Workers in the city of Philadelphia strike after the failure of contractual talks

Philadelphia – Nearly 10,000 workers in the city of Philadelphia who collect garbage, respond to calls from 911, maintain the city’s swimming pools and make other jobs were struck on Tuesday after the breach of contractual negotiations.

The District 33 Council of the American State, County and Municipal Employees announced on Tuesday the strike on its Facebook page, saying to “hold the lines”.

Mayor Cherrelle Parker said that the city would suspend the collection of residential waste, would close certain swimming pools in the city and shortened the hours of the leisure center, but promised to operate the city. Police and firefighters are not on strike.

Parker, a professional democrat, promised that the celebrations of July 4 in the birthplace of the country would continue as usual.

“Keep your vacation projects. Do not leave the city,” she said at a press conference on Monday afternoon that followed last minute negotiations.

Parker said in a statement early Tuesday that the city “put its best offer on the table” but that the District 33 council had not accepted it.

“The city of Philadelphia remains determined to achieve a fair and fiscally responsible contract with our municipal workers who are part of DC 33,” said Parker. “We are ready, arranged and capable of regaining negotiations with the union at their convenience.”

City officials urged residents to be patient and not to hang up if they were to call 911 or the city’s non -urgent assistance line. They said they would open deposit sites for residential waste.

Parker said that she had offered 13% increases during her four -year term and added a fifth step to the remuneration scale to align with other unionized workers. The District 33 council is the largest of the four unions representing workers in the city.

The union leaders, in their initial contract proposal, asked for annual increases of 8% each year of the three -year contract, as well as hikes and bonuses of up to $ 5,000 for those who worked on the pandemic. The union also asked the City to pay the total cost of employee health care, or $ 1,700 per person per month.

“The members of the District Council 33 contribute as much blood, sweat and tears as someone else,” they said in a letter of request. “We all operate the city. Our contract must reflect this reality.”

In November, the city’s public transport system avoided a strike when the parties agreed with a one -year contract with increases of 5%.