WHEREAS, For many years, 13,000 Philadelphia teachers and their support staff, composed of 7,000 lower income employees, have worked under contractual terms mutually agreed to by the School District and their union, The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers; and
WHEREAS, In 1998, Act 46, a union busting law, which usurps the Home Rule power of the City, was enacted by the state to undermine the working standards of the teachers and their support staff by, among other things, forbidding the extension of the union contract, by permitting the School District to unilaterally impose terms and conditions upon the school employees, by threatening the state takeover of the schools and the withdrawal of teacher certificates; and
WHEREAS, The members of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, to their credit, are working without a contract; and
WHEREAS, While other important matters were still unsettled, the talks had stalled on the simple issue of one hour versus one half hour of additional work time. There was no reason to stop talking; and
WHEREAS, It is necessary to restart meaningful negotiations to result in a negotiated contract; and
WHEREAS, It is important for the City government which represents all the people of Philadelphia to negotiate in good faith and set an example of good faith collective bargaining; and
WHEREAS, The Philadelphia School District has many great needs in addition to a new teachers contract, such as more than 200 teachers to fill vacant classrooms, smaller classes, hundreds of teachers to replace teachers teaching without proper certification, lack of books, musical instruments, baseball and football fields, and in some cases gymnasiums and tracks; and
WHEREAS, The School District at the request of the Mayor has sought to impose terms and conditions upon its employees including longer hours and smaller pay increases for the 7,000 lower income employees; and
WHEREAS, The use of these anti-labor Act 46 powers by the City of Philadelphia to impose terms and conditions sets an undemocratic precedent for future union busting directed at all labor unions; and
WHEREAS, Although City Council has no desire to dictate or influence any specific terms of a new contract between the School District and the PFT, it does have the duty to speak out when basic labor rights are being threatened; now therefore
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That the Mayor of Philadelphia return to the bargaining table to actively negotiate a mutually agreeable new contract between the School District and the PFT.
End