PHILADELPHIA — The strike by members of AFSCME District Council 33, the union representing blue-collar workers in Philadelphia, is over.
After discussions went through the night, both sides came to a tentative agreement just after 4 a.m. Wednesday.
The deal is for a 9% wage increase over three years. Union leaders originally wanted a 24% wage increase over three years, but then lowered their demand to 15%.
That amount is close to the 8.75% Mayor Cherelle Parker originally proposed.
The new deal, coupled with a one-year contract extension agreed to last fall, increases DC 33 members’ pay by 14% over the mayor’s four years in office, Parker wrote on social media.
The union’s president, Greg Boulware, said that while the union agreed to the deal, it is unhappy with the outcome. He told Action News the union did the best it could with its members’ best interests in mind.
He said that they should be able to earn a living for themselves and their families. Boulware did not go into detail about why exactly the union is unhappy.
While this deal ends the strike, the new contract won’t become official until it’s voted on by union membership.
Boulware said city workers will likely return to work Wednesday morning, with some back on the job in a matter of hours.
Action News has reached out to the city asking for the plan on how quickly they hope to catch up on trash collection – and when curbside pickup will begin – since several neighborhoods have trash pickup on Wednesday.
Parker said the city will discuss the deal later Wednesday.
Here’s the latest:
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