Still No Contract "Strike"

There’s a moment in every labor negotiation when the mask slips. The city and SEIU negotiations struggled once again today. The administration has simply stopped pretending they “value the SEIU workforce” and have shown exactly how disposable they think you are — their mask has slipped. For SEIU 32BJ workers across Allentown, that moment came the second the administration and their attorneys walked into negotiations with proposals that continue to undermine and undervalue the hardworking workers of the union.

Let’s be clear about who we’re talking about. These are the employees who take care of our city and improve our streets and take care of our parks. They are the employees who work in our Health Department who ensure the community is safe. They are the individuals who beautify our parks and execute our special events. They are the employees responsible for maintaining our failing city infrastructure with high expectations from the clueless mayor and very little financial support. These are the same employees that kept Allentown’s buildings open during a pandemic.

They are without any question the backbone of the city — the same city that now wants to “cut costs” by carving up their contract and balancing an inflated budget that gave fire and police all they’ve asked for without blinking an eye.

Management’s opening move?

Slash and gut benefits

Create a second‑class tier of workers

Undermine job security

Pretending inflation doesn’t exist

 It wasn’t bargaining. It was a hit job.

Tuerk and his cronies love to talk about “shared sacrifice” and “showing up” but what exactly has he sacrificed? Tuerk’s mantra is that it is his way or no way. We saw this with the budget debacle that is still not resolved. 

Our Public Works and Parks Maintenance crews are the people who keep the city from collapsing into chaos:

Roads cleared

Trees trimmed

Playgrounds repaired

Storm drains unclogged

Trails maintained

Snow removed

Parks safe and usable

Public spaces clean and functioning

They’re the ones who show up at 3 a.m. in a blizzard.

1996 Allentown Blizzard.  I wanna see this!! NOT A PLOW IN SIGHT!

They’re the ones who haul debris after storms.

They’re the ones who fix the things everyone else takes for granted.

And yet, when negotiations begin, management suddenly develops amnesia.

They forget the overtime worked during emergencies was about your desire to take care of the city and not to pad a pension, so your calculation is high when you retire so you can further fleece the taxpayer. They forget the injuries took on the job because you were just doing your job.

They forget the public praise they showered when it was politically convenient FOR THEM!

SEIU – It is time remind management that the city’s quality of life depends on the labor YOU provide daily, the same labor that the mayor and city management have been undervaluing for so many years. What he does remember is his budget spreadsheet — and he expects the SEIU workers to pay the difference.

A failed negotiation is the moment workers stop asking for respect and start demanding it. You deserve a better contract. You all deserve respect and not just words when the mayor stops by your department to force a meaningless “thank you”. I hope that the workers finally said “enough,” and “we see just how fake you are” and are exploring strike options. 

I have to say this though it doesnt flow with my nice theme, but lets not forget Vicky Kistler

and Mandy Tolino

get their big raises every year.  They arent struggling like the rest of the SEIU workers.