For the city, it's case closed.
"We're obviously disappointed that we were unable to reach an agreement and disappointed that the union continues to reject essential pension reform and reasonable work-rule changes," said Shannon Farmer, the city's chief negotiator. "We stick by our final offer. They rejected it, and there's really nothing more that's being said to tonight."
But the union says it requested data on the financial impact of the city's proposals and expects to negotiate again once it gets a reply.
"We're still negotiating; nothing has been decided tonight," DC 33 President Pete Matthews said. "We asked for more information. The city left, and we believe that they will come back with that information to continue to negotiate."
Now, it's up to Nutter to decide whether to follow through on the threat he made two weeks ago, when he presented the union with his proposal and said the administration would take some unspecified action if there was no deal by Wednesday. The administration has said its plan could include enforcing contract terms without the union's consent, seeking a court injunction or some other legal recourse.
Mayoral spokesman Mark McDonald said earlier Wednesday that if there was no agreement by midnight, the administration would evaluate its options over the next couple of days.
Nutter's "final offer" would give union workers, who have been working on frozen wages without a contract since 2009, incremental pay raises along with 15 possible furlough days, reductions in the city's contribution to health-care coverage and dramatic changes to pension plans for new hires. The city, he said, cannot afford to keep paying workers under the current terms.
Matthews, however, has held fast to his mantra of "no givebacks." The city has the money, he says, given that it has balanced its budget every year Nutter has been in office.
On Twitter: @SeanWalshDN
Blog: PhillyClout.com
