AFSCME District Council 47

AFSCME District Council 47 (DC 47) is a union council of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Its website describes it as representing workers and retirees in the nonprofit, higher-education, cultural/arts and government sectors of the Philadelphia area. Its best-known city-government locals cover professional, technical and administrative employees (Local 2187) and first-level supervisors (Local 2186) of the City, the Philadelphia Parking Authority and the Philadelphia Housing Authority. The city's blue-collar workforce is represented by the larger DC 33.^[1]

1 Structure and leadership

DC 47 is made up of locals, each covering a particular employer or job group. The union's website lists, among others, Local 2186 (first-level supervisors of the City, the Parking Authority, the Housing Authority and the First Judicial District), Local 2187 (professional, technical and administrative assistants of the City, the Parking Authority and the Housing Authority), Local 810 (First Judicial District employees), Local 3190 (employees of the Defender Association of Philadelphia) and locals at the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, the Philadelphia Zoo, several museums and nonprofit organizations. April Gigetts is listed as the council's president; the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO also lists her as DC 47's representative on its executive board.^[2] News outlets have reported differing membership figures, so none is used here.

2 Bargaining and strike rights

Like other civilian city employees, DC 47's city locals bargain under Pennsylvania's Public Employe Relations Act (Act 195); see Public Sector Bargaining in Pennsylvania. Under that law most public employees may strike only after mediation and fact-finding have been exhausted, while some categories, including prison guards and employees necessary to the functioning of the courts, may not strike at all. Because DC 47 includes court employees and private-sector workers at universities and nonprofits as well as city workers, its members do not all operate under the same legal rules, so a strike authorization by one group does not necessarily describe the others. In July 2025, as the DC 33 strike was ending, DC 47 members voted on whether to authorize a strike of their own, according to news coverage.

3 The 2025 contract

WHYY and other outlets reported that DC 47 and the city reached a tentative three-year agreement on July 15, 2025, averting a walkout. The city was bargaining with several unions at about the same time, including DC 33, FOP Lodge 5 and IAFF Local 22. Wage and benefit terms are set out in the agreement itself and in the union's member materials; readers should consult those documents for the percentages.^[3]

4 Role in city politics

DC 47 publishes election endorsements and a voter guide for each cycle; its site lists 2026 General Election endorsements and a 2026 voter guide. It is a member of the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO. Its members work in city offices, authorities and courts, and at universities and cultural institutions across the region. See Labor and Politics in Philadelphia for how city unions engage in elections.

See also: Organized Labor in Philadelphia, Office of Human Resources, Civil Service Commission.

References

1. AFSCME District Council 47, "About Us" and "Our Locals," dc47.org (viewed October 2026).
2. AFSCME District Council 47, dc47.org (officers and locals); Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO, Executive Board, phillyaflcio.org (viewed October 2026).
3. WHYY, "DC47, Philadelphia's white-collar union, reaches deal with city on new contract, avoiding strike" (July 15, 2025).