COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC HEARING AND PUBLIC MEETING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Friday, March 3, 2000 10:55 a.m. - - - BILL 79 - Authorizing Mayor to enter amendments to lease agreement with Eagles and Phillies. . . Bill 80 - Authorizing Mayor to enter into agree- ments with PAID for lease of football practice facility at Broad and Pattison Avenue. . . Bill 82 - Authorizing Mayor to enter into amendments to lease with Eagles and Phillies. . . Bill 83 - Adding new chapter to Philadelphia Code imposing a tax on rental vehicles. . . Bill 84 - Authorizing Mayor to enter into agreements with PAID for lease of football practice facility and for leaseback. . . Bill 85 - Amending Phila. Code on "Contracts and Procurement" by providing City Council approval for contract for construction, acquisition, lease, operation of building or structure. . . PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT ANNA C. VERNA, Chair COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE L. BLACKWELL COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN COUNCILMAN DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILMAN DAVID COHEN COUNCILMAN FRANK J. DICICCO COUNCILMAN W. WILSON GOODE, JR. COUNCILMAN JAMES F. KENNEY COUNCILMAN W. THACHER LONGSTRETH COUNCILMAN RICHARD T. MARIANO COUNCILWOMAN DONNA REED MILLER COUNCILMAN MICHAEL A. NUTTER COUNCILMAN ANGEL L. ORTIZ COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO COUNCILWOMAN MARIAN B. TASCO - - - VINCENT VARALLO ASSOCIATES, INC. Registered Professional Reporters Eleven Penn Center, Suite 600 Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 561-2220 2 3/3/00 - WHOLE - BILLS 79, 80, 82, 83, 84, 85 I N D E X Thomas Cronin, President. . . . . . . . . . . 3 AFSCME George Casey, President . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Local 22-Philadelphia Firefighters 3 3/3/00 - WHOLE - BILLS 79, 80, 82, 83, 84, 85 P R O C E E D I N G S
Good morning, everyone. This is the continued public hearing of the Committee of the Whole regarding Bill No.'s 79, 80, 82, 83, 84, and 85. I believe we have a couple witnesses that would like to testify today. Is Mr. Cronin here? Please approach the witness table. And anyone else that is going to testify with you. (Witnesses come forward.)
Please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
My name is Thomas Paine Cronin, President of AFSME District Council 47. (Jeers from some audience members.) (President Verna taps gavel.)
Mr. Cronin, please proceed. Without any disruption, you will proceed.
And for the record, I'm James Wheeler, First Vice President of the 4 3/3/00 - WHOLE - BILLS 79, 80, 82, 83, 84, 85 Fraternal Order of Police Lodge here in Philadelphia, and we are sitting here with Thomas Cronin to represent the municipal unions.
Okay. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Thomas Paine Cronin, and I am President of AFSCME District Council 47, which represents approximately 4,000 professional employees of the City of Philadelphia. I am here today to join with 10,000 members of our sister union, AFSCME District Council 33, 3,000 members of Firefighters Local 22, and 8,000 members of the Fraternal Order of Police to express our misgivings at the proposal you are considering. We are all residents and taxpayers of this city, and we and our families live throughout the City. We are your neighbors, we are your constituents. Our future and our fate are directly connected to the well-being of our 5 3/3/00 - WHOLE - BILLS 79, 80, 82, 83, 84, 85 city. Throughout the last decade, our members have been an integral part of the bad times and the good times the City has experienced. We have accepted years of no pay increases, we have suffered through reductions in the health and medical benefits of ourselves and our families. We have risen to the challenge to work smarter, to do more with less. The results of our sacrifices and efforts can be seen in a more efficient City government and in the City's $200 million budget surplus. Philadelphia's triumphant resurgence is due, in large part, to our members and their commitments to saving our city. Now we stand before you, united by the experience of the past and our concern for the future. You Councilpeople are being asked to make the initial commitments leading to the construction of new baseball and football stadiums. The decisions you now make will impact our members for their entire working lives. Our children and grandchildren will have to live with the financial obligations to which you now agree. 6 3/3/00 - WHOLE - BILLS 79, 80, 82, 83, 84, 85 Unfortunately, this whole process is being done in an atmosphere of artificial haste and overwrought theatrics. Now we ask you to stop and consider the real decisions you are facing. The current budget surplus comes from the sacrifice of our members. These same men and women are now beginning contract negotiations with the City. It is morally indefensible and fiscally irresponsible to commit some or all of this money to building new stadiums before -- and, I repeat, before -- reaching a fair and equitable contract settlement with the people directly responsible for producing this surplus. It is a cruel slap to all the citizens of Philadelphia to postpone funding for libraries, recreation centers, and programs which benefit our people so that millionaire owners of the Eagles and Phillies can enjoy spectacular new playgrounds for their teams. Much has been said about the economic and social benefits of new sports stadiums. All of these promises may be true, but the most fundamental question is still, can the City of Philadelphia afford the cost? Unfortunately, the 7 3/3/00 - WHOLE - BILLS 79, 80, 82, 83, 84, 85 City does not have an unlimited budget, nor has it addressed all of the problems faced by its citizens, young and old. As our elected representatives, we expect that you will examine all of the facts, consider all of the consequences, and ignore the sound and fury of the marginally involved. It is we, the men and women who work for the City, who live in the City -- (Jeers from some audience members.) (President Verna taps gavel.)
-- who work for the City, who live in the City -- (Jeers from some audience members.) (President Verna taps gavel.)
Mr. Cronin, please do not proceed. I just want to give everybody fair warning. We continue with this, and I will tell you, we will clear the chamber, we'll call for a recess, I'm not going to tolerate this. Everybody has the right to testify. (Jeers from some audience members.) (President Verna taps gavel.) 8 3/3/00 - WHOLE - BILLS 79, 80, 82, 83, 84, 85
Another outburst, and we -- (Jeers from some audience members.)
I think another outburst, another outburst, and we will recess. I mean this sincerely. Everybody has the right to testify. Let's be courteous to each other, please. (Jeers from some audience members.)
It is we, the men and women who work for the City, who live in the City, and whose lives are inexorably connected with the City, who ask you not to waste our hard-earned surplus on private surpluses, but rather to reinvest that money in the people who helped produce it. Thank you.
Thank you very much. (Applause.) 9 3/3/00 - WHOLE - BILLS 79, 80, 82, 83, 84, 85 (Jeers from some audience members.)
Thank you, Madam Chair. Mr. Cronin, are you against stadiums or are you just against spending the fund balance on stadiums?
It's not a question of being for stadiums or against stadiums. What I'm saying is that the City, according to the Five-Year Plan that I've seen the Administration produce, has a limited amount of funds. It is --
It is, then, no talk about spending the fund balance on stadiums.
My concern is just that we, the people that have produced this surplus, that have worked hard, who's had contracts, all 10 3/3/00 - WHOLE - BILLS 79, 80, 82, 83, 84, 85 four of the unions have contracts that expired June 30th. Then in the priority of things, it is my belief that the men and the women who work for the Police Department, the Fire Department, District Council 33 and 47, ought to be considered first. We're first at bat. (Jeers from some audience members.)
I am in favor of using the fund balance to allow for fair labor contracts. I don't see what that has to do with stadiums. So what are you asking this Council to do or not to do?
I'm asking the Council to consider in its priorities the contracts, the labor contracts of the City workers first, before committing any of the money to any project. I am not saying I am against stadiums, I'm not saying I'm against construction workers -- that's not the point here at all. The point is that this is all taxpayers' money and it comes out of a limited budget. That's what I believe, and I believe that we ought to be considered first because of the sacrifices that we have made in the past. It's as 11 3/3/00 - WHOLE - BILLS 79, 80, 82, 83, 84, 85 simple as that. (Jeers from some audience members.)
Are there any other questions or comments from any of the members?
I am in favor of fair labor contracts and starting early negotiation, but are you really asking us to wait until a whole negotiation process is finished with regard to labor contracts before we consider doing anything on the stadiums?
You're welcome. 12 3/3/00 - WHOLE - BILLS 79, 80, 82, 83, 84, 85 The Chair recognizes Councilman Cohen.
Mr. Cronin, I have to say that I know of no one, anyone in the City of Philadelphia, who has been more dedicated to the welfare of the citizens of Philadelphia and of the employees who work for the City than you. And I have to state, I find it, as a lifelong leader in the struggle to support to labor unions, to see you subject to the booing that took place here. You ought to be hailed by all of the people in Philadelphia because you are responsible, together with some others, but you've been out in the leadership, fighting for the fulfillment of every Philadelphian's dream of adequate services, adequate schools, adequate facilities for all Philadelphians. Now, I understand your concern. (Jeers from some audience members.)
Do whatever you want to do, but I'm urging you, don't disgrace -- 13 3/3/00 - WHOLE - BILLS 79, 80, 82, 83, 84, 85
-- by booing one of the outstanding labor leaders in the City..
Councilman, Councilman, Councilman Cohen, please, you are not addressing the group, you are addressing Mr. Cronin. Mr. Gillespie, I am asking you please to tell your people that we want to be respected -- (Jeers from some audience members.)
-- and we want to respect them. However, if that does not happen, we're calling a recess. (Jeers from some audience members.)
Yo, yo, yo, yo. Everybody should be heard here. All those in favor -- oh, no, never mind. (Laughter.)
Please proceed, Councilman. I will not allow any Councilmember to be disrespected. Now, I'm asking one more time, 14 3/3/00 - WHOLE - BILLS 79, 80, 82, 83, 84, 85 please control yourselves. Everybody has the right to testify. Councilman Cohen, please proceed.
Mr. Cronin, among the testimony presented here in these hearings is that the stadium is all worn out. My God, we're told the stadium is 30 years old, it's got to be replaced. Tell us, from your knowledge, how many of the City facilities are 30 years old, 50 years old 70 years old, 100 years old? Tell us about what the citizens of Philadelphia put up with every day. Tell us about the police stations where all the officers are crowded together in tiny rooms, where they don't have room enough to do their job, so that people understand what City Council's being asked to do. And while we try to work out some method to achieve it, all we're being met with from the audience are boos and blusters. You have -- those in the auditorium above and in the seats behind us also have a responsible to all of the citizens of Philadelphia. Tell us about the facilities that you 15 3/3/00 - WHOLE - BILLS 79, 80, 82, 83, 84, 85 fight for. Mr. Cronin -- that's -- (Jeers from some audience members.)
My name's George Casey, I'm President of Local in Philadelphia, the 8 Firefighters. 9
The cuts that we took in 12 the last eight years under the Rendell 13 Administration and the David L. Cohen's, okay, you 14 guys would have been on strike for eight years if 15 you took the cuts we do. I have widows that are 16 losing their houses because our pension plan is 17 only paying them. 18 Two guys died in the line of duty in 19 1974. Their wives called me last week, they're 20 losing their homes because -- you know how much 21 pension they get for risking, you know, their 22 lives -- taking the -- the job took their lives? $500. One widow is getting $306. Because our pension fund has been always underfunded, 42 of last year's. 16 3/3/00 - WHOLE - BILLS 79, 80, 82, 83, 84, 85 Now, if you did -- your union presidents or your City Council did this, you would be up in arms. Ninety percent of the Philadelphia department firehouses wouldn't even pass their own goddamn fire code. And that's how serious it is. We've had garbage coming up out of the pipes in certain fire houses, they've been living in the same fire houses for years. Our equipment -- I have 142 guys right now that might need their liver transplants, and the City gave me $3 million. In the first 10-day period, we spent $45,000 in the (unintelligible) period for this medication, and only half of the guys have come forward already. So it's either, I'm going to have to sue the City for more money or, you know, we're going to have to wait until this contract comes up. But I'm telling you right now, I'm a union man, I've been a union man all my life. And if you guys had to do what we had to do in the last eight years, you would have been on strike for eight years, because we still do not have the same health benefits or the same amount of money that we had in 1992. I'm still $75 shy of what I 17 3/3/00 - WHOLE - BILLS 79, 80, 82, 83, 84, 85 made in 1992 for my health plan. And we're broke, okay? (Jeers from some audience members.)
Hey, listen, we're not -- I'm not against you guys building, okay? But I'm tired of AFL-CIO workers -- (Jeers from some audience members.) (President Verna taps gavel.)
We will stand in recess until Tuesday, March the 7th, at 10 o'clock. Thank you. (Adjourned at 11:15 a.m.) - - - 18 C E R T I F I C A T E I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia of Friday, March 3, 2000, were reported fully and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of same. RE: COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE BILL NO.'S 79, 80, 82, 83, 84, 85 __________________________________, JOSEPHINE CARDILLO, Registered Professional Reporter