District Council 33 workers on strike at the Philadelphia International Airport (Credit: @AFSCME on X)
After eight days of halted trash pickup, closed libraries, and disrupted public services, Philadelphia’s largest municipal union, DC 33, has reached a tentative agreement with the city’s administration, ending the work stoppage that began July 1.
The two sides bargained late into the night as Tuesday turned into Wednesday, when Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker sent out her own version of the Vatican's white smoke signal, when she put a post on X 9formerly Twitter) in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.
— Mayor Cherelle L. Parker (@PhillyMayor) July 9, 2025
She announced a new three-year contract that, including the previously extended one-year agreement, will deliver a total 14% pay increase over her four-year term, contingent on union ratification.
The new deal calls for a three percent wage increase per year over the next three years - a number much closer to Parker's initial proposal of 8.75% and a far cry from the union's initial demand of 15%.
Union leader Greg Boulware told 6ABC that although they agreed to this deal, they were not happy about it, but said they settled on that number because they had the best interest of the members of the union in mind.
.DC 33, representing nearly 10,000 blue-collar workers such as sanitation crews, 911 dispatchers, and water department staff, joined picket lines after negotiations stalled over pay.
The halt in services caused trash to pile up across Philadelphia neighborhoods, prompting the city to open about 60 temporary disposal sites and secure court-ordered injunctions to return essential dispatchers and water workers to active duty.
With the agreement now in place, DC 33 members will resume work as soon as the contract is ratified by its membership, effectively ending the longest municipal walkout Philadelphia has seen since 1986 and restoring daily services to residents.
