What's at stake as Philly's largest municipal union votes on new deal

State of play: Thousands of members have until 4pm Sunday to vote for or against the three-year deal hashed out last week.

• Union leaders will count the votes Monday.

Context: The union's membership includes sanitation workers, police dispatchers, airport service workers and Water Department plant operators.

• They're in the lowest-paid municipal union, earning an average of $46,000, which is below the living wage in the city.

🗳️ How it works: It's a majority vote, so more than 50% of members must either ratify or reject the contract.

👍 Ratified: The union begins working under the new contract's terms.

👎 Rejected: Union brass restarts negotiations with the city.

• While members wouldn't immediately go on strike again, DC33 president Greg Boulware has the power to call for another work stoppage.

Reality check: It would be unprecedented for DC33 to return to the picket line after ending the strike, Tom Cronin, a former DC47 president, tells Axios.

• "Once you go in, it's really hard to get people to go out again. The numbers just aren't there."

Worth noting: Union leaders cannot override the vote and ratify the contract themselves, Sam Spear, lead attorney for DC33, tells Axios.

The deal: 3% annual raises; the creation of a fifth pay scale step with a 2% pay bump; and a $1,500 bonus this year.

• Despite going on strike, the union failed to win the big annual salary bumps its leadership originally demanded.

The intrigue: Boulware has sent mixed signals about the deal.

• After initially saying he was "not happy or satisfied with the outcome" of the deal, he recently told union members in a social media post that "it is a good contract."

Between the lines: The union is in a weakened position post-strike, should talks resume with the city, Boulware warned in the social media post.

• "We got as much as we could possibly get out of the city," he said.

The other side Mayor Cherelle Parker has celebrated the deal, asserting that it protects city finances.

• Parker's spokesperson Joe Grace declined Axios' request for comment.

Zoom out: The vote comes after the city reached a tentative agreement this week with another municipal union — District Council 47, which represents white-collar workers.

• DC47's deal has similar annual wage increase terms to DC33's.
• D33 is the "tip of the spear" in contract negotiations, setting the stage for what other unions are likely to get from the city in future deals, Cronin says.