PHILADELPHIA – A strike by members of AFSCME District Council 33, representing approximately 9,000 blue-collar workers in Philadelphia, has officially come to an end after a tentative agreement was reached early Wednesday morning.
Negotiations, which stretched through the night, culminated in a deal just after 4 a.m. The agreement includes a 9% wage increase over three years, which brings both parties closer to an agreement, although not exactly what the union had initially sought. The union’s leaders had first demanded a 24% increase over the three-year period, later lowering their request to 15%. The new deal, which includes a 5% increase from a previous one-year contract extension negotiated last fall, raises wages by 14% over Mayor Cherelle Parker’s four-year term.
While the union accepted the deal, it was clear that not all members were satisfied. Greg Boulware, president of AFSCME District Council 33, expressed disappointment with the final outcome, though he said the union had done the best it could for its members. “We want our workers to be able to make a living and support their families,” Boulware told Action News, without delving into specific reasons for the union’s discontent.
The strike officially ends with the agreement, but the contract remains pending until it is voted on by union members. In the meantime, workers are expected to return to their jobs by Wednesday morning. This includes those responsible for essential services like trash collection, which had been delayed during the strike.
Action News reached out to the city to inquire about plans to address the backlog in trash collection, particularly in neighborhoods with scheduled curbside pickup on Wednesday. The city is expected to release further details regarding the steps it will take to resume normal operations and resolve the disruption.
As the strike concludes, both sides look ahead to the implementation of the new contract, which is poised to affect thousands of public sector workers in Philadelphia over the next several years.
