Deal reached to end DC33 strike in Philadelphia; trash collection resumes Monday

As trash piles are picked up along Market Street in West Philadelphia, neighbors are breathing a sigh of relief.

T. Fisher is a District Council 33 worker who lives in the neighborhood. He's ready to get back to work, though the anxiety of the past eight days isn't gone.

"Mixed emotions. Some good, some bad," he said.

Neighbors who have dealt with a lack of services during the strike also have mixed opinions.

Mixed emotions after deal reached to end strike

"I can't say I have a whole lot of support for the union. They already got a 5% increase and they want more," said Eric Beller of University City.

With the deal, thousands of city workers were told to go back to work. The Action Cam saw workers cleaning up 63rd Street near the Sanitation Convenience Center.

But it's not just trash; libraries, rec centers, and other services are back too.

While some are happy to have some of their city services back, others are still dealing with the lingering question: When will all of this trash be gone?

"Then around the 4th of July, it was still there, so you couldn't enjoy your BBQ because you were smelling the stench that was right outside your window," said Janine Williams of West Philadelphia.

The city says regular residential trash pickup won't resume until Monday, and the 60 dump sites will be taken down.

Mayor Parker revealed more details about the tentative deal with DC33 that ended a strike by city workers on Wednesday.

The first year of the three-year deal includes a 3% pay increase plus a $1,500 bonus.

There will be additional 3% pay increases in the second and third years.

In addition, there is a fifth-step increase in the pay scale. Parker said that means an additional 2% pay increase for half of DC33's members right away, while a total 80% of the union's members will have it by the end of the contract.

"This is a new, permanent salary increase that every member of District Council 33 will be able to benefit from," Parker said.

The union had sought 5% pay increases for each of the three years.

Parker said that over her four-year term, DC33 workers will have received a total pay bump of 14%, including a 5% one-year hike she gave all four unions after taking office last year.

The union says DC33 members earn an average $46,000 a year.

The more than 60 temporary trash drop-off sites in use during the strike in Philadelphia are being shut down and cleaned up, the city's director of clean and green initiatives, Carlton Williams, said.

"We do not want residents returning to those locations. They are being transitioned out, shut down," Williams said.

Regular trash collection won't resume until Monday, Williams said.

Until then, residents are asked to use one of the city's six sanitation convenience centers.

To find the center closest to you, visit this link at phila.gov/sanitation.

Williams said there are several steps the city needs to take before trash collection can resume.

"We have to inventory our equipment, we have to see what our staff is coming in and reassign," Williams said.

Despite a deal to end the strike by members of DC33 in Philadelphia, regular trash collection will not begin right away.

During a news conference on Wednesday, Mayor Cherelle Parker said trash collection will resume this coming Monday, July 14.

Until then, Parker said, residents are encouraged to take their trash to a collection center or hold their trash until regular collection resumes.

The more than 60 temporary trash drop-off sites in use during the strike are being shut down, the city's director of clean and green initiatives, Carlton Williams, said.

Instead of using those sites, Williams encouraged residents to use one of the city's six sanitation convenience centers.

To find the center closest to you, visit this link at phila.gov/sanitation.