Philadelphia school workers reach deal with School District of Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA - A strike by service employees within the School District of Philadelphia has been averted as a deal has tentatively been reached.
Workers represented by the Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ initially voted to authorize a strike August 19th.
School District of Philadelphia
At issue was whether safety demands for the workers had been met and union leaders said those demands were lacking.
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Their current contract is set to expire August 31st.
The union and the district were able to reach agreement on these issues:
- Wage increases.
- Funding for training programs.
- Pension and employer paid health benefits intact.
- Protection of paid sick leave and paid vacation.
The union represents 2,000 public school service workers, including bus drivers, bus attendants, bus mechanics, cleaners, building engineers, school service workers and others.
32BJ Vice President Gabe Morgan said: "We have a deal! We got a deal that gives our members historic pay increases, while giving them the training they need to keep themselves and students safe. This contract honors the enormous contributions and sacrifices that 32BJ school workers have made, including risking their lives throughout the pandemic. 32BJ members are proud to show up to work every day and that includes the upcoming school days. I want to thank Mayor Kenney and all of the elected officials for their support and for bringing us together, without which we wouldn’t have reached an agreement."