day, the city union leaders vow, "never again."
Perhaps the cruelest cut, though, was the privatization of hundreds
of jobs, including the security officers at the Philadelphia Museum of
Art. These officers were represented by AFSCME Local 1637, District
Council 33. They made as much as $14/hour and had top-shelf benefits.
Mayor Rendell turned those family sustaining jobs into poverty wage
jobs over night.
In the first year we privatized 15
different functions, and we have 15 more on the drawing board now. With
those 30 we will save about $34 million a year. Privatization has not
proven nearly as hard to do as everyone expected. And it is more than
just a money-saver: in almost every case we are delivering a better
product to the citizens of Philadelphia.
Today, more than 15 years later, their wages still haven't caught up
to previous levels. The most the guards can make is $10.03 per hour.
This puts many of the guards below the federal poverty line for a
family of four, earning less than $20,000 per year. With the backing of
the then Mayor Ed Rendell, is it any wonder that the museum feels that
they can disregard the well-being of these workers with impunity?