Philly’s school bus drivers, cleaners, and maintenance workers are getting 9.5% raises in a ‘life-changing’ contract
32BJ represents 2,000 Philadelphia School District building engineers, cleaners, bus drivers, mechanics and tradespeople. Its new contract includes paid parental leave for the first time ever.
Philadelphia School District school bus drivers, cleaners, and building engineers have approved a new contract — and will get 9.5% raises over the three years of the deal.
Workers, who met to vote in person at Benjamin Franklin High Friday, will also get $2,350 in bonuses.
The contract provides the first-ever parental leave for 32BJ members — 25 paid days off after the birth of a child, effective Jan. 1. That perk mirrors the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers’ contract, signed last summer.
Other details include a pay bump for maintenance mechanics performing asbestos work, more career-advancement opportunities and protections against subcontracting.
32BJ SEIU District 1201 represents 2,000 employees who are among the lowest-paid in the district. The contract was approved Friday by a vote of 800 to 80.
Tim Finucan, 32BJ’s state director, called the contract “life-changing” for the union’s members.
“The wage increases, healthcare protections, and other gains recognize the essential contributions these workers make to our schools and communities,” Finucan said in a statement Monday. “We appreciate the district’s partnership in reaching an agreement that will help workers keep pace with rising costs, create opportunities for career growth, and attract and retain talented employees for years to come.”
Members’ current pay scale ranges from bus attendants, who are paid $30,762 annually under the existing contract, to building engineers, whose pay rate starts at $51,155 and tops out at $77,832. The union’s best-paid employees are building construction workers, whose salary maxes out at $77,832.
Tradespeople — bricklayers, HVAC mechanics, electrical mechanics, plumbers, and roofers — receive $62,899 at the top of the pay scale.
