Philadelphia city workers strike after contract talks fail

PHILADELPHIA – Nearly 10,000 metropolis workers successful Philadelphia who cod trash, reply 911 calls, support metropolis pools and execute different jobs went connected onslaught Tuesday aft declaration negotiations broke down.

District Council 33 President Greg Boulware said the metropolis hadn't agreed to a precocious capable wage increase, WPVI-TV reported.

Mayor Cherelle Parker said the metropolis would suspend residential trash collection, adjacent immoderate metropolis pools and shorten recreation halfway hours, but vowed to support the metropolis running. Police and firefighters are not connected strike.

Parker, a pro-labor Democrat, promised that Fourth of July celebrations successful the nation’s birthplace would spell connected arsenic usual.

“Keep your vacation plans. Don’t permission the city," she said astatine a Monday day quality league that followed hours of last-minute negotiations.

City officials urged residents to beryllium diligent and not bent up should they request to telephone either 911 oregon the city’s non-emergency helpline. They said they would unfastened drop-off sites for residential trash.

Parker said she had offered raises that magnitude to 13% implicit her four-year word and added a 5th measurement to the wage standard to align with different unionized workers. District Council 33 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is the largest of 4 unions representing metropolis workers.

“We judge it’s a just connection and inactive fiscally liable for the radical of this city,” said Parker, who took bureau past year.

Union leaders, successful their archetypal contract proposal, asked for 8% yearly raises each twelvemonth of the three-year contract, on with cost-of-living hikes and bonuses of up to $5,000 for those who worked done the pandemic. The national besides asked the metropolis to wage the afloat outgo of worker wellness care, oregon $1,700 per idiosyncratic per month.

“District Council 33’s members lend arsenic overmuch blood, sweat and tears arsenic does anyone else,” they said successful a request letter. “We each marque the metropolis work. Our declaration indispensable bespeak that reality.”

In November, the city transit system averted a onslaught erstwhile the parties agreed to a one-year declaration with 5% raises.

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