Chief Deputy Mayor Sinceré Harris emphasized that the strike harmed everyone involved: “There is no winning when there is a strike.”
Philadelphia’s streets will soon be cleared after nearly 10 days of mounting trash piles. The city and its largest municipal workers’ union have reached a tentative agreement ending a strike impacting thousands of city services.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker announced early Wednesday that the work stoppage by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) District Council 33 had officially ended.
“The strike is over!” Parker declared on social media, confirming a deal that followed marathon negotiations lasting over 12 hours. “We’ll have much more to say about this historic deal tomorrow at City Hall. We’re valuing our workforce and we’re safeguarding our city’s hard-earned fiscal stability at the same time.”
The strike began at midnight on June 30 after the union and city negotiators failed to agree on a contract affecting over 9,000 city workers. Services halted included trash and recycling collection, street and water repairs, library services, airport custodial work, inspections, public health services, and operations at city pools.
Residents quickly noticed the impact, as trash accumulated along curbs, sidewalks, vacant lots, and near more than 60 temporary drop-off sites designated by the city.
The strike also disrupted the city’s signature Fourth of July celebrations, with headliners LL Cool J and Philadelphia native Jazmine Sullivan canceling their appearances amid the ongoing work stoppage.
Now, under the tentative deal, union members will receive a 3% raise in each of the next three years, resulting in a total pay increase of more than 14% over four years when factoring in the 5% increase agreed upon in 2024 to extend the prior contract by a year. The agreement also includes a $1,500 signing bonus for workers.
The increase, however, still falls short of the whopping 32% total raise sought by AFSCME.
“The strike is over, and nobody’s happy,” union president Greg Boulware told reporters, adding, “We felt our clock was running out.”
Notably, Chief Deputy Mayor Sinceré Harris emphasized that the strike harmed everyone involved.
“There is no winning when there is a strike,” Harris said. “The city doesn’t win, the union doesn’t win, and most importantly, the residents of Philadelphia do not win.”
Despite the strike’s apparent resolution, residents will have to wait a few more days for full restoration of trash and recycling services. Until regular curbside pickups resume Monday, sanitation crews will focus on cleaning the makeshift dumping locations used during the strike.
While the contract still requires formal ratification by union members, workers have been instructed to return to their jobs immediately.
AFSCME is not the only Pennsylvania group making headlines with strike discussions. On Wednesday, news broke that more than 1,400 healthcare workers at Chambersburg Hospital voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. The workers claimed severe understaffing, burnout, and low wages after eight weeks of stalled contract negotiations with WellSpan Health.
