On the morning of Wednesday, July 9, 2025, after an 8-day strike involving approximately 9,000 city workers in Philadelphia, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) District Council 33 (DC33) reached a temporary agreement with the Philadelphia city government. The agreement includes a 14% wage increase and effectively ends the strike that had caused a massive pile-up of garbage for over a week.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker announced during a press conference that the agreement was a victory, marking the “highest pay raise the union has received in over 30 years.”
The temporary agreement outlines a 14% wage increase for union workers within the four-year term of Mayor Parker, followed by annual 3% increases in the subsequent three years. Additionally, a $1,500 bonus is allocated for the first year, and there is a 2% raise implemented as the “step five” increase, with half of DC33 members receiving it immediately and the rest upon contract expiration.
The temporary agreement is projected to cost a total of $115 million over the five-year plan. Mayor Parker expressed firm support for the union and workers, emphasizing the achievement of a “fair and fiscally responsible contract.” She highlighted this as the largest pay raise within a single mayoral term in Philadelphia and noted that the 5% raise secured for DC33 members this year is the highest annual increase in the past 30 years.
Approval of the temporary agreement is required from union members. Greg Boulware, the Chairman of DC33, expressed dissatisfaction with the agreement, as the union had initially requested an 8% annual raise over the next four years to address inflation, rising living costs, enhance benefits, and provide “pandemic bonuses” for workers who steadfastly worked during the pandemic.
District Council 33 is the largest of the four major unions representing Philadelphia workers, including sanitation workers, librarians, garbage collectors, water treatment staff, and 911 dispatchers. Boulware mentioned several reasons for the union accepting the agreement, including members’ fatigue from protesting in heavy rain and scorching heat for a week. Additionally, the union was concerned that increasing legal injunctions could lead to legal actions that might end the strike.
At the beginning of the strike, Philadelphia judge Sierra Thomas-Street issued orders on July 1st requiring several dispatchers (32 fire dispatchers, 5 supervisors, and 200 police dispatchers) to return to work, citing the “obvious and real danger” their absence posed. The judge also instructed some water department staff to return to their positions, as their role in ensuring fresh and clean drinking water was critical. Another injunction accused some union members of unlawful picketing, harassing city employees, and blocking entrances to landfills, medical facilities, and entertainment centers.
Normal garbage collection in Philadelphia is set to resume next Monday, July 14th.