Philadelphia's largest municipal union, AFSCME District Council 33, representing approximately 9,000 blue-collar city workers including sanitation workers, 911 dispatchers, water department employees, and parks maintenance staff, initiated a strike at midnight on July 1, 2025, after contract negotiations with Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration failed. The union sought better wages, job security, and improved health benefits, with members earning an average salary of $46,000. Mayor Parker had proposed a pay raise exceeding 12% over one term, the largest offer to the union in over 30 years, but talks stalled despite nearly 12 hours of negotiations just before the strike. The strike marks the first major city worker strike in Philadelphia since 1986 and has caused widespread disruption to city services, including halted trash and recycling collection, closure of many public pools, and impacts on 911 call response.
In response, the city established 63 temporary trash drop-off sites and sought legal action to order essential workers, including over 200 911 dispatchers and medical examiner's office employees, to return to work due to public safety and health concerns. Despite these court orders, the strike continued into its fifth day, with trash piling up across the city and residents facing service interruptions. Negotiations between the city and District Council 33 resumed intermittently, with both sides attempting to reach an agreement before the July 4 holiday weekend. The strike has drawn attention to the disparity between the average union worker salary and Mayor Parker's reported $269,708 salary, fueling public debate. The city remains prepared to continue negotiations, while union members maintain their picket lines and public demonstrations. Additionally, a second union representing Philadelphia city workers has begun a strike authorization vote amid ongoing labor tensions.
Trash continued to pile up across more than a dozen Eastern Massachusetts towns and cities as garbagemen remained on strike for a fifth day, this time with support from a local firefighter's union.
