Philly City Council members call Mayor Parker’s return-to-office plan ‘problematic’

A half-dozen members of Philadelphia City Council expressed skepticism Monday about Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s plan to require all city workers to return to in-person work full time in July, with lawmakers suggesting the policy could hurt working parents and lead to steeper challenges recruiting new employees.

The frustration in the city’s legislative branch was evident during an at-times contentious hearing before Council’s labor committee, which was called after Parker announced last month that her administration is requiring all employees to return to the office without negotiating it with their labor unions.

Hundreds of city employees attended the hearing, some carrying signs excoriating the Parker administration, and standing in applause when two Council members pledged their support.

Union leaders — who found out about the policy the same day it was announced publicly — testified that the work-from-office policy is subject to collective bargaining and should have been negotiated.

“Remote work is now the normal,” said April Gigetts, president of AFSCME District Council 47, which represents thousands of professional and supervisory staff. “This is not a 9-to-5 work, and the services we provide are not 9-to-5 services. We have to bring this new model into the conversation.”

» READ MORE: Mayor Cherelle Parker’s return-to-office policy caused a rift with union leaders

Parker announced in May that all city workers are to return to in-office or on-site work by July 15, a departure from former Mayor Jim Kenney, who largely left hybrid work decisions up to individual department heads. She said her administration does not believe employees’ work location needs to be negotiated with unions.

Following the hearing Monday, Parker’s administration released statements of support from three other labor leaders who framed the policy as a matter of equity.

“We didn’t have the luxury of working virtually,” said Ryan Boyer, head of the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council. “We are a more vibrant city, and a safer city, when our buildings, our streets and City Hall are filled each day with the hard-working men and women who comprise our city workforce.”

On Monday, several Council members suggested the city may not be prepared to bring thousands more employees back to the office.

Democratic Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson told union leaders they have her “full support” in pushing back on the mandate, noting the challenges working parents may face finding childcare over the summer while school is out.

“This is personal to Katherine,” Gilmore Richardson said, referring to herself in the third person. “If Katherine had to make this decision, Katherine would have gone to the unions and had a conversation with them first. Katherine would have waited until September.”

Councilmember Quetcy Lozada said some facilities are in such disrepair as to be “inappropriate” for in-person work. Councilmember Rue Landau said offering hybrid work will ensure the city can compete for talent. And Councilmember Nina Ahmad noted some research shows productivity is consistent or higher among remote workers compared with those who work in traditional office settings.

But Camille Duchaussee, the city’s chief administrative officer, said Parker’s decision is about fostering “a work environment that thrives on teamwork, creativity, and shared purpose.”

“Productivity in and of itself was not a driver of this decision,” she said. “The driver for this decision was a leadership philosophy.”

Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke, of the progressive Working Families Party, said in response that the nature of work has changed and “sometimes you can have leadership crafted in a world that no longer exists.”

And Councilmember Kendra Brooks, also of the Working Families Party, said she was “disturbed” that even employees hired under Kenney who were given the impression they could work remotely would soon be required to work in person.

“They took the job under the guise that they were able to work from home or work remotely, and those people are being mandated to come into the office,” Brooks said. “It’s problematic and disingenuous.”

Gigetts said providing remote work opportunities would keep the city on the “cutting edge.”

“To say you want to go back to work five days a week for a philosophy,” she said, “just doesn’t make any sense.”

Council’s final meeting of the spring was last week, meaning the body is unlikely to take up any legislation — symbolic or otherwise — regarding the administration’s policy before it is implemented.