Officials announced Wednesday that an agreement has been reached between Philadelphia city officials and a union that represents thousands of city workers, effectively ending a strike that had disrupted residential trash collection and other services for over a week.
Around 10,000 blue-collar workers from District Council 33 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees began their strike on July 1, following unsuccessful negotiations with the city over a new contract to secure better wages and benefits.
A man drops off trash at a garbage collection site, Thursday, July 3, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
“We have come to a tentative agreement with District Council 33, pending approval from its members, on a new three-year contract. Combined with the one-year contract extension settled last fall, this deal will raise DC 33 members’ salaries by 14 percent during my four-year term.”
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.
Trash is cleaned up at a drop-off site in Philadelphia as thousands of city workers remained on strike Monday, July 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)
“The strike is over! Details forthcoming,” the union posted on Facebook Wednesday morning.
The city had designated about 60 sites as drop-off centers for residential trash, but some were overflowing, while striking workers on hand asked residents not to cross the picket line. Most libraries across the city were closed, with support workers and security guards off the job.
