Thousands of Philadelphia city workers are back in the office full time after judge rejects lawsuit

abcnews.go.com:

Thousands of Philadelphia city employees are back in their offices full time after a judge rejected a union’s request to block Mayor Cherelle Parker’s requirement that they return

Thousands of Philadelphia city employees are back in their offices full time after a judge rejected a union's request to block Mayor Cherelle Parker’s requirement that they return.

District Council 47 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees had sued the city, claiming the mandate violates its contract and would harm city workers. The union, which represents 6,000 administrative and supervisory employees, has also filed an unfair-practices complaint with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board, which is still pending.

A two-day hearing held last week on the lawsuit concluded when the judge ruled Friday night that the city could impose the mandate, so the workers had to return to the office Monday.

Parker announced the mandate in May, saying she wanted to create a more visible and accessible government. The decision ended the city’s virtual work policy, put in place in 2021, and essentially returns employee scheduling to what it was before the coronavirus pandemic.

About 80% of the city’s 26,000 employees have been working fully on site since last year, while the rest had worked on site 31 to 75 hours per pay period, Parker said. Former Mayor Jim Kenney had left hybrid work decisions up to department heads.

The union sharply criticized the decision when it was announced, saying it was unilaterally imposed instead of going through collective bargaining. It also believes the policy will worsen the worker shortage the city has suffered since the pandemic.

It also argues that the city lacks enough office space to bring all