(PHILADELPHIA) – Today, Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson’s legislation requiring a public hearing on labor contracts with the Fraternal Order of Police passed Council 15-2.
The bill will require a public hearing at least 30 days before the Administration proposes a new contract with the Fraternal Order of Police. The Administration is also required to report back to Council how the public input influenced the proposal.
“Thank you to my colleagues for their support today. And thank you to the community groups and activists who have done the work to advocate for reform.” said Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson (At Large).
A public hearing on the police union contract has never taken place. The police union contract includes millions of dollars of spending on salaries and benefits, totaling over 90 percent of the annual police budget which is nearly 15% of the City’s budget overall. Additionally, the contract has been used to establish internal disciplinary procedures that have led to millions of dollars of spending on back pay and settlements as officers overturn misconduct allegations.
“These very expensive contracts are one of our most important tools for ensuring that the Philadelphia Police Department and its officers are responsive to calls for reform and benchmarks for improvement. For far too long, these contracts have been negotiated in the dark, allowing the FOP to create terms and demand payments regardless of results or accountability. Today, that ends.”
The proposal is part of the Police Reform Working Group’s packet of proposals.
“I am proud to stand with my colleagues at all levels of Pennsylvania’s government to create the change we need in order to have a system of policing that is accountable to the people. Today was a great success, but our work continues.”
# # #
# # #
More news at PHLCouncil.com, Facebook & Instagram: CouncilmemberKGR
Twitter: CouncilwomanKGR
