Statement of Pennsylvania House Majority Labor Chair Jason?Dawkins on the Tentative Agreement between AFSCME District Council?33 and Mayor Cherelle?Parker
Rep. Jason Dawkins July 9, 2025 | 3:39 PM
“I want to begin by saluting the members of District Council?33. Their tireless service keeps Philadelphia running, and their solidarity at the bargaining table has moved us a step closer to a fair contract. I also commend Mayor Parker and her bargaining team for engaging constructively and reaching a tentative agreement that avoids a damaging work stoppage.
“I am cautiously optimistic about this deal: stability and wage growth are welcome after years of pandemic-era uncertainty. But we have to be honest— a nine-percent raise spread over three years lags behind every credible projection of inflation. In real terms, many city employees would still find themselves treading water while the cost of rent, groceries, transit, and child care continues to climb. I am hopeful that Mayor Parker will continue to work with DC 33 to fulfill her pledge for "Economic Opportunity for All" Philadelphians. Our Municipal workers have to be the example of our City's commitment to ending poverty.
Chair Dawkins continued:
“A contract is only one piece of the puzzle. If we truly want municipal workers to share in the prosperity they create, City Council and the Administration must act with urgency on a comprehensive Municipal Workers’ Path to Prosperity legislative package.
• Housing security: Expand down-payment assistance and first-generation homeowner programs, prioritize inclusionary zoning near transit, and pilot ‘right-to-return’ policies for city employees displaced by rising rents.
• Nutrition & wellness: Guarantee every city employee year-round access to fresh, affordable produce through bulk-purchase or local food share partnerships and redesign rec-center kitchens for family meal prep nights.
• Financial literacy & wealth-building: Offer free, on-the-clock workshops on retirement planning, student-loan navigation, and credit repair, coupled with automatic enrollment in high-yield municipal credit-union accounts.
• Career ladders: Fund tuition-free up-skilling and apprenticeship bridges so custodians can become building engineers, and clerks can become IT analysts— within city government, not outside of it.
“These aren’t luxuries; they are the building blocks of a middle-class life. Philadelphia cannot proclaim prosperity while the very workers who pick up our trash, pave our streets, and protect our parks struggle to pay for a gallon of milk.
“I look forward to partnering with my colleagues on Council, Mayor Parker, and, most importantly, the rank-and-file members of DC?33 to refine this agreement and advance the broader package. Together we can prove that fiscal responsibility and worker dignity are not opposing goals—they are mutually reinforcing pillars of a thriving Philadelphia.”