PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Before it recessed for the summer, Philadelphia City Council last week made its deepest incursion yet into labor-management relations, passing a bill that mandates a minimum wage at Philadelphia International Airport and sets a specific figure for the cost of health care benefits.
Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson’s bill reflects the growing influence of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which was also in evidence when Councilmember Cherelle Parker introduced a measure intended to lift the wages of parking attendants, many of whom have been unionized by SEIU.
"As a leader of the coalition that fought for this hard-won victory, I would especially like to thank Councilman Johnson for his leadership as prime sponsor of the bill, and the many co-sponsors that worked to build the final votes that won this fight," said SEIU Vice President Gabe Morgan in a statement after the bill’s passage. Mayor Jim Kenney says he’ll sign it.
The Chamber of Commerce, though, found the bill to be another step in a trend that disrupts the normal collective bargaining process.
"When you involve the legislature, that gives one party an advantage, and it creates a disparity in the negotiating process," said Chamber Vice President Will Carter.
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Carter worked for Council for 16 years and agrees that members have a duty to represent constituents, but he believes the specificity of the bill — a minimum wage of $15.06 an hour, plus $4.54 an hour to cover the cost of health insurance — goes beyond that.
"That’s a slippery slope, when you’re going into any type of contractual agreement that tips the scale in favor of one party over another," he said.
Council has a long history of maintaining close relationships with unions — which provide campaign contributions and Election Day labor for favored candidates — and passing legislation to benefit them. Less than a year ago, it passed a bill tightening requirements for workers who inspect sprinkler systems, widely seen as a sop to the Sprinkler Fitters Union, because its members were more likely to get the work. The year before, the Sheet Metal Workers were the beneficiaries of a bill requiring inspection of fire and smoke dampers.
One councilmember, Bobby Henon, is actually a union employee. He is on the payroll of the electrician’s union, and he has even been indicted for allegedly doing the union’s bidding in his elective office.
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SEIU has organized thousands of workers in the last several years, growing faster than more-established unions.
Morgan sees a difference, though, between SEIU’s appeal to council and the body’s traditional alliances with labor. Its members are largely Black and brown workers in jobs that have been historically underpaid. And its mission, to improve their wages and benefits, intersects with council’s interest in improving the prospects and financial situation of their constituents.
"In Philadelphia, especially now, most voters and most elected officials are supportive of efforts to lift people out of poverty," Morgan said.
At the same time, Morgan discounts how much sway the union has, pointing to the failure of Parker’s parking bill as an indication of the limits of the union’s influence. The bill would have slashed the parking tax by one-third in exchange for assurances that parking attendants would get raises, benefits and job stability.
"Some of our closest allies on the left were disparaging us over the potential of there being a parking tax cut," he said.