Latest news with #PhiladelphiaStrike
CBS News
07-07-2025
- CBS News
DC 33, city to resume negotiations Tuesday as Philadelphia strike continues
Negotiations are set to continue Tuesday between AFSCME District Council 33 and Philadelphia city leaders, the union told CBS News Philadelphia. It's still unclear where and when the negotiations will take place, which will be Day 8 of the Philadelphia strike. One week into Philadelphia's largest municipal workers' union strike, and both sides remain dug in. DC 33 is fighting for higher wages and health care benefits for all its members. The union represents nearly 9,000 blue-collar city workers and is the largest blue-collar worker union in the city. Members of DC 33 work within the sanitation and water departments, as well as in roles, including 911 dispatchers, crossing guards, morgue employees, airport staff and more. But it's not just DC 33 union workers and city leaders who are frustrated. Philly residents are frustrated as trash continues to pile up across the city's neighborhoods. During a press conference Monday, Carlton Williams, the city's director of Clean and Green Initiatives, said the city is working to provide more services at the sanitation convenience centers by clearing the garbage piles that have accumulated around the sites. Williams said the city is working to expand the centers and implement more staff after hearing complaints from residents about overflowing dumpsters and people placing trash around the sites. Residents are asked to use the dumpsters when they're open and not put trash outside the facilities, since it slows down the collection processes, Williams said. "When bags are placed outside the dumpsters, they cause major delays and additional complications," he said. Williams emphasized that these centers are not a free pass for illegal dumping, adding that they are a temporary solution for Philadelphia residents to dispose of their trash. The city said they've received numerous reports of people taking advantage of the dumpsites by disposing of their material items. Williams referenced a business that brought rotten chicken and unused oil to a dumpsite in the city's Logan neighborhood. He said the person was arrested and will be fined for the misconduct. Residents were reminded again during the press conference not to place their garbage out for curbside pickup, as the service is temporarily suspended due to the DC 33 strike. Philadelphia strike negotiations recap Both union leadership and the Parker administration met Saturday and failed to reach an agreement. Mayor Cherelle Parker said the city's offer totals a 13% pay raise over four years and has called it historic. DC 33 President Greg Boulware disagrees, saying the city is including a 5% raise from a separate extension deal last year. The city's latest proposal includes a three-year contract, with basically a 3% wage increase in the next three years. The union wants 5% annual raises over the next three years. On Monday morning, CBS News Philadelphia spoke with a climate group that delivered bags of trash from the Piccoli Playground in North Philly to City Hall. They are demanding that Parker meet the union's demands. "This trash is piling up in our playgrounds and our parks and our rec centers. And they're creating hazardous conditions for children, for citizens who want to use our green spaces," Sultan Smalley, a member of Sunrise Movement Philadelphia, said. "She's stiffing workers, and it's not right, so we have to communicate that Philadelphians will not accept this any longer."
Al Arabiya
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Arabiya
LL Cool J Says He Won't Perform at Philadelphia's July Fourth Festival in Support of Workers Strike
Rapper LL Cool J said he won't perform at a Fourth of July festival in Philadelphia in support of a strike by nearly 10,000 city workers. The rapper and actor had been scheduled to appear at the Wawa Welcome America Festival on Friday along with R&B singer and Philadelphia native Jazmine Sullivan and other performers. LL Cool J said in a video posted on social media that 'there's absolutely no way that I can perform, cross a picket line, and pick up money when I know that people are out there fighting for a living wage. I hope, I hope, I hope that, you know, the mayor and the city can make a deal. I hope it works out,' he said. LL Cool J also said that he never wants to disappoint his fans and that he plans to be in Philadelphia in case an agreement is reached. The festival comes as the strike moved into a fourth day Friday. Trash has been piling up in some areas and more than 30 Medical Examiner's Office staffers have been ordered back to work because of a growing backlog of bodies in storage. The latest talks between the city and leaders of District Council 33 – the largest of four major unions representing city workers – ended late Wednesday. Both sides have said they were willing to continue negotiations. The union represents many of the city's blue-collar workers, from trash collectors to clerks to security guards. Police and firefighters are not on strike. The city has offered a three-year contract with annual raises of about 3 percent, which the union said amounts to little more than $1,000 after taxes for members making $46,000 a year on average. Mayor Cherelle Parker has said the city has put its best offer on the table. She stressed that the effective 13 percent pay hike over her four-year term – including last year's 5 percent bump – along with a fifth step on the pay scale would be the best contract the union has seen in decades. Parker responded to LL Cool J's statement saying that she spoke with him on Thursday. 'I respect his decision and understand his desire to see the city unified,' the mayor said. 'He is always welcome in Philadelphia.' The union also responded, saying LL Cool J's support for municipal workers highlights his commitment to social justice and community well-being. 'His support not only brings attention to our efforts but also inspires others to recognize and advocate for the rights and respect of all workers,' the union said. 'It's heartening to see public figures using their influence to champion causes that matter to everyday people.' On Thursday, Common Pleas Court Judge Sierra Thomas-Street approved the city's request to have the medical examiner's office staffers return to work because bodies have been piling up there in storage, posing a health and safety risk. Those workers include death and forensic investigators, forensic technicians, and clerks. The order came a day after the judge ordered some emergency service dispatchers and essential water department employees back to work. Mounting trash piles in some parts of the city were also still causing grief for residents and officials, who have strongly urged residents to follow the collection guidelines imposed when the strike began Tuesday. They also urged residents to report problems at the trash collection sites and noted trash is being cleared as fast as possible and the city is working to open more sites.
The Independent
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
LL Cool J says he won't perform at Philadelphia's July Fourth festival in support of workers strike
Rapper LL Cool J says he will not perform at a Fourth of July festival in Philadelphia in support of a strike by nearly 10,000 city workers in Philadelphia. The rapper and actor had been scheduled to appear at the Wawa Welcome America Festival on Friday, along with R&B singer and Philadelphia native Jazmine Sullivan and other performers. LL Cool J said in a video posted on social media that 'there's absolutely no way that I can perform, cross a picket line and pick up money when I know that people are out there fighting for a living wage.' 'I hope, I hope, I hope that, you know, the mayor and the city can make a deal. I hope it works out,' he said. LL Cool J also said that he never wants to disappoint his fans and that he plans to be in Philadelphia in case an agreement is reached. The festival comes as the strike moved into a fourth day Friday. Trash has been piling up in some areas and more than 30 Medical Examiner's Office staffers have been ordered back to work because of a growing backlog of bodies in storage. The latest talks between the city and leaders of District Council 33 — the largest of four major unions representing city workers — ended late Wednesday. Both sides have said they were willing to continue negotiations. The union represents many of the city's blue-collar workers, from trash collectors to clerks to security guards. Police and firefighters are not on strike. The city has offered a three-year contract with annual raises of about 3%, which the union said amounts to little more than $1,000 after taxes for members making $46,000 a year on average. Mayor Cherelle Parker has said the city has 'put its best offer on the table.' She stressed that the effective 13% pay hike over her four-year term -- including last year's 5% bump – along with a fifth step on the pay scale would be the best contract the union has seen in decades. Parker responded to LL Cool J's statement, saying that she spoke with him on Thursday. "I respect his decision, and understand his desire to see the city unified," the mayor said. 'He is always welcome in Philadelphia.' The union also responded, saying LL Cool J's support for municipal workers 'highlights his commitment to social justice and community well-being.' 'His support not only brings attention to our efforts but also inspires others to recognize and advocate for the rights and respect of all workers,' the union said. 'It's heartening to see public figures using their influence to champion causes that matter to everyday people.' On Thursday, Common Pleas Court Judge Sierra Thomas-Street approved the city's request to have the medical examiner's office staffers return to work because bodies have been piling up there in storage, posing a health and safety risk. Those workers include death and forensic investigators, forensic technicians and clerks. The order came a day after the judge ordered some emergency service dispatchers and essential water department employees back to work. Mounting trash piles in some parts of the city were also still causing grief for residents and officials, who have strongly urged residents to follow the collection guidelines imposed when the strike began Tuesday. They also urged residents to report problems at the trash collection sites, and noted trash is being cleared as fast as possible and the city is working to open more sites.
Associated Press
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
LL Cool J says he won't perform at Philadelphia's July Fourth festival in support of workers strike
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Rapper LL Cool J says he will not perform at a Fourth of July festival in Philadelphia in support of a strike by nearly 10,000 city workers in Philadelphia. The rapper and actor had been scheduled to appear at the Wawa Welcome America Festival on Friday, along with R&B singer and Philadelphia native Jazmine Sullivan and other performers. LL Cool J said in a video posted on social media that 'there's absolutely no way that I can perform, cross a picket line and pick up money when I know that people are out there fighting for a living wage.' 'I hope, I hope, I hope that, you know, the mayor and the city can make a deal. I hope it works out,' he said. LL Cool J also said that he never wants to disappoint his fans and that he plans to be in Philadelphia in case an agreement is reached. The festival comes as the strike moved into a fourth day Friday. Trash has been piling up in some areas and more than 30 Medical Examiner's Office staffers have been ordered back to work because of a growing backlog of bodies in storage. The latest talks between the city and leaders of District Council 33 — the largest of four major unions representing city workers — ended late Wednesday. Both sides have said they were willing to continue negotiations. The union represents many of the city's blue-collar workers, from trash collectors to clerks to security guards. Police and firefighters are not on strike. The city has offered a three-year contract with annual raises of about 3%, which the union said amounts to little more than $1,000 after taxes for members making $46,000 a year on average. Mayor Cherelle Parker has said the city has 'put its best offer on the table.' She stressed that the effective 13% pay hike over her four-year term -- including last year's 5% bump – along with a fifth step on the pay scale would be the best contract the union has seen in decades. Parker responded to LL Cool J's statement, saying that she spoke with him on Thursday. 'I respect his decision, and understand his desire to see the city unified,' the mayor said. 'He is always welcome in Philadelphia.' The union also responded, saying LL Cool J's support for municipal workers 'highlights his commitment to social justice and community well-being.' 'His support not only brings attention to our efforts but also inspires others to recognize and advocate for the rights and respect of all workers,' the union said. 'It's heartening to see public figures using their influence to champion causes that matter to everyday people.' On Thursday, Common Pleas Court Judge Sierra Thomas-Street approved the city's request to have the medical examiner's office staffers return to work because bodies have been piling up there in storage, posing a health and safety risk. Those workers include death and forensic investigators, forensic technicians and clerks. The order came a day after the judge ordered some emergency service dispatchers and essential water department employees back to work. Mounting trash piles in some parts of the city were also still causing grief for residents and officials, who have strongly urged residents to follow the collection guidelines imposed when the strike began Tuesday. They also urged residents to report problems at the trash collection sites, and noted trash is being cleared as fast as possible and the city is working to open more sites.
Wall Street Journal
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
A Trashy Fourth of July in Philadelphia
Public unions are often at odds with the public interest, and Exhibit A is Philadelphia this week. Heading into the Fourth of July, the home of Independence Hall is greeting holiday guests with garbage piles on streets and limited city services. That's thanks to one of the city's biggest worker strikes in decades. The city's District Council 33, an affiliate of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees representing some 9,000 workers, went on strike just after 12 a.m. Tuesday. Initially demanding an 8% pay raise for each of the next three years, along with benefit increases, the union had backed down Monday night to 5%, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. But Mayor Cherelle Parker's offer of a 2.75% raise, followed by two years of 3% hikes and on top of a 5% raise in the last contract, wasn't enough for the union. The union chose to strike as soon as its previous contract expired, and the decision, well, is starting to stink. Members include garbage collectors, and trash is piling up as residents haul their refuse to select locations. 'Dumpsters that the city has set up as trash drop-off locations were overflowing with refuse Wednesday, with a notable stench infusing the muggy air,' the Inquirer reports. 'This is a nightmare,' resident Renee Dennis told an ABC affiliate. Union members also include 911 dispatchers and water plant workers. A judge ordered these employees back to their posts Tuesday, but a city website warns 911 callers that they 'may still experience longer wait times.' The city solicitor said the medical examiner's office was 'critically understaffed,' and a judge also ordered those workers back Thursday. Better wait to have that heart attack.
