Philadelphia strike: Contract negotiations between DC 33, city resume as strike continues
Residents feel impact of DC 33 strike as trash piles high everywhere
The City of Philadelphia and District Council 33 met Saturday to try and find an agreeable contract, while residents are feeling the impact of the strike, watching trash pile high on sidewalks and dumping sites.
PHILADELPHIA - As the District Council 33 strike against the City of Philadelphia enters its fifth day, officials on both sides agree to resume contract negotiations in order to reach an acceptable agreement.
What we know:
The city and members of the union began negotiations well ahead of the July 1st deadline, but were unable to reach an understanding that suited both parties.
As the strike enters its fifth day, District Council 33 President, Greg Boulware, told FOX 29’s Steve Keeley, on Friday they were hoping to resume to the negotiating table, saying "The last negotiations the city walked out on. Our members have been all over the place, trying to keep up and maintain certain things. We had to go back to the table ourselves and restructure the counter proposal."
He went on to say they had done that and sent the city a new proposal Friday.
LL Cool J, Jazmine Sullivan opt out of Wawa Welcome America concert
Both LL Cool J and Jazmine Sullivan decide they won't perform at the Wawa Welcome America concert citing support for District Council 33 union members on strike.
The backstory:
As pressure mounted to get a deal done before the July 4th holiday, District Council 33 members stood firm on their demands for better wages and pensions.
Mayor Cherelle Parker touted the city's latest contract offer at the end of June, but, as of 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, they were unable to reach an agreement.
The mayor said the previous offer would have given District Council 33 the largest pay raise that a Philly mayor has ever extended in their first term in over 30 years.
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District Council 33 goes on strike after not reaching deal with City of Philadelphia
District Council 33, Philadelphia's largest union, will go on strike after not reaching a deal with the City of Philadelphia.
The DC 33 union encompasses more than 9,000 Philadelphia City workers.
These hard workers include sanitation employees, crossing guards, rec center employees, library workers, 911 dispatch operators and more.
Dig deeper:
In a press conference by the city Wednesday, Solicitor Director Renee Garcia, revealed new developments regarding three injunctions that the city filed in the Court of Common Pleas.
Regarding an injunction against the water department, 72 employees were ordered to return to the facilities.
The court also ordered 237 dispatchers to return to 911 call centers, with regard to the second injunction filed.
The last injunction filed targeted illegal picketing activity which prevented employees from accessing the city's facilities.
Philly Medical Examiner's Office employees ordered to return to work due to amount of bodies in storage
More than two dozen Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office staffers were ordered back to work because of a growing backlog of bodies in storage, the AP reports.
Trash:
Private contractors offer trash removal amid DC 33 strike
Private contractors are advertising their services for trash removal on social media and putting their cell phone numbers out in the community, as District Council 33 remains on strike.
With sanitation workers on strike, Mayor Parker said there would be no trash pick-up and Philadelphia residents would have to haul their garbage to a dedicated dumping site.
This caused mounds of trash to pour out of dumpsters and overwhelm sidewalks, as the city has struggled to make up for the absence of its sanitation department.
Residents were advised over 60 temporary sites were available for them to take their trash, but huge piles of trash have collected on city sidewalks, regardless.
Residents are not happy with the trash situation and had plenty to say about the piles of trash, along with household items, growing along sidewalks.
"It looks bad and brings in animals and bugs and all that definitely not good," South Philly resident Jack McQiulkin said.
Piles and piles of trash lay at the corner of 4th and Oregon. Two large green bins are filled to the top, forcing people to leave their garbage bags on the ground.
Jose Peisoto stated, "This is crazy. This needs to get cleaned up. This is a ton of trash. You can tell people are taking advantage and just dumping everywhere."
A dresser and a mattress were found at the dumping site, though the area is only supposed to contain household trash. It is one of the more than t0 sites set up to take trash.
McQuilkin said, "I think they definitely need to get the money they deserve, but this could be handled in a much better situation cause this is pretty disgusting. Gross on every corner, every street."
City officials say they are monitoring the sites and if they reach capacity, additional locations will be added.
Trash piles grow larger in Philly amid DC-33 strike
We are now three days into the District Council 33 strike and Philly residents have accumulated an overflowing amount of trash.
July 4th impact:
The Wawa Welcome America concert was slated for July 4th, with headliners LL Cool J and local Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Jazmine Sullivan opting out of performing in support of the union workers.
Each made their announcements through their social media channels.
While other holiday events took place, LL Cool J and Sullivan’s announcements represented a high-profile look at the union and the city’s efforts to reach an agreement on what both deem are fair wages.
Philly strike: LL Cool J says he won't perform at Wawa Welcome America if deal isn't reached
LL Cool J has threatened to pull out of his performance at Wawa Welcome America if the city fails to reach a new contract with District Council 33.
Philadelphia strike: Jazmine Sullivan, LL Cool J opt out of Wawa Welcome America concert unless deal reached
Rapper LL Cool J says he won't perform at the Wawa Welcome America Independence Day concert in Philadelphia if a deal with District Council 33 is not reached. Jazmine Sullivan also opted out of the concert for the same reason.
What's next:
DC 33 officials said in a statement that they had resumed talks with the city Saturday and would provide updates when they could. There was no word from the city regarding negotiations taking place.