Hundreds of DWP workers would get significant hike in pay under labor agreement reached with the National Union of Public Employees last year. That agreement, negotiated in the weeks following a June 27, 2018 walkout, would have reduced the average worker’s hourly pay by nearly $23 an hour and has now been rejected by union workers. This raises the possibility of a strike by DWP workers if that agreement is not implemented.
The DWP has long sought a better deal to address the high pay disparity that exists between management and labor, but union workers have been unable to strike. According to the National Women’s Law Center, women work part-time for a higher rate than men, while men in jobs with similar responsibilities make more in the private sector. In the public sector, women make up more than half of the workers who are paid less than the average man.
But as the DWP’s recent workforce reduction plan has continued to push toward the breaking point, women have stepped up to continue working as part-time but earn significantly more wages as a result of the contract concessions.
Some public sector unions are now planning to put their current contract dispute with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) as the base point to start a strike at the DWP.
“We are actively seeking a deal that ensures that the city of Washington, DC will be able to attract, keep, and train a highly qualified workforce for a safe and productive future,” said Meredith Alexander, DWP general manager. “All employees deserve a safe and inclusive environment that makes it possible for them to fully serve and contribute to the community.”
In the past few months, there have been many reports of workers walking out of their jobs at the DWP on a regular basis. The most recent strike, at the beginning of March, resulted in the DWP firing more than 200 workers because the union contract could not be implemented.
The union contract is the first major contract negotiation at the DWP since the beginning of the mass work force cuts that began in 2017 and were brought on by Mayor Muriel Bowser’s (D) budget decision to cut DWP expenses.
According to the DWP, the union contract cut hours for full-time workers by 24 percent and part-time workers by 18 percent, resulting in fewer people being able to afford to work in the DWP and the effects it has had on
