Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker orders all 25,000 of her staff back to the office as she ends Covid-era work-from-home policy: ‘This city runs on the people who come to work!’

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker has ordered the return of all of her 25,000 employees to the office as she ends Covid-era work-from-home policies.

Parker, a 51-year-old Democrat who was sworn in in January, said, “This city runs on the people who come to work!”

Announcing the news Monday morning at City Hall, Parker said city workers must return to the office by June 15.

“I have informed all employees that they will be transitioning to full-time office work from July 15, 2024.”

“The presence of employees in the workplace allows for more personal and productive interaction, it facilitates communication, it promotes social connections along with collaboration, innovation and inclusivity,” she said.

Parker believes bringing workers back to the office will make them more accessible to residents, but many union members disagree.

“Our workforce is the only way Philadelphia will truly become what I promised its people: the safest, cleanest, greenest major city in America, with access to economic opportunity for all,” she said.

According to the mayor, about 80 percent of the city’s 25,000 workforce has been working entirely on-site since last year.

The remaining 20 percent of city employees worked on-site between 31 and 75 hours per pay period, she said.

The president of AFSCME Local 2187, a union that supports city workers, David Wilson, expressed his disapproval of the mayor’s decision in a statement after the news conference.

He said he was disappointed by the mayor’s decision to force employees to return to the office full-time.

‘We are disheartened to hear that the mayor has decided to unilaterally implement a return to work five days a week for my members on July 15. This is a mandatory negotiating item for us that the city is clearly not doing,” he said in the newspaper. statement NBC10.

“Making such an impactful change in the middle of summer or in general directly harms our members and their families and creates chaos. It has become clearer than ever that the mayor doesn’t care about her city employees. Her actions speak louder than words.”

In March, Parker ordered city leaders, including cabinet members, commissioners, directors and deputy directors, to return to the office full-time.

This caused outrage among workers, with local union leaders saying workers would look for work elsewhere if this change was implemented.

No union leaders were present at Monday’s press conference.

Parker addressed the union’s position on its decision, saying, “I cannot confirm that any of the union presidents in the city of Philadelphia have embraced this.”

Parker argued that returning to the office is non-negotiable.

“As Mayor of the City of Philadelphia, I do not believe the return to full-time, in-person work is negotiable.”

Parker promoted office work to increase productivity, but some studies have shown the opposite to be true.

A 2020 study found that businesses have flourished since the introduction of the work-from-home policy.

Researchers asked more than 1,600 people how they have adapted to working from home and a third said they are more productive than in the office.

Respondents noted that they now have better control over their time and how much work gets done.

In January, Philadelphia’s first female mayor was sworn in and she immediately signed an executive order declaring a public safety emergency to address rampant crime.

Parker, a long-serving councilor, campaigned on a centrist platform of safety, jobs and city services.

She pledged during the campaign to hire another 300 police officers, including community officers, and to restore “constitutional” stop and frisk. She also came up with the idea of ​​going to school year-round to reduce juvenile crime.