Trash piles up in Philadelphia as city workers strike
AFSCME District Council 33’s roughly 9,000 members are on strike, resulting in trash piling up on Philadelphia streets.
PHILADELPHIA — The City of Brotherly Love celebrates July 4 with perhaps more fanfare than anywhere else in the country, and with good reason: It’s where the nation was born, where the Founding Fathers gathered over a hot, steamy summer and hammered out the Declaration of Independence.
While a lot has changed over the 249 years since those men emerged from their sweaty seclusion, one thing hasn’t: Philadelphia is still hot and steamy at the height of summer. And this year, with temperatures in the high 80s and low 90s, that’s made worse as piles of trash accumulate three days into a strike by the city’s blue-collar workers.
City residents — and the thousands of visitors who come to see historic sites like the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall and take part in a weeklong celebration including fireworks, a concert with LL Cool J and Jazmine Sullivan, and free admission to several museums — are dealing with smelly, ever-growing piles of refuse on city streets.
AFSCME District Council 33, which represents more than 9,000 city workers, went on strike at midnight June 30, impacting city services including trash and recycling collections, street and water repairs and maintenance, libraries and public pools, airport custodial services, licenses and inspections and public health services.
Some on social media have dubbed the trash “Parker piles,” referencing Mayor Cherelle Parker.
The city designated several sites all over the city for residents to take their trash on designated days with curbside trash and recycling collection suspended, but piles of trash are popping up on streets and vacant lots. The city also set up a webpage with live updates for residents who have questions or concerns about the strike’s impact.
Parker, inaugurated in 2024 as the first woman to lead the city, has made cleaning Philadelphia a top priority for her administration, touting efforts aimed at “making Philadelphia the safest, cleanest, and greenest big city in the nation, with economic opportunity for all.”
In a July 1 post on X, Parker wrote that she wants “nothing more than for DC 33 to return to the table — because Philadelphia needs your expertise now more than ever.”
“You are the subject matter experts who keep our city moving,” the post continued. “The people who maintain our infrastructure, keep our public spaces and neighborhoods clean, and serve our communities with pride. This city works because you do. And I am committed to getting back to the table to negotiate in good faith and reach a fair and fiscally responsible deal. Let’s get this done — together.”
District Council 33 President Greg Boulware, speaking to reporters on Wednesday, said, “Hopefully the city understands how pivotal our people are and comes through with a deal that makes sense for all of us.
“Unfortunately, we’ve been undervalued for years,” he said. “The cost of living goes up, the cost of commodities goes through the roof on a regular basis… and our paychecks do not meet that need. That has to change.”
Multiple outlets have reported that pay raises are the main sticking point in negotiations.
