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CBS News
03-07-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
How will Philadelphia clean up trash after Fourth of July celebrations amid strike?
Amid the strike in Philadelphia, Fourth of July celebrations in the city are still in motion. Preparations are underway on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for the final night of Wawa Welcome America on Friday. With negotiations at a standstill, the big question remains: How is the city planning to clean up a potential mess after the concert and fireworks? The city says it has a plan to address any potential trash troubles on the Parkway, saying some of the sanitation sites will be shut down for the holiday and that those workers will be the ones helping clean up the Parkway. The city also enlisted outside help to set up along the Parkway while union workers picketed near the festival stage. During a press conference on Thursday, city officials said anyone hoping to attend the festival should move forward with those plans. "Our goal is to make sure that we clean up as quickly as possible," Carlton Williams, the director of the Streets Department, said. Tens of thousands of people will soon descend on the Parkway for the concert and fireworks, and people who live in the city are concerned about the trash that could be left behind. A trash pile-up in Philadelphia's Mayfair section at Princeton Avenue and Hawthorne Street as the city's municipal workers' strike continued into its third day Thursday. CBS News Philadelphia "I really do imagine that people will be feeling even more willing to throw their trash on the ground to make this problem as visible as it can possibly be for the city," Remy Poulin, of West Philly, said. "The garbage situation is really unacceptable," said Joan Kokoska, who lives in the area of the Parkway. Kokoska said that the trash piling up in areas throughout the city will pale in comparison to what could be seen once the holiday festival is over. "This is epic trash," Kokoska said. "Because every time there is a marathon or something, there is tons and tons of trash." Many are now watching the negotiations between the union and city closely, hoping a deal gets done soon. "I would like it to get settled soon," Kokoska said. In addition to the trash, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said officers will be out in large numbers to make sure the festivities are safe.
Bloomberg
10-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
NJ Transit Engineers Union Votes in Favor of New Wage Agreement
New Jersey Transit 's locomotive engineers ratified the new wage contract which was the result of an agreement following a three-day strike that halted rail service in May. Union workers represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen approved the contract that will raise hourly pay to more than $50 per hour, as well as a signing bonus, according to a statement from the union. Voting concluded Tuesday.
CNA
30-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
Trump hails Nippon Steel as 'great partner' for US Steel in raucous rally
WEST MIFFLIN, Pennsylvania :U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday lauded an "agreement" between Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel at a political rally but stopped short of clarifying whether he planned to approve the companies' diplomatically sensitive merger. On a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-area stage decorated with signs celebrating "American steel," Trump declared the American steel company would remain American, while extolling its new Japanese partner. It is unclear whether he approves of a deal giving Nippon ownership, as sought by the firms, or whether he had formally given the merger the green light. "We're here today to celebrate a blockbuster agreement that will ensure this storied American company stays an American company," Trump told more than 1,600 people, including hard hat-wearing workers. "You're going to stay an American company, you know that, right? But we're going to have a great partner." The Japanese firm's planned acquisition of U.S. Steel, initially floated in 2023, divided the politically important state of Pennsylvania and its heavily unionized blue-collar workforce, and introduced tension into the normally friendly relations between Tokyo and Washington. Proponents of the transaction had hoped Trump's visit would end a tumultuous 18-month effort by Nippon Steel to buy the iconic American company, beset by opposition from union leadership and two national security reviews. Trump said the company would be "controlled by the USA," that no layoffs or outsourcing would occur, and that Nippon would invest billions of dollars to modernize U.S. steel mills to increase production. He also announced a plan, set to be implemented next week, to hike tariffs on imported steel from 25 per cent to 50 per cent. But Trump's remarks on Friday shed no further light on the contours of a deal that he would approve or whether a formal green light was in the offing. "I have to tell you about Nippon, they kept asking me over and I kept rejecting - no way," Trump said, adding "I'm going to be watching over it, that it's going to be great." The White House and the companies have not responded to requests for comment on the status of deal talks. Trump announced the rally and appeared to endorse the merger last Friday in a social media post, sending U.S. Steel's share price up over 20 per cent as investors bet he would soon give it the go ahead. On Sunday, he sowed doubt, describing the deal to reporters not as the full takeover Nippon is seeking but as an investment with "partial ownership," and control residing in the United States. U.S. Steel is headquartered in Pennsylvania, which symbolized both the one-time strength and the decline of U.S. manufacturing power as the Rust Belt's steel plants and factories lost business to international rivals. The closely contested state is a major prize in presidential elections. "We would not be here today without President Trump, who has secured the company's future by approving our partnership," said Nippon Vice-Chair Takahiro Mori, who spoke before Trump. But in a sign of the many open questions that remain, Japan's top trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, told reporters on Friday he could not yet comment on the tie-up. "I am aware of the various reports and posts by President Trump on social media. However, there has not yet been an official announcement from the U.S. government," Akazawa, in Washington for tariff negotiations, said at a briefing at the Japanese Embassy in Washington. Trump technically has until Thursday to decide whether to formally approve or scuttle the deal, after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. last week completed a second review of the merger. But the timeline could slip. The road to Friday's rally has been a bumpy one. Nippon Steel offered $14.9 billion for U.S. Steel in December 2023, seeking to capitalize on an expected ramp up in steel purchases, thanks to the bipartisan infrastructure law. But the tie-up faced headwinds from the start, with both then-President Joe Biden and Trump asserting U.S. Steel should remain American-owned as they sought to woo voters in Pennsylvania ahead of the November presidential elections. Following the previous review, Biden blocked the deal in January on national security grounds. The companies sued, arguing they did not receive a fair review process, a charge the Biden White House disputed. The steel giants saw a new opportunity in the Trump administration, which opened a fresh 45-day national security review into the proposed merger last month. But Trump's public comments, ranging from welcoming a simple "investment" in U.S. Steel by the Japanese firm to suggesting a minority stake for Nippon Steel, did little to shore up investor confidence.
