The Parker administration and the city's white-collar workers reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement early Tuesday morning, avoiding the possibility of a strike.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees District Council 47 said the deal was reached around 5:30 a.m. after a night of negotiations. The terms have not been released, but the union leaders said they felt positive about the agreement. It must still be ratified by a majority of its members.
MORE: Why the agreement struck between DC 33 and the city isn't a done deal yet
"We've been going all night, good news is we have got a (tentative agreement), and you're going to love it," District Council 47 President April Gigetts said in a social media post announcing the news. "Stay tuned."
Mayor Cherelle Parker said the new three-year contract, coupled with a one-year extension that the union agreed to last fall, increases wages by 13.5% over four years. The extension was set to expire Tuesday.
"We will have much more to say about this significant deal later at City Hall," Parker wrote in a social media post. "We are valuing our city workers and protecting our city's hard-earned fiscal stability at the same time."
District Council 47 represents 6,000 supervisors and administrators at City Hall, the Philadelphia Parking Authority and the Philadelphia Housing Department. The workers are part of two unions — Locals 2186 and 2187 — and had been negotiating new deals since April.
On Monday afternoon, Local 2187 concluded a four-day vote to authorize a work stoppage. The results were expected to be announced Tuesday. Local 2186 is not permitted to strike.
As of Saturday, District Council 47 said the Parker administration had offered a three-year contract with annual raises of 2.5%, 2.5% and 3%, plus a bonus of $1,000. But union leaders said the city had made no changes to their health benefits or outdated scheduling practices and work rules. They had been asking the city to cover 100% of their health care benefits.
District Council 47 had sought a four-year deal that raised the minimum annual wage to $50,000 and included 8% annual increases. The workers also wanted to upgrade the longevity pay scale for the longest-tenured workers and to end the city's residency requirement for workers who have been employed for at least five years.
Last week, the city reached a deal with members of AFSCME District Council 33, which represents 9,000 blue-collar city workers, following a strike that had entered its ninth day. The deal includes annual 3% raises for three years, a one-time $1,500 bonus during the first year and a 2% step increase in the salary scale for longtime employees. Members are voting this week to ratify it.