The head of Philadelphia’s largest municipal workers’ union said this week that he got into an argument with a man running to replace him earlier this week, but it was his rival who started the fight at union hall.
Omar Salaam, interim president of the 9,000-member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees’ 33rd District Council, said in an interview that his opponent, Greg Boulware, refused to leave the union’s Health and Human Services Fund offices Tuesday morning.
Salam said Bowlwer, a sales agent for Local 394, which represents water board employees, did not have the authority to enter the Health and Human Services Fund offices.
“I asked him three times to leave,” Salaam said, “and he got up and we started yelling at each other. He reached out and tried to grab me, clawed at my shoulders and tried to wrestle with me. … He tried to grab me and I caught him with a hard punch and he fell to the ground.”
Salam’s story contrasts with Boulwer’s version of events, who said the Health and Human Services Foundation offices are open to members and leaders. Salam told Boulwer, “Don’t mention my name,” before punching him unprompted once in the eye and initiating physical contact, he said.
” read more: Police responded to the AFSCME District Council 33 offices after union leaders allegedly started fighting.
Philadelphia police confirmed that officers responded to the union offices on Tuesday morning but no arrests were made. They said both men gave statements to detectives and the incident remains under investigation.
The fight between DC33’s two leaders was the culmination of a months-long showdown over the future of the union that represents most of the city’s blue-collar workers. Salaam took the reins in February after former president Ernest Garrett, a Boulwer ally, was expelled from the International Labor Union. Garrett filed a lawsuit to overturn the decision.
Salam is now running to fill the full term. He and Boalwer have advanced to a runoff election, with postal ballots being counted and ending on June 11.
Salaam said Wednesday that Boulwer’s allies had engaged in unsavory campaign tactics, including posting personal information about him and attacking him on social media. Boulwer said he never said anything bad about Salaam during the campaign.
Salam said union members “deserve better.”
“All we want is for people to be treated fairly and for the rules to not be broken,” Salaam said. “Our focus is to come together and always put our members first. This will pass, and together we will move forward for better.”
Inquirer staff writers Sean Collins Walsh and Ellie Rushing contributed to this article.
