District Council 47 of The American Federation of State, County
and Municipal Employees represents more than 3,000 unionized
workers for the city, who negotiated remote-work arrangements
beginning in 2020 in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In May, Parker, a Democrat, told all city workers that
hybrid-work arrangements were coming to an end and they must all
work in offices or on work-sites full time, beginning July 15.
District Council 47, which represents several local unions that
sued Parker on Monday in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas,
said the mayor's office has refused to negotiate over the change
in work arrangements and is violating labor law and existing
collective bargaining agreements, which the city denies.
Both the National Labor Relations Act and the Pennsylvania
Public Employees Relations Act say employers must negotiate
proposed changes to "wages, hours and terms and conditions of
employment" with unionized workers. The law generally requires
employers to negotiate with workers in good faith either to
agreement or an impasse.
Parker's office has said they do not believe those laws apply in
this instance, but declined a request to explain their reasoning
on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for Parker, who took office in January, said the
city's lawyers were reviewing the lawsuit, which asks the court
to issue a temporary order blocking implementation of any work
policies not negotiated with the unions. The court will hold a
hearing on that request on July 11.
In announcing her order, Parker said working full time in
offices would improve communications between workers and promote
"social connection along with collaboration, innovation and
inclusion."
The unions say many employees who have joined the city's
workforce since 2020 were told the flexible workplace policies
would be in effect indefinitely.
The majority of Philadelphia's municipal employees have already
returned to full-time onsite or in-office work schedules. But
some 3,000 unionized workers have secured agreements with the
city since 2020 to work at least one day a week remotely, said
District Council 47, which did not respond to a request for
comment.
(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Bill
Berkrot)
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