Philadelphia strike: No deal as negotiations resume and DC 33 strike enters third day
Negotiations continue into the night in the ongoing DC 33 strike against the city
Contract negotiations are continuing as District Council 33 union members remain on strike, approaching the July 4th holiday weekend.
PHILADELPHIA - District Council 33 and Philadelphia leaders met at the negotiating table on Wednesday as the two sides continue to try to hammer out a new contract that will bring a crippling strike to an end before the Fourth of July weekend.
Union members walked off the job on Tuesday after a midnight deadline came and went without the two sides agreeing to a new deal. District Council 33 represents over 9,000 workers from various departments, including the Philadelphia Sanitation Department, which has caused mountains of trash to pile up on city streets.
Mayor Cherelle Parker on Tuesday continued to tout the city's latest offer, which she called "historic" and "fiscally responsible."
District Council 33 and Philly leaders continue negotiating: What we know
The city of Philadelphia was granted wins after filing three injunctions with the Court of Common Pleas due to the ongoing District Council 33 strike.
What's New?:
District Council 33 and Philadelphia leaders continued negotiations on Wednesday, less than 48 hours after its 9,000 members took to the picket lines.
AFSCME District Council 33 President, Greg Boulware, said, "We have contract negotiations this afternoon, so I’m hopeful that the city comes to a place and meets us at a place we can get this contract situation resolved. Thus far, we’ve not been able to do that."
The strike has most notably created a trash nightmare in Philadelphia, as residents have been asked to haul their own garbage to one of 60 dumping sites.
Piles of trash bags quickly grew overnight Tuesday, overflowing dumpsters and spilling onto sidewalks across the city.
Mayor Parker provided an update on the negotiations during a 3 p.m. press conference.
Talks ended at around 1:30 a.m. Thursday, and are expected to resume at some point later in the day,
What they're saying:
During the update, City of Philadelphia Solicitor Director Renee Garcia, revealed new developments regarding the three injunctions that the city filed in the Court of Common Pleas.
Regarding the water department injunction, the city was granted 72 employees who were ordered to return back 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.
"They were harassing our employees, harassing our residents, blocking access to health centers, to libraries, to recreation centers, to sanitation centers across the city, to our water facilities. We were able to get an injunction on this third motion as well, since this order went into effect," aid Garcia. "The city has received numerous reports of noncompliance."
"We couldn't get our doctors into the health centers today, opening fire hydrants. Yesterday, they were slashing tires on trucks, preventing traffic, trash drop-offs. We have residents going to drop off their trash and they're getting harassed on their way,preventing workers from getting into our water facilities. We were supposed to have a shift change at one of our facilities. The next crew was blocked from going in there, blocking trucks from delivering chemicals to our water facilities. At one location where we had water, where had employees locked inside, they shut off the water to this building from the outside and then parked their car over the valve television. Okay, this is not legal activity," she continued.
Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said they began to put together a team to enforce the third injunction and arrested one individual involved in the illegal activity.
"We will again tell our men and women from District Council 33, that it is unacceptable. If you continue to engage in vandalism, we are investigating all of those incidents of vandalism. As you know, we did make an arrest the other day. We will continue to look through those activities, ensure that people are in compliance. We will again respect them
where they stand, respect their work. We will just ask them that they would continue to respect the work that we're doing to bring resolution to this issue and make sure this is a safe process," said Bethel.
The backstory:
District Council 33, Philadelphia's largest union that includes workers from several critical departments, went on strike at midnight Tuesday.
The strike included members of Philadelphia's sanitation department, which temporarily ended trash collection across the city.
Other departments involved in the strike include members of the water department, 911 dispatch, and parks and recreation employees.
Mayor Parker said the city's latest offer includes a wage increase of over 12%, which she claims is more than any mayor in their first term over the last 30 years.
"For an average District Council 33 worker, that means an average annual pay increase of $2,383," Parker said in a video posted to Facebook.
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That offer, which Parker called "historic," "fair," and "fiscally responsible," was not enough to entice union leaders who have held firm on their demands.
With Philadelphia's sanitation workers on the picket lines, the strike has most notably created a trash nightmare across the city just before the Fourth of July weekend.
Thousands will gather in the city to celebrate Independence Day, including Wawa Welcome America's annual "Party on the Parkway" concert and fireworks.
"I've said to the city of Philadelphia, on multiple occasions, that I want nothing more than for us to reach a fair and fiscally responsible agreement," Parker said.