Philadelphia school bus drivers, cleaners and engineers win 9.5% raises and first paid parental leave

Philadelphia School District bus drivers, cleaners, building engineers, mechanics and tradespeople approved a three-year contract on Friday that gives them 9.5% raises and their first paid parental leave, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Members of 32BJ SEIU District 1201 met in person at Benjamin Franklin High School and approved the contract by a vote of 800 to 80. The union represents 2,000 district employees who are among the lowest paid in the district, the Inquirer reported.

Beyond the 9.5% in raises over three years, workers will receive $2,350 in bonuses. The parental leave provision gives 25 paid days off after the birth of a child, effective Jan. 1. The contract also includes a pay bump for maintenance mechanics who perform asbestos work, more opportunities for career advancement and protections against subcontracting.

Tim Finucan, the union’s Pennsylvania state director, called the contract “life-changing” for members. “The wage increases, healthcare protections, and other gains recognize the essential contributions these workers make to our schools and communities,” Finucan said in a statement Monday. “We appreciate the district’s partnership in reaching an agreement that will help workers keep pace with rising costs, create opportunities for career growth, and attract and retain talented employees for years to come.”

The parental leave benefit mirrors the one won by the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers in its contract signed last summer, the Inquirer reported. That union’s members ratified their deal in August 2025 by a vote of 69% to 31%. The agreement covers 14,000 teachers, secretaries, school nurses, counselors and paraprofessionals, and provides 5 weeks of leave upon the birth or adoption of a child, along with 3% raises in each of three years and a $1,400 bonus.

Talks between 32BJ and the district began in June, according to an earlier Inquirer report. The previous contract expired Aug. 31. At the start of negotiations, the union said its bottom line was higher pay. Finucan said then: “We are the foundation of this district, and we’re not asking for the world here. We’re asking to not live in poverty, and we’re asking to help maintain our health insurance.”

The union also said it wanted “a more clear ladder of opportunity for our membership to advance within the school district,” in Finucan’s words, and a way to work with the district to fill vacant jobs in a system that struggles to find qualified engineers and trades workers. The union proposed partnering with community organizations and clergy to spread the word about open positions.

Pay scales under the previous contract ranged widely. Bus attendants were paid $30,762 a year. Building engineers started at $51,155 and topped out at $77,832. Tradespeople, including bricklayers, HVAC mechanics, electrical mechanics, plumbers and roofers, were paid up to $62,899 at the top of the scale. The union’s building construction workers also topped out at $77,832.

Ronald Smith, a longtime district building engineer on the union’s bargaining committee, told the Inquirer in June that the work is essential in extreme conditions. When a winter storm dumped more than a foot of snow on Philadelphia in February, “the engineers still had to be there, and we got there,” Smith said. He said engineers were still waiting for extra pay they were contractually owed for working in those conditions. “A lot of engineers are leaving the district,” Smith said, adding that many feel disrespected.

Smith said a workforce that is too small affects both the district and its workers. “We’re bringing in new guys without the trainees having enough time to really learn the basics of the trade,” he said.

Union leaders said in June that they were approaching talks as partners with the district and were aware of its looming $300 million deficit. Naima DeBrest, a district spokesperson, said at the time that officials “deeply value” 32BJ members and would engage in good faith negotiations “with the hope of securing a new contract as soon as possible.”