Philadelphia strike enters Day 4 with negotiations at a standstill, trash piling up
As Philadelphia celebrated the 4th of July on Friday, negotiations between the striking AFSCME District Council 33 and Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration appeared to be at a standstill.
The union represents thousands of municipal workers from a broad array of services, from sanitation to water services to crossing guards and medical examiner's office employees.
Workers walked off the job starting at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, after both sides could not come to an agreement on a wage increase structure and health benefits for all members.
Now heading into the weekend, there's no word on when both sides will resume talks, as the city becomes subject to national headlines after Wawa Welcome America concert headliner LL Cool J announced he would not cross the picket line and be paid to perform while the strike continued.
Speaking at Independence Hall Friday morning as part of the city's official celebration, Parker acknowledged "this is a challenging time for our city right now," referencing the labor talks.
"I will continue to meet leaders of our city's largest blue-collar union to reach a fair deal that workers understand is fair, that is fiscally responsible for the city's overall financial health," she told the crowd.
Parker has repeatedly touted a 5% pay increase given to the union in her first year as mayor, and said her administration's "historic" offer would boost union pay more than several past Philly mayors had in their first terms.
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.
Union President Greg Boulware has said the DC 33 set its plateau number at 5% over three years and added the city is currently at 8.75%. The Parker administration has cited a 13% figure, but is claiming includes the 5% increase from the one-year extension signed last fall, according to Boulware.
Meanwhile, trash is piling up at as neighborhood trash pickup was halted due to the strike. Temporary workers have been collecting trash from the sites, but social media has been awash with photos and videos of trash bags piled up in all sections of the city.
"You don't want people having this outside their house, because [there are] going to be flies, rodents, raccoons, everything under the sun hitting this area pretty fast within a week, especially with the heat," one resident said. "Just pay these people at this point."
The trash piles even have their own subreddit .
We do know Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson and State Rep. Jordan Harris, head of the Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee, have urged union reps and Parker to get back to the negotiating table.
We've reached out to the administration and the union on when negotiations will continue.
