AFSCME District Council 47 was fully cooperative with the PEW researchers resulting in today’s more balanced update of the 2008 PEW “Crisis” Report issued in January 2008.

 

Today’s PEW Report presents some useful comparative data concerning benefits provided to Philadelphia public employees and public employees of other cities.  As well as comparative data concerning union employees, non-union employees, and elected officials.

 

Health care and pension are very complicated subjects that deserve more sophisticated analysis than the 15-page PEW Report accomplished, but DC 47 would point to some general statements from the Report with which the union agrees.

 

On health care, “City workers get less than their peers elsewhere: They get only five years of retiree coverage, instead of the lifetime benefits in many other cities.”

 

On health care, “The health plans run directly by the city were costlier this year (2009) than two of the union affiliated plans.  (DC 47’s Plan was one of the two.)

 

On pension, “The average city retiree’s pension check is roughly in line with that in other major cities.”  (DC 47 pensions are capped at the level of the day of retirement and include no COLA adjustments.)

 

In the context of total compensation, “Philadelphia appears roughly in line with other local; and state governments nationwide…”

 

Additionally, District Council 47 does not believe that any legislative pension proposal(s) should reward the City and undermine employee benefits due to the decades long systematic underfunding of the Pension Fund by the City.

 

Up to and including today, DC 47 members have met every contractual agreement contained in City contracts.  What the city agreed to in their past contracts, DC 47 members provided.

 

DC 47 has made it clear that it is willing to sit down with the city to discuss the city contracts, but, to date, the City has made no specific Health and Welfare proposals.

 

The City has made no Pension proposal directly to the DC 47 negotiation team.