According to Philadelphia Magazine, a new kind of union leadership is changing Philadelphia, and getting results.

Jerry Jordan of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, Chris Woods of AFSCME 1199C, and Ryan Boyer of the Laborers District Council are making their mark. Jordan’s PFT spent north of $340,000 on political campaign contributions last year; Boyer’s Laborers spent more than $2 million. When the pandemic hit and hospital workers at Temple demanded hazard pay, Woods promptly called all of his political allies to let them know about his membership’s plight. Hazard pay arrived shortly thereafter.

What is notable here is that all of these union leaders are black. “We’re forced to be much more than a labor organization,” says Boyer. Indeed, the unions are getting squarely involved in social justice issues as much as bread-and-butter labor union ones.

To stay relevant, some labor unions are going beyond bread-and-butter economic issues for their members. The PFT also assembled in front of the Comcast Tower, demanding free internet so students whose families couldn’t afford access could still attend virtual school during the pandemic.

And it’s why AFSCME 1199C reemphasized its campaign for social justice during the George Floyd protests. “We want to be in conversations not just as relates to police, but to the whole criminal justice system,” says Woods. “Because these are issues that affect our members.”