Nutter gets cold shoulder from city unions at labor rally – again

Philadelphia’s Mayor didn’t receive a warm welcome at the Labor Day Parade for the second year in a row.

Three of Philadelphia’s four municipal unions are without a contract, and members of the blue and white collar unions standing at a fence near the Sheet Metal Workers headquarters on Delaware Avenue  and booed when Mayor Nutter rose to speak. Kathy Black is a member of District Council 47, which represents white collar city workers.

“A boo is `you don’t belong here,'” Black said.”If you want to belong here and walk among us then you have to act like you support working people and you support labor unions and sit down at the bargaining table and bargain a fair contract.”

Mayor Nutter’s speech was brief and he was not upset by the reception. He said afterward  unions need to understand the current economic times and work with the city to institute change.

“(We need) pension reform which actually has no impact on current employees, health care reform which has no impact on current employees and workrule changes,” Nutter said.

Union members at the rally said they want a deal, and the raise that comes with a new contract.