A paper bag fee, new protections for building workers, and a send-off for Council President Darrell L. Clarke | Council roundup

Philadelphia City Council on Thursday approved a new 15-cent fee for consumers who need paper bags at retail stores.

Council previously approved a ban on plastic bags, which took effect in 2022. Councilmember Mark Squilla, who authored that legislation, initially included a fee for paper bags in that proposal, but removed that provision during negotiations.

» READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Philadelphia’s plastic bag ban

Squilla said Thursday that data show paper bag usage in the city has increased as a result of the plastic bag ban. The goal, he said, is to reduce the consumption of single-use bags overall and encourage shoppers to bring reusable bags.

Retailers will keep the money they collect through the fees, which must be listed on receipts.

The bill passed in a 13-2 vote, with Councilmember Brian O’Neill and Councilmember Mike Driscoll opposed. It now goes to Mayor Jim Kenney’s desk for his signature.

High-rise showdown: Council also approved new protections for subcontracted building services workers who are at risk of losing their jobs when the properties they work at are sold or closed.

The legislation, which is supported by Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union, was prompted in part by the wave of conversions of commercial buildings into residential properties amid an increase in work-from-home jobs, said Councilmember Jimmy Harrity, who authored the proposal.

“It’s about trying to protect people who have been working for years,” Harrity said. “Most of them have second jobs.”

» READ MORE: Philadelphia City Council approves pandemic-era ‘Black Workers Matter’ protections

At the height of the pandemic, Council adopted protections for subcontracted building service workers, such as security guards and cleaners, when property owners hire new contractors for those jobs. Harrity’s bill extends similar and new protections to instances in which the property itself changes hands, requiring a 75-day warning before workers can be laid off and requiring the new building owners and their contractors to offer them jobs if they retain positions.

Council approved the measure in a 14-1 vote, with O’Neill, the lone Republican member, voting no.

Black business impact: Harrity’s decision to push the legislation through Thursday, the last meeting of Council’s four-year term, drew criticism from business leaders, who said they were largely cut out of the process.

Regina Hairston, president and CEO of the regional African American Chamber of Commerce, said it would hurt Black-owned businesses, such as cleaning companies.

“There was not a democratic process or even a process to determine how this bill will impact Black businesses,” Hairston said. “We hear time and time and time about [Council’s] commitment to Black business, yet we have a bill that dictates whom businesses choose to hire.”

Daisy Cruz, Mid-Atlantic district leader for Local 32BJ, said voting against the bill would “put big business above low-wage workers.”

The bill now heads to Kenney’s desk. His administration’s Law Department has raised concerns about the constitutionality of a provision in the bill that affects workers who are laid off.

A Kenney spokesperson said the administration is reviewing the legislation.

Making room: A bill approved Thursday will require the city to create dedicated lactation spaces for city employees, equipped with electric outlets, a table and chair, and nearby running water.

» READ MORE: Philly lawmakers pass bill requiring lactation spaces for workers in city buildings

The legislation, authored by Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson, requires the city to include lactation spaces “in number and location appropriate to the building’s use” in any new construction or renovation.

No veto: Kenney on Thursday returned to Council two bills without his signature: Councilmember Anthony Phillips’ controversial ban on ski masks in public places, and Council President Darrell L. Clarke’s legislation providing legal defense resources for neighborhood groups involved in legal disputes with developers.

Consider them law.

Council’s Clarke era: The ghosts of Councils past, present, and future attended Thursday’s meeting, which was the final session of Clarke’s 12-year tenure as the body’s leader.

» READ MORE: Darrell Clarke’s nearly 25 years on City Council shaped how Philly was built

Kenney and Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker, who are both former members, made speeches praising Clarke, and former colleagues Blondell Reynolds Brown, Maria Quiñones Sánchez, and Helen Gym made special appearances.

Also in attendance were members-elect Rue Landau and Jeffery “Jay” Young Jr., who will take over Clarke’s North Philadelphia-based 5th District next month.

Johnson steps up: Council’s next session will be a special inaugural meeting on Jan. 2, when Parker and all 17 members of the next Council will be sworn into new four-year terms.

» READ MORE: Behind the scenes of how Kenyatta Johnson won the race to become Philly’s next City Council president

At that time, lawmakers are expected to elect Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson as the next Council president.

Thursday was also the final meeting for Councilmember Sharon Vaughn, who did not run for reelection. She doesn’t seem too worried about her next chapter.

Staff writers Anna Orso and Lizzy McLellan Ravitch contributed to this article.