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Unions and city workers urge fuller staffing and budget support for municipal services
Summary
Public-sector unions and city employees pressed council to fund contracts, fill long-standing vacancies and invest in staffing for libraries, parks, water, assessment, and other civil service roles to maintain essential services and reduce worker burnout.
At the FY26 budget hearing, union leaders and municipal employees urged City Council to increase funding for city contracts and to fill civil-service vacancies across departments, warning that understaffing jeopardizes core services and employee safety.
Greg Bower, president of District Council 33, said the city's $550 million set aside for contracts may be insufficient given rising costs and inflation, and he urged adequate funding to maintain services. Robert Harris, vice president and legislative director for AFSCME District Council 47, pressed for full funding and staffing of civil service positions and cited vacancy rates he described as high in several departments: libraries (9%), Licenses & Inspections (14%), property assessment (20%), water (22%), DHS (23%) and parks and recreation (32%). Harris said small incremental hiring gains are not enough to match proposed expansions.
Parks and rec employees also testified about workplace safety and understaffing. Dan Walsh, a recreation employee with 26 years' experience, described increased incidents, shootings and threats at facilities and urged funding for municipal guards to free staff to focus on programming. Jamille Mitchell, a workplace violence prevention coordinator and former recreation leader, described employees using personal funds for supplies, chronic overwork, and the need for security improvements and building repairs.
Speakers cautioned that contracted providers with rapidly increasing budgets (one referenced as "YesCare") were receiving large sums while city staff and core services faced gaps. Testifiers framed the budget as a moral document that should reflect public-service priorities.
Why it matters: Witnesses said adequate staffing and funded contracts are necessary to sustain sanitation, parks, libraries, water services and other daily functions that affect all Philadelphians.
No formal votes were taken during the testimony period.
