Philadelphia workers and city reach deal to end strike that halted residential trash pickup
Nearly 10,000 blue-collar employees from District Council 33 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees walked off the job July 1, seeking better pay and benefits after negotiations with the city failed.
The tentative agreement gives workers a 3% raise in each of the next three years, far from the union's quest for 5% annual pay hikes.
Advertisement
6 Piles of garbage pile up at a collection site in Philadelphia on July 9, 2025.
AP
Half of the members will get an additional 2% raise through an added level on the pay scale, Mayor Cherelle Parker said, and most members will qualify by the end of the contract.
Residential trash collection will resume Monday, according to Parker, who asked for 'grace' as pools, libraries, recreation centers and other services get back to normal.
Advertisement
District Council 33 is the largest of four major unions representing city workers. Its membership includes 911 dispatchers, trash collectors, water department workers and many others. Police and firefighters weren't part of the strike.
Parker said that over her four-year term, DC33 workers will have received a total pay bump of 14%, including a 5% one-year hike she gave all four unions after taking office last year.
Many residents seemed to support boosting the pay of DC33 workers, even as trash piled up in neighborhoods.
6 A woman drops off trash at a garbage collection site on July 3, 2025.
AP
Advertisement
6 A man throws a bag of garbage into a bin as trash piles up on the streets of Philadelphia during the strike.
AP
The union says they earn an average $46,000 a year.
Union members must still ratify the agreement.
Rich Henkels, an actor who just moved into the city, called the settlement 'disappointing.'
Advertisement
'The announced raises do nothing for the workers and their families, as the increases will be less than the rate of inflation,' said Henkels, 64.
6 Trash overflows into the streets of Philadelphia on July 8, 2025.
AP
6 A front-end loader was brought in to clean up the collection sites overflowing with garbage in Philadelphia on July 7, 2025.
AP
6 Garbage fills up a container as the Philadelphia skyline is seen in the background on July 3, 2025..
AP
The settlement was announced early on the ninth day of the strike, a period that included the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
Some of the 60 drop-off centers that the city had designated for residential trash were overflowing.
Most libraries and some pools across the city were closed, and recreation centers operated on reduced hours.
Advertisement
Last week, judges had sided with the city in ordering some critical employees back to work at the city's 911 centers, water department and airport.
'We did the best we could with the circumstances we had in front of us,' union President Greg Boulware told reporters in brief remarks Wednesday morning.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
3 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Chiefs and defensive end George Karlaftis agree to 4-year, $93M contract, AP source says
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs and defensive end George Karlaftis have agreed to a four-year, $93 million contract that includes $62 million guaranteed, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Sunday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal, which locks up one of the Chiefs' best young defensive players on the same day that they report to training camp at Missouri Western, is still pending a physical. It is the second high-profile contract that Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has finished off in the past week. He signed Pro Bowl right guard Trey Smith to a four-year, $94 million extension on Tuesday. Karlaftis, a first-round pick in the 2022 draft, has started 44 of his 49 regular-season games for the Chiefs. His best season came two years ago, when he had 10 1/2 sacks while starting every game, and he had eight sacks in 16 games last season. Karlaftis has appeared in the Super Bowl every season, winning the first two and losing to Philadelphia in February. ___
The Hill
11 hours ago
- The Hill
Japan's governing coalition likely to lose upper house election, exit polls show
TOKYO (AP) — The governing coalition of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is likely to lose a majority in the smaller of Japan's two parliamentary houses in a key election Sunday, according to exit polls, worsening the country's political instability. Voters were deciding half of the 248 seats in the upper house, the less powerful of the two chambers in Japan's Diet. Exit poll numbers Ishiba has set the bar low, wanting a simple majority of 125 seats, which means his Liberal Democratic Party, or LDP, and its Buddhist-backed junior coalition partner Komeito need to win 50 to add to the 75 seats they already have. That would mean a big retreat from the 141 seats they had before the election. Exit poll results released seconds after the ballots closed Sunday night mostly showed a major setback for Ishiba's coalition. Japan's NHK television projected a range of 32-51 seats for the prime minister's coalition, while other networks projected it would win just over 40 seats. Ishiba vows to stay on The LDP alone is projected to win from 32 to 35 seats, the fewest won by the party, which still is the No. 1 party in the parliament. 'It's a tough situation. I take it humbly and sincerely,' Ishiba told a live interview with NHK. He said that the poor showing was because his government's measures to combat price increase have yet to reach many people. Ishiba showed his determination to stay on to tackle economic and security challenges. 'I will fulfill my responsibility as head of the No. 1 party and work for the country.' Economic worries A poor performance in the election would not immediately trigger a change of government because the upper house lacks the power to file a no-confidence motion against a leader, but it would certainly deepen uncertainty over his fate and Japan's political stability. Ishiba would face calls from within the LDP party to step down or find another coalition partner. Soaring prices, lagging incomes and burdensome social security payments are the top issues for frustrated, cash-strapped voters. Stricter measures targeting foreign residents and visitors have also emerged as a key issue, with a surging right-wing populist party leading the campaign. Sunday's vote comes after Ishiba's coalition lost a majority in the October lower house election, stung by past corruption scandals, and his unpopular government has since been forced into making concessions to the opposition to get legislation through parliament. It has been unable to quickly deliver effective measures to mitigate rising prices, including Japan's traditional staple of rice, and dwindling wages. Trade talks with Washington U.S. President Donald Trump has added to the pressure, complaining about a lack of progress in trade negotiations and the lack of sales of U.S. autos and American-grown rice to Japan despite a shortfall in domestic stocks of the grain. A 25% tariff due to take effect Aug. 1 has been another blow for Ishiba. Ishiba has resisted any compromise before the election, but the prospect for a breakthrough after the election is just as unclear because the minority government would have difficulty forming a consensus with the opposition. Populism gains traction Frustrated voters are rapidly turning to emerging populist parties. The eight main opposition groups, however, are too fractured to forge a common platform as a united front and gain voter support as a viable alternative. The emerging populist party Sanseito stands out with the toughest anti-foreigner stance, with its 'Japanese First' platform that proposes a new agency to handle policies related to foreigners. The party's populist platform also includes anti-vaccine, anti-globalism and favors traditional gender roles. Conservative to centrist opposition groups, including the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, or CDPJ, the DPP, and Sanseito have gained significant ground at the Liberal Democrats' expense. The CDPJ was projected to win up to 26 seats, while the DPP could quadruple to 17 seats from four, exit poll results show. Sanseito is expected to surge to 16 from just one. None of the opposition parties said that they were open to cooperating with the governing coalition. CDPJ leader Yoshihiko Noda told NHK that his priority is to form an alliance among the opposition. The spread of xenophobic rhetoric in the election campaign and on social media has triggered protests by human rights activists and alarmed foreign residents. Choice between stability or change LDP has almost continuously dominated Japan's postwar politics, contributing to its political stability and social conformity. Voters are divided between stability and change, with some voicing concern about escalating xenophobia. Yuko Tsuji, a 43-year-old consultant, who came to a polling station inside a downtown Tokyo gymnasium with her husband, said they both support LDP for stability and unity. and voted 'for candidates who won't fuel division.' 'If the ruling party doesn't govern properly, the conservative base will drift toward extremes. So I voted with the hope that the ruling party would tighten things up,' she said. Self-employed Daiichi Nasu, 57, who came to vote with his dog, said that he hopes for a change toward a more inclusive and diverse society, with more open immigration and gender policies such as allowing married couples to keep separate surnames. 'That's why I voted for the CDPJ,' he said. 'I want to see progress on those fronts.'
Los Angeles Times
16 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Amid economic crisis in South Sudan, artisans offer affordable footwear made from rubber tires
WAU, South Sudan — From Rwanda to Kenya, fashioning footwear from discarded tires has long been a mark of local ingenuity. In South Sudan, however, the creative work of such artisans is now fueled by an economic crisis that has left the government on the verge of bankruptcy and many people struggling to put food on the table. As South Sudan's oil revenues have dwindled, the government for months has been unable to pay civil servants on time. The cash crisis affects everyone from soldiers to teachers, underscoring the range of economic hardship across the country, and many are looking for ways to keep going. Some want cheap shoes, finding them not in supermarkets but in open markets where flip-flops and sandals are fashioned from worn-out tires usually thrown away as rubbish. In Wau, some 400 miles from the South Sudanese capital of Juba, shoemaker Emmanuel Achuil works under the shade of a tarpaulin in the town's bustling main market. His hands blackened from grappling with rubber, Achuil uses a blade to carve pieces from discarded tires. Colorful straps are scattered around him like pieces of a puzzle. Achuil, who makes five to 10 pairs a week, told the AP that in recent months he's seen a rise in demand that he and others say is directly related to the rising cost of living here. They say footwear made from scraps of rubber has found a firm place in local markets, confirmed in the ubiquitous displays of such shoes even in open markets in Juba. Two years ago, Achuil was getting five to seven customers a month. Now he expects as many as 20, he said. Achuil's shoes can fetch up to 15,000 South Sudanese pounds a pair, or roughly $4, depending on size and quality of finishing. In addition to their affordability, the rough-hewn pairs are praised for their durability. 'Even when things get bad — no food, no jobs — this work doesn't fail me,' Achuil said. 'People always need shoes, especially cheap ones.' Akol Majok Ring, a cattle keeper from the state of Warrap, said he discovered these sandals in March and immediately bought a pair for himself because 'they are good for cattle grazing.' 'When you're moving with the cattle all day, these sandals are perfect,' he said. 'They're durable and well-suited for the job.' The South Sudanese pound has been under pressure since 2023, losing much of its value against the dollar as oil exports are sporadically disrupted by civil war in neighboring Sudan. The economy has been in decline for five consecutive years, hampered by violence stemming mostly from the political contest between President Salva Kiir and his deputy Riek Machar, who is currently under house arrest for alleged subversion. Hyperinflation and widespread food insecurity affect nearly 80% of South Sudan's 11 million people, the same number of people living below the poverty line, according to the World Bank. South Sudan depends on oil revenue to meet 90% of the government's annual budget, but damage this year to the oil pipeline through Sudan left South Sudanese authorities briefly unable to export any crude. The government announced in June that exports were due to resume after repairs to the pipeline. Many government workers are effectively without pay, and unemployment is rampant as the prices of basic goods skyrocket. Leather shoes in the shops can seem a luxury in these circumstances. 'Tire soles last longer,' said Deng Akol Athuai, who has been buying from Achuil for years. 'I buy one pair, and it lasts me a year or more. They're strong, especially for walking on rough roads.' Gabriel Bataku, a 26-year-old in Wau who is unemployed, said shoemakers like Achuil 'are solving real problems. They just need recognition and support.' Achuil has been making shoes since 1996. He is not formally trained. He learn his skills as a grade-schooler watching shoemakers in their workshops. In those days, discarded tires were much easier to find, scavenged from garages or sourced through people throwing them away. But now, he said, 'more people are doing this work, so the competition for materials is high.' He lamented the lack of formal support, from the government and others, that has left artisans struggling to access the tools of their trade. He wants access to better equipment. Despite the difficulties, he dreams of opening a proper workshop where he would train others. He also hopes to be able to expand his business to other towns in South Sudan. 'If I had better cutting tools, and a way to expand, I could train young people,' he said. 'Many are idle here in Wau. This skill could help them survive.' Atit writes for the Associated Press.
