The largest blue collar union in Philadelphia, which represents 9,000 city workers, is preparing to go on strike in five days.
On Wednesday, June 25, the union and the city engaged in negotiations all day, but the union was unable to make enough headway to prevent the strike, according to the AFSCME District Council 33 Facebook page.
The planned start time of the strike is midnight on June 30, 2025.
A meeting for members seeking additional information is scheduled for Thursday, June 26 at 6 p.m.
Members of District Council 33, which represents employees working in city departments such the water department, sanitation, police dispatch, street maintenance, and the airport, reportedly decided to approve a strike on June 12.
The union claims that after months of talks with city authorities, they are prepared to quit if a new deal cannot be reached.
According to Greg Boulware, President of District Council 33, “We handle every single essential service that goes on in the city,” last week. “We saw no compensation during the pandemic, and we’ve been through that successfully and our members are still fighting… so we’re doing more work with less people than ever before and the wages are not meeting the needs of what our people need to be able to survive.”
According to union leaders, they want all of their members to have health insurance, job stability, and pay increases.
All four Philadelphia municipal union contracts, including DC 33’s, are set to expire at the end of this month.
contacted the mayor’s office, but they chose not to comment on the authorization of the strike.
