Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker is ordering top city officials to return to the office full-time in March. For now, the plan only impacts a few dozen workers. However, the long term plan is to eventually bring all city officials back to work in person. NBC10’s Lauren Mayk has the latest on the mayor’s decision.
Senior city officials will return to working in the office full time starting next month, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker announced Friday. In a memo obtained by NBC10, Parker said it was part of the plan for all city workers to return to a “full-time in-office presence.”
“In alignment with the City’s organizational goals and priorities, I have decided to transition all senior officials to full-time in office work effective March 4, 2024,” Parker wrote. “All Cabinet members, direct reports to the Office of the Mayor, Commissioners, Directors and Deputy Directors are to default to on-site or satellite work locations for five days per week and discontinue standardized work-from-home work schedules.”
While Parker said that ultimately all city employees will return back to the office full time, she did not reveal a start time for them yet.
“This decision was made with several factors in mind, including sustaining a framework of collaboration and efficiency and delivering on my promise of a more visible and accessible workforce,” Parker wrote. “I recognize that working from home offers a flexibility that may better facilitate balancing professional and personal responsibilities and commitments, however, I feel strongly that a more consistent in-office presence will result in better communication, professional boundaries and work environments where Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are truly realized.”
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Parker said city department leaders will soon receive instructions on completing and receiving a Return-to-Office (RTO) plan.
“The RTO’s will assist with coordinating and securing space, equipment, furniture and environmental compliance supports; and the strategic management of the in-office presence of our employees,” Parker wrote.
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Business owner, union leader react to Parker's announcement
Maureen Walter, owner of Lore's Chocolates in Philadelphia's Old City neighborhood, believes a return to full-time work for city employees could help boost her 67-year-old family business, which continues to rebound following the pandemic.
"There are certain days of the week when we're more busy than others because those are the in-office days," Walter said. "So that's a relief because that's where it all starts. And so when we start to see that happen then we feel like the other businesses will follow suit. And that's exactly what small business needs in Philadelphia."
Not everyone is in full support of Parker's plan however. David Wilson is the president of the AFSCME District Council 47, Local 2187, the union representing professional, technical and administrative employees, many of whom work for the city.
“And so to really bring folks back to the archaic five days a week onsite dynamic has a significant impact on my members and really has them concerned about how they’re going to sort of make sense of the new norm if that happens," Wilson said.
Wilson told NBC10 his union believes a change from hybrid work would need to be bargained.
“We are looking forward to having those meetings begin and start working at having the dialogue around alternative work schedules in the hybrid policy," he said.
He also said his union is prepared to take action if the Parker administration refuses to bargain.
“We’ll go ahead and reach out to our legal team and assess all the legal options we have available to us," he said. "Whether that is a grievance that we fight through our grievance procedures through arbitration or unfair labor practice charges that we file with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board.”
NBC10 reached out to the Parker administration to see what their position is on potential bargaining. A spokesperson would not reveal a specific position but told NBC10 they would be having conversations with all stakeholders.
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