Philadelphia strike hits Day 7 as latest negotiations between union, Parker administration end without deal

By Tom Ignudo, Josh Sanders, Raymond Strickland, CBS News Philadelphia Staff, Ross DiMattei

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — Negotiations between the Parker administration and AFSCME District Council 33, Philadelphia’s largest municipal workers’ union, ended over the weekend without a deal as the strike entered its seventh day Monday.

DC 33 and the Parker administration negotiated for hours Saturday but were unable to reach an agreement.

There’s been no word on when the two sides will return to the negotiating table. DC 33 represents multiple city departments, including police dispatchers, sanitation workers and more.

Saturday’s talks between DC 33 and the Parker administration marked the second meeting between the two parties amid the strike, which has left trash piling up on city streets.

Before Saturday, the two sides met last Wednesday into Thursday. Talks lasted nearly 12 hours before they walked away without an agreement.

The strike has led the city to file court injunctions to bring some employees back to work, and two sanitation workers were injured in a hit-and-run while picketing last week.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, DC 33 announced that it was setting up a website for its existing strike fund and thanked supporters “during this challenging period.”

“Let’s maintain our strength and support each other during this difficult time,” the union wrote in part. “Stay safe and watch out for each other on the lines!”

What is DC 33 asking for amid Philadelphia strike?

DC 33 is fighting for higher wages and health care benefits for all members.

Mayor Cherelle Parker and city officials have said they offered DC 33 a 13% pay increase over four years.

DC 33 President Greg Boulware has disputed the 13% offer that Parker has touted as historic.

Parker and the city had proposed a three-year deal with a 2.75% increase in the first year, with 3% raises each of the next two years.

According to Boulware, the deal includes the extension with the 5% salary increase that the two sides agreed to in November 2024.

“This 13% ideology needs to go. If the mayor wanted to hold onto that position, then the mayor and her team should have signed the four-year deal that we asked for back in the fall,” Boulware said last week. “They asked for the one-year extension. Not us. You can’t lump that in now with this current term of negotiation. That’s not how things work.”

Boulware has previously said the union has set its plateau number at 5% over three years and added the city is currently at 8.75%.

Before meeting Saturday, Boulware said they made some compromises to their proposal to the city, but it’s unclear what those changes were.

“The last several changes we’ve made to our proposal have been significant in many different ways,” Boulware said, “and we don’t feel like the city is budging at all. My men and women are out on this line to see substantial change in regard to their wages.”

Trash continues to pile in Philadelphia, with city workers on strike

The trash piles in Philly have gotten so high on some corners that residents have begun to call them “ParkerPiles” on Reddit.

Last week, a mountain of trash was seen in Northeast Philly’s Mayfair neighborhood, and it had an “unbelievable” stench, one resident said. The pile of trash was so large that it forced the city to tape it off before it was cleaned up.

Along Market Street in West Philly, another massive pile of trash was spotted, and it’s frustrating nearby residents.

“It’s so bad out here, I don’t know what to do,” Andre Morgan said. “Just riding down, the street, the smells. And the weather next week is coming, it’s going to be so hot out, so it’s really going to be crazy.”

Amid the strike, the city established 63 temporary drop-off locations for residents to dispose of their trash, but it hasn’t prevented trash from building up at the sites.

At the dumpster located at Broad Street and Snyder Avenue in South Philly, the trash is overflowing and spilling onto the street and sidewalk.

“It’s dirty,” Gerald Sehmitcreinthl said. “It’s awful.”

Sehmitcreinthl said he walked several blocks to dump his trash and said the issue is starting to get out of control.

“This is like chaos,” he said. “It stinks.”

Monique Johnson was also using the dropoff site. She said the trash piling up in neighborhoods is unlike anything she’s ever seen.

“We really should not be putting our trash over here,” she said. “This is a bus stop. It’s unsanitary, so please y’all, make up y’all minds. Get it together.”

At 19th and Wylie streets in Francisville, the dumpster was filled with trash bags piled up around it. Loose trash and bulk items, which the city says are not allowed, could also be seen. Non-union workers were seen cleaning up the area.

However, residents said it’s challenging to keep up because people are constantly arriving.

“It’s horrible,” Jarete Thompson, a nearby resident, said. “It stinks. You can’t sit outside.”

Residents said they can’t take another day of this, and they’re hoping the city and union can come to an agreement soon.

“It’s a shame when you see really large bulk items in there like furniture, mattresses, tires, which you clearly know somebody is taking advantage of a more convenient situation for them instead of taking it to the proper dump location,” Garret Sadtler said.

Philadelphia strike impacts Wawa Welcome America

Wawa Welcome America went on during the strike, but the Fourth of July event along Benjamin Parkway was missing its two headliners: LL Cool J and Philadelphia native Jazmine Sullivan.

LL Cool J and Sullivan each pulled out of performing on the Parkway, citing the ongoing strike.

“There’s absolutely no way that I can perform, cross a picket line, and pick up money when I know that people are out there fighting for a living wage,” LL Cool J said in an Instagram post on July 3.

Sullivan said she was choosing to “stand with Philly’s DC33” in her announcement to remove herself from the event.

With LL Cool and Sullivan not performing, Wawa Welcome America featured Álvaro Díaz, JoJo, as well as Mr. HOLLYWOOD DJ and DJ Ghost & Friends.

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