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Description
From the Stated Meeting of Philadelphia City Council held Thursday, December 6, 2018:
Councilwoman Helen Gym (At Large) makes remarks before the final vote on Bill No. 180649-A.
Read the bill: http://bit.ly/2QHlRi7
C
It's
a
good
day
to
do
something
decent
good
and
bold
in
our
city,
because
it's
time
for
a
Fair,
Work
Week
in
Philadelphia
in
the
poorest
large
city
in
America.
It's
time
to
take
it
stand
not
just
on
poverty
but
on
the
circumstances
which
allow
poverty
to
exist
and
even
profit
from
it,
because
we
can
talk
about
poverty
in
this
city
until
we're
blue
in
the
face,
or
we
can
do
something
about
it.
C
And
today
we
choose
to
do
something:
I'm,
proud
to
be
part
of
a
city
council
that
has
been
a
national
leader
in
passing
legislation
for
paid
sick
days,
pay,
equity
and
ending
wage
theft.
I'm
grateful
for
my
co-sponsors
and
the
supporters
of
this
bill.
Councilwoman
Maria,
Chiana
Sanchez
mark
squirrel,
Bobby,
Heenan,
Jamie,
blackwell,
Curtis,
Jones,
Kenyatta,
Johnson,
bill
Greenlee
are
champions
for
economic
justice
and
thank
you
to
two
former
councilmember
Wilson
good
jr.
I,
walk
in
your
shoes
and
thank
you,
council,
president
Clark,
for
your
leadership
and
walking
me
through
this.
C
This
is
a
city
council
that
is
fought
to
uplift
working
families,
not
by
simply
cheerleading
jobs
at
any
cost,
but
by
recognizing
we
have
to
care
about
the
quality
of
our
jobs
as
much
as
we
do
the
quantity
of
them.
Last
year,
300,000
Philadelphians
reported
being
food
insecure
and
going
hungry.
80%
of
them
were
working
philadelphians
with
jobs
in
the
wealthiest
city
in
the
country.
In
the
city,
where
we
have
corporate
towers
that
can
kiss
the
sky,
where
we've
got.
Corporations
like
Marriott
and
American
Airlines
have
taken
180
million
dollars
in
new
tax
cuts.
C
Poverty
is
our
greatest
sin.
This
council
has
both
the
legislative
authority
and
the
moral
duty
to
take
a
stand
against
poverty
and
the
abusive
practices
that
allow
some
of
the
most
successful
businesses
in
the
world
to
profit,
from
the
exploitation
of
tens
of
thousands
of
workers
in
our
city
who
don't
know
when
or
how
much
they'll
work.
C
The
unstable
schedules,
which
are
a
hallmark
of
the
service
industry,
must
come
to
an
end
and
on
each
step
of
the
way,
this
campaign
for
a
Fair,
Work
Week
has
been
led
by
a
diverse
and
unstoppable
coalition
of
people,
demanding
solutions
and
working
for
them.
Last
February
hundreds
of
workers
took
to
the
streets
to
demand
a
fair
workweek
with
a
formal
launch
of
a
campaign
that
had
been
a
year
in
the
making.
C
Today
is
for
you,
it's
for
19
year
old,
Natori
Price,
who
went
on
TV
to
share
that
she
took
care
of
seven
family
members,
including
a
sick
mother,
and
talked
about
an
unstable
schedule
that
puts
her
entire
family's
livelihood
and
health
in
jeopardy.
Today
is
for
symphony
and
her
daughter,
Symphony,
who
talked
about
how
she
feared
about
even
telling
her
employer.
C
She
was
a
mother
in
case
she
wasn't
scheduled
for
enough
hours
today
is
for
every
single
sky
chef
worker,
many
of
who
are
immigrants
to
make
the
first-class
meals
for
flights,
which
cost
as
much
as
several
months
pay
its
for
every
hotel
worker
waiting
by
the
phone
and
hoping
to
be
called
in
worried
about
whether
there's
enough
money
for
rent
it's
for
restaurant
workers
who
worry
whenever
their
shifts
get
cancelled
or
suddenly
cut.
Today
it's
for
every
working,
mom
and
dad
for
every
young
person
and
returning
citizen
working
towards
a
better
life
for
themselves.
C
It's
for
the
countless
people
in
our
city
who
have
bravely
told
me
their
stories
about
their
families
and
their
dreams
of
working
for
a
future
brighter
than
today.
You
changed
all
of
us
with
your
stories.
You
took
the
conventional
narrative
about
poverty
and
turn
it
upside
down
on
its
head.
This
idea
that
somehow
poverty
is
inevitable,
especially
for
black
brown
and
immigrant
families
and
communities
when
in
reality,
poverty
is
manufactured.
C
You
remind
us,
you
remind
us
what
it
means
to
be
relentless
in
the
pursuit
of
a
nation
in
which
prosperity
is
shared
by
all
other,
not
just
a
privileged
few,
and
this.
This
packed
chamber
is
a
testament
to
the
power
of
your
voices
and
the
belief
that
Reverend
Holston
said
that
this
is
a
movement
as
much
as
it
is
a
moment.
Philadelphia's
Fair,
Work,
Week
Bell,
will
be
the
most
expansive
in
the
country.
It
will
cover
tens
of
thousands
of
workers
and
big
chain
retail
food
service
and
hospitality
sectors.
C
It
guarantees
that
working
people
will
know
when
they'll
work,
how
much
they'll
work
and
they'll
get
a
path
out
of
poverty.
This
is
a
floor
and
not
a
ceiling.
We
can't
raise
the
shameful
minimum
wage
for
everyone
in
this
state,
but
today
we
sure
can
make
reach.
We
can
make
darn
sure
that
the
folks
making
the
lowest
incomes
have
the
schedules
and
hours
they
need
and
can
count
on.
C
I'm
proud
to
say
that
we
have
not
rushed
this
legislation.
We
have
not
suspended
the
rules.
We
over
the
course
of
this
process.
Strong
bridges
have
been
built
between
our
thriving
business
community
and
our
advocates.
We
established
a
robust
and
unprecedented
business.
Labor
community
roundtables,
led
in
partnership
by
our
Philadelphia,
afl-cio
and
Chamber
of
Commerce
leaders,
and
we
have
changed,
edited
and
evolved
this
bill
to
its
current
state.
This
bill
has
been
continually
amended
for
businesses,
but
with
the
collaboration
of
our
community
and
labor
advocates
and
with
essential
belief
that
this
bill
will
protect
workers.
C
I
want
to
thank
business
leaders
uncle
Bobby's
cake
likes
sustainable
business
network
to
support
this
bill
because
they
know
that
caring
for
our
employees
is
not
only
good
for
workers.
It's
good
for
business
businesses
have
not
only
been
heard
they've
been
at
the
table
and
the
changes
that
have
evolved
through
the
bill
have
reflected
the
sincere
respect,
engagement
and
collaboration.
C
Our
office
has
taken
from
the
start
and
I
want
to
thank
our
labor
partners,
who
are
a
ride-or-die
crew
in
their
defense
and
uplifting
of
working
families,
whether
in
a
union
or
not,
they
are
fighting
for
all
of
us
and,
above
all,
I
want
to
thank
this
room.
I
want
to
thank
this
room
of
organizers,
union
members,
parents
and
grandparents
educators
advocates
policy.
Wants
you
brought
us
here
today.
You
have
not
only
been
courageous.
You
have
been
fearless.
C
You
proved
that
our
politics
are
only
as
strong
as
our
movements
and
I
am
grateful,
each
and
every
day
to
be
part
of
a
legislative
body
that
serves
you.
So
today
we
are
here
to
say
yes,
yes
to
working
families,
yes
to
smart
business.
Today
in
the
chorus
big
city
in
the
nation,
we
put
people
over
profits.
Mr.
chair.
D
D
After
the
when
there's
a
pause,
I
can
explain.
I
voted
for
a
good
cause
today,
I'm
gonna
vote
for
minimum
wage
I
want
to
explain
why,
even
though
I
agree
with
everything
Helen
said
council
when
Jim
said,
but
I
know
how
hard
she's
worked
on
it
and
I
agree
with
everything
in
there
except
one
thing.
But
it's
a
major
thing
for
me
and
that
is
it
does
not
exempt
collective
bargaining
agreements.
D
People,
people
that
are
protected
by
a
second
bargaining
agreement,
collective
bargaining
agreement-
have
don't
fit
the
categories.
I
believe
that
we're
talking
about
with
large
big
large
corporations,
the
all
the
things
that
you
mentioned,
the
the
scheduling
bill,
makes
sense
in
a
lot
of
ways.
All
you
have
to
do
is
talk
to
somebody
in
that
situation.
I
do
not
believe
it
well,
let
me
just
say:
come
on
order.