City Employees

Who They Are, What They Do, What They Make

by Doron Taussig

Evan M. Lopez

You may know that the city of Philadelphia is currently in contract negotiations with its unionized work force, and that those negotiations are really, really important. The city is hard up for cash, and a lot of its money goes toward employee salaries and benefits. Mayor Nutter would like to sign a new contract — preferably by June 30, when the current one expires — that begins to alleviate that burden.

You may also know that city workers are represented by four different unions: the police union, the firefighters union and two others — District Councils 33 and 47, commonly referred to as the "blue collar" and "white collar" union, respectively.

But that's pretty vague. Well, police and firemen are clear enough. But "blue collar" and "white collar" workers? Doesn't that just mean "everybody"?

Public opinion about city workers ranges from "selfless public servants" to "lazy good-for-nothings," but a lot of those opinions, it seems to us, aren't based on much.

We wanted to know more. So we sat down with members of DC 33 and 47 to get a better sense of who they are, what they do — and what kind of lifestyle it gets them.

There's another reason to focus on these two unions: If negotiations go badly, these are the two unions that are allowed by law to strike (police and firefighters are required to go to arbitration). The president of DC 33 has indicated that his union might be inclined to go that way this summer. This might be posturing, and should be taken with a grain of salt. But when you look at these workers, bear in mind that they are the people Philadelphians may find themselves suddenly without.

A quick note of context: The people willing to tell us their stories tended to be more senior city employees, which means they aren't quite typical — several are supervisors in their departments and, consequently, make more money. The nuts-and-bolts figures are as follows: As of February, there were 23,197 employees of the city of Philadelphia; 19,228 were in unions, and 10,355 in 33 and 47 (and before you ask: No, Latrice Bryant is not in a union — Council employees are "exempt"). The average salary of a city employee, as of January, was $49,712, with benefits costing the city about an additional 40 percent of an individual's salary. For most city positions, you have to take the civil service exam. Promotions are also determined by testing.

• James Dougherty Jr.
  
  Construction Plans Review Specialist, Licenses & Inspections
  
  
• Raymond Jackson
  
  Street Crew Chief II, Department of Streets
  
  
• Erica Young
  
  Program Coordinator, Carousel House, Department of Parks and Recreation
  
  
• Ray Banas
  
  Materials Selector, Free Library of Philadelphia
  
  
• German Madera
  
  Forensic Scientist, Police Department
  
  
• Lauren Medley
  
  Community Health Nursing Supervisor, Health Center 2
  
  
• Sgt. Edwin Cruz
  
  Training Supervisor, Philadelphia Prison System
  
  
• Fred Gigliotti
  
  Social Worker, Office of Supportive Housing
  
  
• Kevin H. Williams
  
  Street Repair Supervisor, 4th Highway District, Department of Streets
  
  
• Tonya Green
  
  Network Support Specialist, Licenses & Inspections
  
  
• Richard Drain
  
  Departmental Aide, Department of Behavioral Health and Mental Retardation Services
  
  
• Pearl Knox
  
  Social Work Trainee, Department of Human Services